Glen Scotia 10 Year Bordeaux Red Wine Cask Finish (2021 Campbeltown Malt Festival)

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Glen Scotia Whisky Tasting, 27 May 2021. Hosted by GSC, with Iain McAlister, Master Distiller at Glen Scotia, as guest speaker). Nose: Fudge, caramel, red fruit/berries, floral, candied sweets. Palate: Waxy. Very sweet! Citrus/orange zest, summer fruit/berries/strawberries, dark chocolate, orange sherbet. Spices (black pepper/ginger/chillies). Hints of salinity. Finish: Oily/waxy long finish. Toasted oak, spicy and a little drying. Souring on the aftertaste. Unpeated Distilled 2009-2011 Matured in 1st fill bourbon casks Vatted and finished for 5 months in 1st fill Médoc Bordeaux casks This is a sherbetty, red-fruity dram. There’s a lot of spice which gives some lovely layers. It’s quite an ‘in your face’ dram. Nice! Came joint third out of the six drams, with 17% (4 votes) of the final vote for favourite of the night. 88% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

Like everything from Glen Scotia this has a remarkable nose - earth, buttercream, blackcurrent, strawberry, white pepper and brine. A sweet honey and orange peel arrival and a long finish that is spicy and dry. This whisky is a treat; a chance to try Glen Scotia unpeated. The complex heaviness I love about Glen Scotia is still here - which speaks volumes about the quality of their spirit. Even unpeated this is a wonderfully active and heavy hitting malt - all down to the traditional production techniques this top tier distillery stubbornly sticks to.

Neck pour. Nose: Super fruity, but not overly sweet, raspberries, oranges, blackberries, plus malt and vanilla. Really like this nose. Palate: Weighty, rich, coating, semisweet, bunches of red fruit, malt, vanilla, baking spices, sea salt, caramel, hot and peppery, a bit of citrus. Finish: Long and spicy, with red fruits, caramel and malt notes. Can definitely feel the ABV. Liked the palate better with a little water, but it detracted from the nose. Just a lovely whiskey.

The wine influence here leans towards dry, subtle raspberry flavors — like sucking a red Bassetts Wine Gum — rather than anything excessively fruity or sweet. It forms a backdrop to a spice that slowly builds to a peppery crescendo. The long aftertaste brings dry cranberry juice and raspberry tea. A nicely balanced bottling.

Nose: baking spice, orchard fruits, floral, briny, vanilla Palate: fruity (cherry), mouth covering, later on getting spicy and sweet Finish: sweet, honey, sticky, long, bit dry, cinnamon

Funky, sweet, salty, rich, juicy, oily, lovely Glen Scotia. Everything you expect from a Campbeltown malt.