Tag: Campbeltown whisky

It has been a challenging year so far. Between covid lock downs, online school and alcohol bans, it feels like we are all trapped in a recurring dream. However, now and again, the year has an unexpected highlight to break the monotonous rhythm.

One of these unexpected moments came when I got the opportunity to sample the Glen Scotia Dunnage tasting 2021 set.

A pack of 5 Glen Scotia single malt releases was specially selected for Glen Scotia’s distillery online festival. Master Distiller Iain McAlister chose five drams from specially-selected casks within the warehouse for people worldwide to experience.  The spirit spent time in bourbon casks and was then finished in 1st-fill bourbon, port or oloroso.

Glen Scotia is situated in the small Campbeltown whisky region on the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland. Once this region was once the premier whisky-producing region in the world. At one point in time, Campbeltown was home to over thirty whisky distilleries.

But less than forty years later, Campbeltown became a prime example of the fragility of the whisky industry. By the 1920s, the heavy smoky/oily Campbeltown style that had come to define the region’s whisky was out of fashion. Due to Prohibition and the Great Depression, export was down. Only Springbank and Glen Scotia remained to represent the Campbeltown style on the whisky stage.

The Glen Scotia Dunnage Tasting Review

Glen Scotia Double Cask Whisky

I wrote about the Double Cask before. Released in 2015, the Double Cask single malt is matured in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in ex-Pedro Ximénez sherry casks for up to 12 months. A great dram available in South Africa and retails for around R780.

Glen Scotia 1st Fill Bourbon 2015 – Cask 1535 whisky

First up was a single malt whisky from a 1st fill bourbon cask (Cask1535) at a whopping 60.5% ABV. It was distilled in 2015 and bottled in 2021.

NOSE: Grassy freshness, peaches, caramel, vanilla and oak. Rich and fruity.

PALATE: Bit of alcohol heat, warming oak spices, pepper, cinnamon, vanilla, butterscotch, creme brulee with pear. A bit of water softens the pepper spices and makes it very accessible and drinkable.

FINISH: Long and lingering. Just lovely!

RATING: EXCELLENT

Glen Scotia Refill/1st Fill Bourbon 1999 – Cask 257 Whisky

Next was a dram that first aged in refill bourbon and was then finished in 2st fill bourbon. Cask2018/257/2, distilled 1999 and bottled 2021. Another huge ABV of 59%.

NOSE: A more prominent nose. Charred wood, vanilla, oak, brandied fruit, Christmas cake, winter spices with burnt caramel.

PALATE: Toasted oak, pepper (more than the previous cask), Christmas cake, bits of leather and honey.  Rich and oily. Water softens pepper notes.

FINISH: Long and lingering with notes of dry oak and honey sweetness.

RATING: EXCELLENT

Glen Scotia Refill Bourbon/1st Fill Oloroso 2002- Cask 618 Whisky

This single malt Scotch release was aged in refill bourbon and then finished in 1st fill oloroso sherry casks. Cask no 2019/618/81, distilled 2002 and bottled 2021.  It has an ABV of 58.7%.  A beautiful copper colour.

NOSE: Condensed milk sweetness with cherry pie, salted caramel and honeycomb.

PALATE: Drying oak, cherries and pepper with a ripe orange sweetness. Big and bold with lots of complex fruity notes with peaches and dried fruit. Here you can easily pick up the salinity from the coast. However, water kills the complexity and dulls the dram. Not a whisky for beginners. It is an after-dinner or evening sipping drink. Delicious but not easy drinking.

FINISH: Medium with dried fruit and spices.

RATING: EXCELLENT

Glen Scotia Refill Bourbon/1st Fill Ruby Port 2002- Cask 609 Whisky

The colour of the ruby port whisky was just glorious.  It reminds me of a bright red sunset.  This sample is from cask no 2019/609/80 distilled in 2002 and bottled in 2021. It is from a refill bourbon cask and finished in 1st fill ruby port.  Another big ABV at 53.8%.

NOSE: Red fruits, cherries, plums, nectarines. The fruitiest nose from all four samples.

PALATE: Cream covered red summer fruit salad. The port notes come through big and bold.  Not as spicy as the other samples. Drying oak with hints of salinity in the background. Bits of cinnamon and faint vanilla.

FINISH: Fruity long and lingering

RATING: EXCELLENT

Each of these individual Glen Scotia Dunnage drams spent time in bourbon casks first and was then finished in other casks. It allows you to better see the impact of the finishing casks on the whisky from both a colour and a taste perspective. A wonderful experiment of sorts that shows what a difference the various finishing casks make.

They are all excellent drams. It took us a while to choose a favourite, but in the end, we both agreed that the first one (1st fill bourbon cask Cask1535) was our favourite dram, followed quickly by the last one (finished in 1st fill ruby port cask 609).

Sample disclosure: I received this whisky from Glen Scotia. The review and tasting notes are my own honest, fair and independent thoughts about the whisky.

Also Read: Noble Rebel Orchard Outburst Whisky

My second blog post on  the Glen Scotia miniatures. I found this at the back of my cupboard while cleaning my whisky room. Last time I looked at the Victoriana whisky and today I look at the Glen Scotia 15 year old single malt Scotch whisky.

The golden days of Campbeltown were before Prohibition. Today there are only 3 distilleries left from the original more than 20. Glen Scotia along with Springbank and Glengyle still keep this unique Scottish region tastes alive. The characteristics of Campbeltown whiskies are a complex mix of flavours.

