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| An off-kilter malt |
Glen Scotia 15 Year
Classification: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Country: Scotland
Region: Campbeltown (Campbeltown: 55.430N, -5.604W)
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Strength: 46.0% ABV (92.0° Proof)
Color: Unknown (reliable sources indicate artificial color)
Filtration: Non-chill Filtered
Maturation: 15 Years in American Oak
Price: $69.99 (Luekens Wine & Spirits)
Well friends, I've ended my Internet embargo on Glen Scotia and decided to see what both the distillery and various whisky sites have to say about this whisky that I've spent the past month with. One historical nugget I came across while digging into Glen Scotia was in regard to the distillery's region - Campbeltown. In the early 1900s, Campbeltown was considered the whisky capital of the world, home to over 20 distilleries. By 1934 however, only two remained - Glen Scotia and Springbank, the rest shuttered, never to return due to the impacts of Prohibition in the United States and the Great Depression across the globe. Today, Glengyle joins Glen Scotia and Springbank as the three distilleries operating in Campbeltown, a mere wisp of its former glory in terms of quantity, but the region's legacy is preserved by being recognized as an official Scotch producing region by the Scotch Whisky Association.
Jumping into the whisky itself, Glen Scotia's official site describes the 15-year as such:
Reviewing my four sets of tasting notes, I definitely concur with the spice notes. What's interesting is many characterize Glen Scotia's spice as ginger-based whereas I was more along the lines of black and white pepper. Vanilla and oak were fairly obvious to me as well, but many noting fruits, particularly apricot caught my attention. I adore apricots, sometimes to an explosive degree (apricots like prunes promote 'healthy digestion', I'll leave the rest to your imagination), yet I failed to detect any apricot in Glen Scotia. As promised, I plan on leaving the Glen Scotia on the shelf for at least a month, perhaps sitting for that long with the extra air now in the bottle will help reveal those mysterious fruity notes that others have reported. I did catch a passing whiff of some in my later tastings, but nothing that I'd consider close to dominant.
As far as Glen Scotia's reviews on the Internet - they range from sub-par to excellent, which is to say that whisky reviews always, ALWAYS need to be taken for exactly what they are - subjective opinions.
Personally, I am more interested in reading tasting notes and much less interested in reading a score; scoring a whisky always seems rather arbitrary to me. Along with tasting notes, I also like to quantify my enjoyment of any given whisky as whether I'd buy another bottle of that whisky or not (more on that below).
Some Internet sleuthing uncovered a few interesting tidbits, folks who have toured the Glen Scotia distillery relay that Glen Scotia's 15-year is overwhelmingly matured in first-fill ex-Bourbon casks with a smidgen of ex-sherry American oak as well. I must say, if this is true, if Glen Scotia really is predominately using first-fill ex-Bourbon casks for 15 years of aging, then why oh why would they color the whisky!? Perhaps their branding/marketing team desires a color uniformity that cannot be guaranteed without artificial enhancement, but to that I say - boo! If you (rightfully) bottle the 15-year without chill filtration then it makes sense (in my opinion) to also bottle the malt in its natural color. It just seems woefully counter-intuitive to go to the expense of using first-fill ex-Bourbon only to mask the beautiful color that those barrels impart. Oh well.
So this almost concludes my time with Glen Scotia 15-year. As stated, i do plan on leaving this bottle alone, safely tucked away on the shelf until this Fall or Winter. When I do revisit this whisky, I promise to post a follow-up to record my impressions. That being said, I do applaud the evolution of Glen Scotia over the past month. When I first opened the bottle I was rather ho-hum regarding the whisky, but each successive night yielded a better experience. Sitting here tonight with yet another pour, I'd recommend this whisky to anyone who enjoys a malt whisky heavily influenced by ex-bourbon barrels, a spicy rather than a sweet dram, and someone not afraid to tinker with water to dial in the whisky to personal preferences.
Finally, would I purchase a second bottle of Glen Scotia 15-year? Eventually, yes, however not until I've finished my current bottle, and even then, it would not be an immediate priority. It is a good, enjoyable, and ultimately unique whisky, particularly when tasted alongside other single malts matured almost exclusively in ex-Bourbon casks. The label on the back of the Glen Scotia's box proclaims "Campbeltown whiskies are intriguing - appealing to those consumers looking for something a little off the beaten track." To that I say mission accomplished and job well done Glen Scotia - your predominately ex-Bourbon cask matured single malt is definitely intriguing and quite different than the beaten path of your Scottish counterparts also matured in ex-Bourbon casks.
Until next time malt mates - stay healthy, stay positive, and most of all, stay frothy.
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