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.
This is a special bottling for the Campbeltown Festival 2022, produced by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). Here are the official notes:
A fascinating aroma awaited us; each time we went back it changed! To mention just a few - aniseed, Himalayan salt, lemon grass essential oil, seaside swimming pool, Marie Rose sauce and extra virgin rapeseed oil. The taste neat ranged from cough mixture over salted caramel lime chocolate to crispy squid and prawns in a sweet chilli sauce. The addition of water released the scent of cranberry-pistachio white chocolate bark with sea salt as well as arugula salad with olive oil, lemon and parmesan cheese before, on the palate, yet again multifarious flavours of green tea, herbal liqueur, vegetable tempura with a soy dipping sauce and freshly foraged sea greens.
and a little coda:
From creator Euan Campbell: Campbeltown currently feels like a region in the renaissance, with news of new distilleries being planned, and we wanted to explore the town’s historic reputation for rich, characterful spirit. This is firmly in our Oily & Coastal flavour profile that is often associated with Campbeltown. There is no peat influence but still a coastal salinity, while the first fill bourbon barrels bring a lovely woody influence with vanilla and spice to balance everything beautifully.
Intriguing! I am quite curious about the scent of Himalayan salt, lemongrass, swimming pools (!), and - of course - squid and prawns in sweet chili sauce. Matured 8 years in a first fill ex-bourbon barrel, bottled at a healthy 59.7% ABV, let's dive right in this rocky, oily pool:
Nose: Wow, is this funky. Vanilla, sea minerals, motor oil, light anise, salt, caramel, and strongly sour tropical fruit - like pineapple or guava that has just turned. Very interesting aroma. Something like lime juice and lumpy chocolate sauce (!). Frying oil. It's way out there, but in a good way.
With a splash of water: Doesn't change much. Perhaps a little bit of an accent on the sour tropical fruit note: like guava, perhaps. And... actually a slight "chlorinated pool" note emerges as well.
Mouthfeel: Very viscous, medium body.
Palate: The taste is, oddly, a bit more traditionally "ex bourbon barrel" than the nose. Vanilla, salted caramel, cherry cough syrup, sweet citrus candy (Sweetarts or Starburst, like you get with young Clynelish), tons of chalky minerality. No seafood, sadly. Lemon and lime soda, like Sprite. Actually, this "Sprite soda" note is the most powerful flavor of all. It's a little strange, but not unpleasant.
With water: Stays largely the same, but adds some herbal notes, and also some umami notes like soy sauce.
Finish: Oak, salt, chocolates, and a light cherry syrup note. Nice, on the shorter side, but not bad at all.
Verdict: A very respectable Glen Scotia. At first, I liked it but didn't love it... but it grew on me. It's a very good funky summer dram. I still think this would have benefitted greatly from another 2-4 years in the cask, it tastes like 5-6 years old instead of 8... but that is OK. Young whiskies have a lot to offer, too. It's good for what it is - a young and brash Campbeltown with some out-there aromas, and a young, chalky, Sprite-forward palate.
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