The characteristics of Campbeltown include a dryness with spicy fruit sweetness, smoke and a hint of saltiness. Imagine a cross between the Lowlands and the Western Highlands with a pinch of Island salt thrown in.

Stewart, Galbraith and Co. founded Glen Scotia in 1832 and it was family-owned until 1919. A turbulent period followed and much-needed stability arrived when the Loch Lomond Group bought the distillery.

The Glen Scotia range includes some core Single Malt expressions:

• Double Cask
• Victoriana
• 18 Year Old
• 25 Year Old

The Glen Scotia 15 year old whisky was released in 2015 and has been aged in specially selected American oak casks. It retails for around R800. Not a bad price for a 15 year old whisky. But the question is always; what does it taste like?

Also Read: The Singleton 15 yo whisky

Glen Scotia 15 year old Whisky Review

REGION: Campbelltown

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Golden Honey

NOSE: Barley, toasted oak, apricot sweetness with a lemony zest. Hints of spices and freshly baked goods.

PALATE: Small jam tarts, candied ginger and vanilla with fresh apricots. The Glen Scotia has a fruity sweetness that is balanced by a spicy bite with little bits of orange peel.

Slight hints of freshly baked apple pie and a salty note somewhere. Adding water makes the Glen Scotia 15 year old very drinkable without diluting the sweetness and spice balance.

FINISH: Medium length ending on fruity sweetness and orange peel with hints of pepper.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The Glen Scotia 15 year old single malt whisky is nicely balanced and makes for smooth drinking. And best of all, it is not a bad price for a 15-year-old whisky. Excellent addition to any collection and probably one of the more drinkable Campbeltown releases available in South Africa.

Have you tried this release yet?

Also Read: Longmorn 15 yo Scottish whisky

A long story to get to my whisky this week; the Glen Scotia Victoriana single malt Scotch whisky.  Winter is not my favourite time of the year. I love the summer. When it is warm, I can move, plan, function and do things.

During winter, all I want to do is hibernate until the temperature rises again. But being in hibernation does not lead to getting things done, so winter I try to use as a time to restructure, refocus and clean.

Preparing and cleaning, so that when Spring comes, I can shrug off the old and start something fresh and new. As part of the process, I started sorting and cleaning my ‘whisky room’; the room where I store my liquor bottles. Whisky, wine, gin, brandy and all the assorted liqueurs that we gathered over the years.

I updated my database with what I have and cleaned out old boxes and paperwork that seems to gather there. And lo and behold, I found a small box with some samples in that I have not officially tasted yet. The box was from a Loch Lomond function I attended a couple of years ago.

Also Read: Inchmurrin 11 yo Whisky

Two of the drams I have tasted and written about. But there was a few more that I have not covered yet. So, over the next couple of months, expect to see a few Glen Scotia releases popping up for tasting.

The first one I want to try is the Glen Scotia Victoriana whisky. I just love the name and the label. The label reminds me of that dying hobby of stamp collection. So it is making the first appearance.

The name and the label is a reminder of the Victorian era when Campbeltown was a booming whisky hub. The small Kintyre Peninsula boasted over 20 distilleries. Campbeltown was known as “The Whisky Capital of the World.” Then Prohibition hit and Speyside and the Highlands became more dominant and this caused the end of the of Campbeltown golden era.

I had written about the history of Campbeltown and Glen Scotia when I captured my tasting notes for the Glen Scotia Double Cask, the Loch Lomond Original release as well as the Loch Lomond Single Grain whisky.

The Glen Scotia Victoriana single malt aims to re-create a modern interpretation of classic Victorian Campbeltown malt. The Victoriana is a NAS release and has been finished in deeply charred oak casks and bottled at cask strength without filtration.

Glen Scotia Victoriana Whisky Review

REGION: Campbeltown

ABV:  51.5%

COLOUR: Golden wheat with hints of green

NOSE: A very delicate nose. It’s got light cereals with hints of floral character in it. Toasted oak and smoke, bits of overripe summer berries, vanilla, toffee apple sweetness mixed with winter spices.

PALATE: On the palate, it’s different from other expressions. It starts quite spicy then quickly settled down. The first sip has lots of  oak dryness, dried citrus peel, cinnamon, pepper and vanilla.

The second sip brings fruit jam with malted biscuits and salted toffee with faint hints of smoke. The Victoriana has a medium body, and a bit of an alcohol bite and water brings down the heat. Water also releases more fruit and vanilla spiciness but tempers the salt and smokiness.

FINISH: The finish is remarkable and the highlight of the Victoriana. It builds quickly and warms your insides before slowly retreating to leave you satisfied long after you have swallowed. The addition of water tames the finish a bit. It ends in hints of chocolate and smoke with lemon peel and oak.

RATING: EXCELLENT

The oaky spiciness of the Victoriana whisky can be a bit overwhelming. But you just need to take a second sip for the ripe summer berries, vanilla and smoky notes to come through. It is an exciting release that is certainly worth trying. From all the Campbeltown releases I have tried, this is my favourite.

In a few weeks, I will feature the Glen Scotia 15 yo, and perhaps that will also impress. We will have to wait and see. For now, I need to get my hands on a full-size Victoriana as this little sample was not enough.

Also Read: The Arran Malt Sherry Cask Whisky