Tag: Campbeltown whisky

Whisky of the Week review and tasting notes for whisky from the Campbeltown region in Scotland. Campbeltown is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Distilleries include Glen Scotia, Springbank and Glengyle.

Glen Scotia Dunnage Tasting Set

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/16/2021

In Single Malt 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: Nikka from The Barrel Whisky

Glen Scotia 15 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 10/29/2018

In Single Malt 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.

Glen Scotia Victoriana Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 07/30/2018

In Single Malt 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.

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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

Glen Scotia Double Cask Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 07/17/2017

In Single Malt whisky

Today I look at a whisky from a whisky region that almost disappeared. The Glen Scotia Double Cask single malt Scotch whisky is from Campbeltown. Around a century ago Campbeltown was the most prolific of all of Scotland’s whisky regions.

There were more than 20 distilleries in the small geographic whisky region. It dwindled to just 3. One of the reasons for the decline was the fact that most distilleries in the Campbeltown region had a strong focus on quantity instead of quality.

Thanks to strong international demand, the Campbeltown distilleries could quickly sell their entire output. There was little need to innovate or improve the whisky. Then Prohibition was introduced in the USA, and the demand declined sharply.

Today there are three distilleries in the Campbeltown Region: Springbank, GlenGyle (Kilkerran) and Glen Scotia. Campbeltown whiskies are a mixed bag of flavours. Their characteristics include a dryness with a pungency, smoke and saltiness.

Imagine a cross between the Lowlands and the Western Highlands with a pinch of salt thrown in. Campbeltown sits on the Mull of Kintyre Peninsula protruding from the western coast.

Glen Scotia Distillery was founded in 1832 by Stewart, Galbraith and Co and remained in the family until 1919. It changed ownership various times and spent some years closed down. After years of opening and shutting down, some stability arrived in 2000 when the Loch Lomond Group bought the distillery.

Glen Scotia Double Cask is a single malt, which has no age statement and is matured in oak barrels then finished in a combination of American 0ak barrels followed by time in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. The Glen Scotia Double Cask won a gold medal at the 4th Annual Berlin International Spirits Competition in 2017.

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Glen Scotia Double Cask Whisky Review

REGION: Campbeltown

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Reddish copper

NOSE: Sweet red berries and rich dark fruits. There are notes of freshness associated with fresh-cut flowers and honey with hints of vanilla. In the background some dark bitter chocolate.

PALATE: More of the red berries and fruity sweetness with burnt toffee sweetness. The Glen Scotia Double Barrel is quite spicy with woody hints and a medium body. Over time the palette changes to mild citrus and black pepper.

Without water, it has a bit of an alcohol burn. Adding a few drops of water softens the burn. However, it feels like the water separates the elements and the fruity sweetness becomes overwhelmed by the pepper spices.

FINISH: Pepper and berries of the forest.

RATING: VERY GOOD

The Glen Scotia Double Cask is not the most complex dram, and the peppery nature nearly overwhelms the fruity sweetness. The Sherry cask also comes through more noticeable than the Bourbon cask. It is a great whisky if you like a more peppery bite. I have a sweet palate and prefer something sweeter and fruity.

However, I wonder how this pepper nature will work with a mature cheese? I suspect, it might make for a great pairing. Hmmm, let me go and experiment again.

Another Glen Scotia release I have tried and liked was the Victoriana as well as the Glen Scotia 15 yo whisky. The Glen Scotia Double Cask was also included in the Glen Scotia Dunnage tasting set that I wrote about.

Also Read: McCarthy’s Oregon Whiskey

Springbank 18 year old Whisky

By Jeannette Wentzel

On 08/08/2013

In Single Malt whisky

Time for an 18 yo whisky today; I look at the Springbank 18 year old single malt Scotch whisky. Before the arrival of our daughter, Father’s Days meant very little to John. He never knew his father, so there was no reason to celebrate it. However, since her arrival, it has all changed.

The special “Happy Father’s Day” baby artwork gets centre stage in the study. Marc from WhiskyBrother helped me select this bottle, and as always, he knows exactly what to pick.

I am excited to add this bottle of Springbank 18 yo whisky to my collection. It is a distillery that I have heard great things from but have not tried before. It also completes my collection as it adds a whisky from Campbeltown.

The last Scottish region that I did not have. Before the arrival of the Springbank 18 year old single malt, my collection did not have a representative of Campbeltown, one of the five accepted whisky regions of Scotland.

Now I have ticked that box. The Springbank Distillery is unique. It is the oldest independent family-owned distillery in Scotland. Founded in 1828 on the site of Archibald Mitchell’s illicit still, the Springbank distillery is now in the hands of his great great great grandson, Hedley G. Wright.

Springbank is one of the only distilleries in Scotland to carry out the entire production process on one site. The traditional floor malting, maturation and bottling are done at the distillery itself. In a time of chill filtered whisky, it remains the only distillery in Scotland never to have done so.

Furthermore, it is the only distillery in Scotland to produce three different single malts, Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn, using three different production methods. So on to the Springbank 18 year old single malt whisky itself.

Related Article: The Arran Malt Sherry Cask whisky

Springbank 18 year old Whisky Review

REGION: Campbelltown

ABV: 46%

COLOUR: Golden copper.

NOSE: It’s an oily whisky – which is great – and the nose quite fruity. Spice and barley come through distinctly with aniseed. Other commentators have reported Christmas cake and marzipan, and I don’t think that is wrong at all.

PALATE: The big nature of the whisky comes through. It is a whisky that has spent 18 years maturing in predominantly sherry casks, and it shows! The Springbank 18 yo is creamy and oily from the moment it hits the palate. Giving it a few minutes, the Springbank develops further to reveal dried fruits and traces of smoke.

FINISH: The finish is something to behold. It is a beautiful building, going on and on, and linger long after you have finished it.

RATING: VERY GOOD

The Springbank is a complex whisky with the nose a little at odds with the palate. If you do lay your hands on a Springbank 18 year old Scotch, enjoy it because it is an interesting whisky. Thank you for the recommendation, WhiskyBrother.

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