Kininvie 1990 23 YO Batch No. 002

Kininvie 1990 23 YO Batch No. 002, 42,6 %

Kininvie is a rather unknown Speyside distillery. It was founded in 1990, and distilled their first drops of new make in July the same year. The distillery is owned by William Grant & Sons, and is located very close to Balvenie Distillery (same owners).

Very few bottlings have been released from Kininvie so far. They released a blend and two single malts (15 YO and 17 YO) under the brand Hazelwood a few years back. Then in 2013 they launched the first whisky under their own name, batch 001 of the Kininvie 1990 23 YO exclusively for Taiwan. Then in 2014 they launched a Kininvie 17 YO for Travel Retail, and the Kininvie 1990 23 YO Batch No. 002.

The distillery was established specifically with blending in mind. The owners wanted a floral Speyside character that was also different from their existing Speyside distilleries Glenfiddich and Balvenie. Kevin Abrook, global whisky specialist at William Grant & Sons, told Whisky Advocate (Spring 2015) this on the launch of Kininvie:

Having it in half-bottle was important to create a sense of something special and precious. We wanted to capture its 'hidden treasure' aspect. The small batches add to that.

See the whole article by Dave Broom in the latest issue of Whisky Advocate; it is well worth a read.

The Kininvie 1990 23 YO Batch No. 002 is a limited bottling of 9866 bottles (35 cl). It has been matured in a mix of hogsheads (80 %) and sherry butts (20 %).

This whisky is available to buy in Norway at NOK 999 for a 35 cl bottle (item number 1897402). The Kininvie 1990 23 YO is currently not available to buy in Sweden.

Update 2015-04-11: Just heard that Batch No. 002 is now sold out in Norway, but Batch No. 003 will be available soon.

Nose (21/25): Quite sweet (sugary) on the nose. Caramel and cherries. More oak become apparent after a few minutes; mild camphor, mentholatum ointment, and oaky spices.

Taste (21/25): Caramel and sugary fruits. The oak is very much present here as well. Dry and relatively full-bodied. Rich and almost creamy.

Finish (22/25): Mildly fruity still, but now with added coffee. Nice! Dry and oaky all the way.

Balance (21/25): Not very often we get to meet a brand new 23 YO! Let's see what more they have up their sleeve at Kininvie.

Score (85/100)

Sláinte! - Thomas