Hailing from the ill-fated Pittyvaich distillery, the Orphan Barrel Forager’s Keep is not just the latest release in the Orphan Barrel line, but also their first single malt. Which, to be honest, is a bit surprising given the massive stocks of Scotch Diageo owns. I hope we see some more interesting releases like this in the near future.

Being aged for 26 years, this whisky has been aging longer than Pittyvaich was even around. Built in 1974 by Arthur Bell & Sons it went online in 1975, was closed in 1993 by United Distillers (Diageo) and demolished in 2002; the distillery was only operational for 18 years. While it was short-lived, and originally intentioned to be a workhorse for the Bell’s blend, it’s aged well. We’ll get into the details in the Scotch review below.

Orphan Barrel Forager’s Keep Review: Details and Tasting Notes

In Diageo’s Words:

Forager’s Keep 26 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky is the latest release from the Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Co. It is the fourteenth release and the first single malt Scotch whisky to appear in the collection.

Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)

Region: Highlands, Scotland

Distiller: Pittyvaich
Bottler: Orphan Barrel
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Bourbon
Age: 26 Years
ABV: 48%

Batch: Forager’s Keep

Price: $400*

Tasting Notes

EYE
Golden honey

NOSE
Peaches, pears, apple, malty sweetness, spice and a touch of oak and vanilla.

PALATE
Peaches, earthy, pears, apple, malty sweetness, spice, oak and a touch of citrus and vanilla.

FINISH
Long -> Pears, malt, spice and oak.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Fantastic balance, medium-full body and a soft oily feel.

Orphan Barrel Forager’s Keep Review: Overall and Score

I’m loving this whisky. The Aroma is bright and fruity with a nice malty backbone; Palate comes through bright and similarly fruity, but carries a bit more of an earthy weight to it, adding to the depth; Finish is everything you want in a solid Speyside Scotch. This is a beautiful dram.

When the Orphan Barrel Forager’s Keep was first announced I was skeptical. I thought they were just capitalizing on a dead distillery and were going to be bottling some old crap and calling it a day. But it seems they took it seriously and found some amazing casks. It’s out of my price range, but I’d love to own a bottle… or 10.

SCORE: 91/100 (A-)

*Disclosure: This Orphan Barrel Forager’s Keep sample was graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.

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