Tonight the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") celebrated its annual Gathering at the Jack Rose Saloon... with founder Pip Hills in attendance, all the way from Scotland. It was a night of six whiskies, and many new faces to meet and greet and swap stories with.
This was the fifth sample at the September 2022 outturn from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") at the Jack Rose Saloon in Washington DC. This was a popular one - a lot of peatheads in the audience that night - and fooled most people into thinking it was a straight-up Islay. I heard a lot of guesses like Caol Ila, Bunnahabhain, and even Laphroaig (!). I myself thought it was Caol Ila.
Sadly, The Wine Specialist on 20th St NW here in Washington DC is leaving their current location on July 30, 2022. They told me they'd be returning in 2023, but probably not at the current location - a shame, they were one of the friendlier spots down in the Dupont/Farragut Square neighborhoods to find decent sherry, port, cordials, and sometimes single malt scotch. I particularly miss the older gentleman behind the register who listened to loud jazz all day. Kindred spirit.
I've had quite a few Glen Scotia bottlings over the last two or three years, and I can safely say with full confidence: this is one funky distillery. Owned by the Loch Lomond Group - which is absolutely unafraid to experiment rather radically with their whiskies - Glen Scotia is every bit as funky as its Campbeltown brethren at Springbank and Kilkerran.
This independent bottling from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") is heavily peated and aged eight years in a first fill bottle. While I am a bit leery of younger bottlings from the SMWS (ten times bitten, eleven times shy, or something like that), it's somewhat common knowledge that heavily peated spirit is at its most muscular, brash, and aggressive at younger ages, and the peat tends to fade away relatively quickly as the spirit enters its mid- to upper-teens. A great example of this is drinking Lagavulin 8 year back to back with the 16 year expression. The 16 year is lovely stuff (despite some recent batch variation) but is quite muted and suppressed compared to the "outspoken" 8 year.
Glen Scotia is a distillery I really like. "The other Campbeltown distillery" has long been in Springbank's shadow, but general awareness has really blossomed in the last few years, especially as Springbank becomes totally unobtainable. Owned by the Loch Lomond group - who have been doing really ambitious and great things these last few years - they are one of just a handful or less of distilleries in Campbeltown - once one of the busiest scotch areas.
The fifth and penultimate bottle of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") March outturn tasting preview at the Jack Rose Saloon in Washington DC, this was my favorite, I think. It certainly has the best name of the night! "Mermaid Karate" is right up there with the most memorable names I've seen like "Doctor Blowtorch" and "Nice to Meat You."
Glen Scotia is probably the least heralded of the vaunted Campbeltown distilleries, after Springbank (and Longrow and Hazelburn) and Kilkerran. I hear the fewest things about Glen Scotia, which has a VERY distinctive signature series of flavors that this bottle encapsulates perfectly.
Ah, another lightly peated Glen Scotia from the vaults of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS). The last one, "Members Remember Embers" was a little unusual, featuring notes of sweet medicinal peat, ethereal ash, and light fruit, along with hints of stranger things like fresh gauze, breakfast sausage, and lavender. It was very interesting, and these days "very interesting" is the name of my game.
I jumped on this the moment I heard about it - a Glen Scotia (from Campbeltown) lightly peated and nicknamed "Members Remember Embers" by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS)?? Automatic purchase. This is aged for 10 years in 1st fill ex-bourbon casks, no chill filtration, no coloring. Let's see how delectable Glen Scotia comes across when peated...
