Glen Scotia 8 Year (SMWS 93.173 "An Absolute Bruiser")

 

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. 

So this 8 year Glen Scotia should be extremely pungent and potent indeed. Here are the official notes:

First comment was “an absolute bruiser” which summarised it very well. Lots of heavy medicinal smoke - imagine a rack of lamb wrapped in gauze, drippings from your roast turkey and smoked lard. Sooty, oily and smoky on the palate neat. Gutsy stuff that takes your breath away and makes you wonder whether someone is vaping TCP? Water calmed the scene somewhat with glazed fatty smoked pork strips, crispy Cumberland sausages and peat smoked seaweed and smoked strawberry shortcake while to taste octopus Galician style with potatoes and sweet smoked paprika. In the finish a “soul-deep funky smoked oyster sauce” of dried mushrooms, seaweed and fermented black beans.   

This ticks a lot of boxes for me: medicinal smoke, smoked lard, soot and oil, and "funky oyster sauce" - wow, OK. I'm very interested. Bottled at 58.7% ABV after 8 years in a first fill ex-bourbon barrel, let's dig right in:

Nose: Damn, what a landslide of peat and smoke. At first sniff, I get nothing else: massive earthy peat, and a thick vein of medicinal smoke. 

But it does open up: after some time, I get strong iodine, some antiseptic sweetness, salt, "gauze" (cotton?), fat drippings in a BBQ, oil, and ash. It's very "burnt" smelling. 

With water: It darkens, noticeably. Smoked spices (paprika? ok, sure), oyster brine, vanilla, mushrooms, forest floors. Very earthy. 

Mouthfeel: Colossally viscous. 

Palate: Actually a more complex, interesting palate than you'd expect given the nose. Sweet vanilla, grilled seafood, smoke, berries and berries and berries (!!), and Coca-Cola. The strawberry and blueberry notes here really surprised me - they are just massive and extremely pleasant underneath the smoke and peat. 

With water: Massive landslide of strawberry shortcake or cheesecake, with salt and iodine underneath. As good as it is neat, it's even better with water. A really surprising dram, that's for sure. Mushrooms and seafood, too. 

Finish: Oddly, not as long as you might expect given the heavy peat treatment. Smoke, peat, strawberries, cream, honey. Medium length. 

Verdict: Wow, I never expected such a strong, pungent strawberry flavor underneath the giant wave of peat and smoke! This is very unusual, very tasty, and recommended. A typical expression of Glen Scotia when it is heavily peated - wacky, off-the-wall, but delicious, and worth your time.