Two Glen Scotia


October 28, 2017

Angus's Corner
From our casual Scottish correspondent
and guest taster Angus MacRaild

Two Glen Scotia

Glen Scotia 9 yo 2008/2017 (58.8%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, # 93.77, ‘A Classic Rally’, First fill barrel, 225 bottles) One of the more ‘subtle’ SMWS bottle names; perhaps they changed weed suppliers that week...? Colour: Straw. Nose: It’s a peated one! But it’s a very curious and idiosyncratic kind of peat. A melange of various medicines, sea greens, peat oil, road surfacing (for once I see where they’re going with the name). Kerosene, lamp oil, hessian, green peppercorns, seaweed, brine. I wasn’t expecting such a busy nose, great surprise so far. With water: Still quite green. A whole seashore of seaweed, kelp, wet pebbles, sand and beach wood. Little flecks of smoked fish along side more delicate medicinal notes and hospital aromas. A peppery lick of watercress in the background.

Mouth: Liquorice, cola cubes, sweet ash, jelly babies, plasticine, chopped parsley, cured herrings, smoked mussels. What an unusual experience! It is highly entertaining though, don’t get me wrong. Develops in a very saline way: salted cod, fresh oysters, sea water, a squeeze of lemon juice. A curious kind of farminess hanging around in the background. With water: becomes more herbal, towards sage, sorrel, parsley and rocket. A slight rubbery note akin to elastic bands - but not in an ‘unclean’ way. Medical tinctures, more peat oils, more tar and something like gorse. Finish: Long, saline, delicately medicinal with those same curious farmy notes resurgent towards the end. Comments: I’ve tasted something similar in Glen Scotia’s warehouses before and I was told at the time it was ‘medium peated’ distillate. I felt the stuff I had then was fantastic (but then isn’t everything tasted in a warehouse fantastic), I find this bottling very reminiscent. It’s an extremely unusual and idiosyncratic manifestation of peat flavour in whisky that I feel could only come from Campbeltown. A fascinating wee bottling. Highly recommended! Hopefully there will be more of these stocks finding their way into bottle in the coming years. (Hint hint Glen Scotia!!) I feel these casks could become quite special with just a few more years. SGP: 257 - 88 points.

Glen Scotia 15 yo 1999/2014 (58.7%, Cadenhead, Sherry cask, 588 bottles)

Cadenhead had some red wine casks of 1999 Scotia before, thankfully this is full term sherry maturation. As some of you may know, I’m not the biggest fan of wineskys. Colour: Light amber. Nose: A pleasingly leafy and slightly salty sherry at first. