Glen Scotia Campbeltown Harbour

Continuing on my masterclass in whisky mooching I have another generously shared dram from the almighty @cascode. This whisky from Campbeltown's Glen Scotia distillery is intended as a nod to the maritime nature of their liquids. Lightly peated and matured exclusively in first fill bourbon casks. N: Straight away I am hit by a heavy hit of toffee before it unfolds cereal and white fruits. A fresh and light aroma morphs into a very gently peated and subtly briny character with a very slight perfume influence. Light, refreshing, delicate. A lovely opening. P: A quit dry and grainy texture. I find this a little ‘cluttered’ at first but with plenty to unpack. There are hints of gristy grains, dry grass/hay fire, vanilla, and a salty fudge. The smoke grows on me, its interesting with a briny maritime essence and summery perfume to it. The texture feels a little young and ‘dirty’ for want of a better word. I think there might be some added depth that is found over time something reminiscent of stout and aniseed/rosemary. Curious. F: Medium-long. Dry grassy smoke, ashy and with a savoury caramel like flapjacks. On the advice of a few reviews I added a dash of water to the only 40% ABV liquid. Whilst water does unlock a much more apparent salty minerality like licking a beach cobble (a plus), I think the overall emergent harsher character is a detriment that I am not onboard with. Overall I think there is lots to like here, but its not immediately approachable; I find this liquid cluttered rather than complex and overall a little unbalanced. I would have liked to have seen some gentle sweetness to combat the drying saltiness and perhaps an amplification of the herbal notes. I think I would like to come back to a larger bottle of this and take some more time to explore it’s depth. Distiller whisky taste #162 [Pictured here with a Madagascan maritime friend. This beautifully preserved fossil nautiloid is Cenoceras and would have been freely swimming around the ocean around 235-163 million years. Like modern nautilus these chaps were active predators hunting for food up to 700 m deep via jet propulsion. Jet propulsion? Yes, imagine instead of swimming you swallowed water and shot it out your arse…]

Nose: Bright cereal, green apple, white grape juice, honeydew melon, a little citrus and a briny maritime character. After the first sip you notice smoky notes that were previously hiding. Water broadens and unites the nose very pleasantly but the cereal and maritime aromas dominate. Over time, vanilla is noticed. There is an elusive facet to the nose that is very familiar but I can’t quite place it. Palate: Slightly grippy, maritime arrival with green fruit and lemon peel but followed very quickly by a breath of peat smoke. This enlarges in the development as savory/sweet malty flavours come forward. Dark ale, pumpernickel, oatmeal and a little bit of liquorice. The texture is good but it is improved by a dash of water, which adds depth. This does, however, also highlight the brine. Finish: Medium. Mainly salty cereal-malt flavours with a little smoky barley sugar. The palate has a briny presence right from the arrival. On the first sip it seems to border on astringency, but subsequent tastes identify this firmness of palate as salt. Immediately after adding water the arrival is softened but peppery spice then develops in the later palate and this highlights the saltiness even more. Personally I preferred this one neat, as dilution can make it seem bitter and sour. However, that said, over time you become accustomed to it and sweetness comes through. When the bottle was first opened I was not that impressed but over time I’ve come to like this whisky. It’s not an easy-sipping crowd pleaser and may be a little too maritime for some palates, but it has a fresh, youthful verve and there is something about it that is vaguely reminiscent of Old Pulteney 12 year old from about a decade ago (but not the current expressions). I was initially going to rate this at 81 but after trying it several times I’m increasing the rating to 83. I found it on special and I think I’ll go back for a couple more bottles. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)

I find Glen Scotia super interesting, actually i have a great impression of almost everything that is produced in Campbeltown. Having said that, this might be the cheapest in their core range, going for 30 pounds in a scottish supermarket where i bought it. Can it pass the test? Lets see... Bottled at 40%abv. Golden color. On the nose, it starts with Honey, and slight saltiness. Yellow apples and Red fruits. A scond sip gave me cherry syrup. A little dim, not bad. On the palate it follows the nose, in a better, more complex way. Honey, dry apricots, vanilla. Peaches and Salty, very salty. Very honeyed as well. Aftertaste continues the rythm. Salty, Honey, Pepper and maritime overall. More sips revealed salted caramel. In conclusion, i believe this passes the test for a maritime and sweet malt that goes for a cheap price. I believe you can get a cheap Talisker for something near that price and Talisker will always defeat this whisky; but this is not a bad offering. The aroma could be a little better. My score for it is 79 over 100. Not bad though.

N20, P19, F20, B20 This whisky is shiny amber in colour. The first 3 – 4 days of consumption the aroma is rich: moderate peat, old railroad tie, vanilla pudding, baker’s scents, yellow plums. Later custard cream notes joined the above. The taste is soft and tentative, slightly watery, with dried apricots and lingering warm aftertaste with some cinnamon and such. Well-balanced drink.

Nov 2019. Clear medium gold. Medium small tulip. Aromatic oatmeal, cereal, sweet spicy, milo beverage, sweet maltose, brine, buckwheat soba noodles in nose. Medium full body with sweet malt beverage, farmyard, oatmeal, multigrain bread and gentle sweet smoke in palate. Good balance, medium long finish. What a nice sea spray and gentle smoke dram.

Très belle surprise pour mon premier whisky de Campbeltown. Une première bouche très iodée et maritime, suivi d'une arrivée de pomme fruitée gourmande et une finale avec une fumée de feu de camp subtile. Un très beau whisky pour 34€! #125