Glen Scotia 14 Year Tawny Port Finish (2020 Campbeltown Malts Festival)

Nose - brown sugar, salted caramel, strawberry, raisin, vanilla cream, honey, orange zest, baked banana, black pepper, apple, tar, cinnamon, nutmeg, pecan praline, chocolate ganache, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - salted caramel, bananas foster, cinnamon, hay, lemon and orange zest, dark chocolate, vanilla ice cream, honey, subtle peat, strawberry, raisin, tar, chili pepper flavor, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, candied pecan, baked apple, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium long with salted caramel, strawberry, nutty chocolate, and baking spice flavors. This is the third and final Glen Scotia I’ll be reviewing for now, and it’s another 14 Year cask strength, but finished in Port casks this time. The nose greets you with much of the same Glen Scotia backbone present on the standard 15 Year release, but the Port makes itself known with a jammy strawberry quality. Additionally, the chocolate aroma is darker and there’s a rich, nutty praline note that draws you in deeper. The palate is excellent. It’s liquified, boozy banana split with all the fixins. This is also the first time I picked up on the ginger that others find with Glen Scotia offerings. The strong citrus note is present as well, but it’s much more well integrated than on the 15 Year and 14 Year Rum Cask. It’s inviting and mouthwatering here, not sour and harsh. What a great whisky, and a nice way to end my Glen Scotia tasting miniseries! This Port cask bottling is richly decadent and would be a more apt namesake for Hedonism than the Compass Box release by the same name. It’s delicious and completely changes my mind about what Glen Scotia can offer. A huge thank you to @jonwilkinson7309 for the taste. You were right. I saved the best for last.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow Virtual Whisky Tasting, 9th July 2020). Came first out of the six malts tasted on the night, with 59% of the vote for favourite. I still agree with my previous notes: This is a nice peaty, sweet whisky. Honey, berries and vanilla are the main notes behind the peat. The aftertaste brings out a mild spiciness that I hadn’t really noticed before - cloves and chilli - but the main flavour is still that lovely warm, sweet peat. This is a lovely dram. I liked it enough to order a bottle after my first taste during the Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival 2020.

Online drammers club pour. Great maritime salty, smoky, spicy, and sweet balance. Nose: Blackberries, Blueberries, Salted Caramel, White Chocolate, Raisins, Smoke, Sultanas, Apricots, Violets, Lavender, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Cherries, Orange, Butter Frosting, Lemon Cake, Salted Cod Palate: Raisins, Smoke, Salted Caramel, Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Tar, Cherries, Flowers, Dried Fruit, Plums, Vanilla, White Chocolate, Salted Cod Finish: Chocolate Covered Cherries, Salted Caramel, Strawberries, Dates, Salted Cod, Vanilla, White Chocolate

Nose: Violets, honey, red berries, vanilla, light peat with a hint of beach bon fire smoke and an ocean breeze. Palate: Initially sweet, sharp fruity notes and heat, as more sips pass, more of the honey, berry and peat notes shine through plus some nuttiness. Finish: Long and smokey with nut, honey and berry notes 3-14-23 bottle kill. Initial notes hold up. I liked it better as i neared the end of the bottle. Bumped score up 1/4 point. Wish i had another bottle.

Nose: Red fruits, very light peat, cherry, copper/metal Campbeltown as usual Mouth: Red fruits again, spices and then smooth vanilla, like ice cream. Spices are hard to get, id say a little cinnamon but the ending is more sharp and less hot. Final: typical sherry cask finish, port would match the sharp ending and high pitch spices. Not my favorite finish but its a good one. Easy drinking and pleasant whisky.

Summerton Virtual Whisky Festival sample. This is a nice peaty, sweet whisky. Honey, berries and vanilla are the main notes behind the peat. The aftertaste brings out a mild spiciness that I hadn’t really noticed before - cloves and chilli - but the main flavour is still that lovely warm, sweet peat. This is a lovely dram. I liked it enough to order a bottle during the festival.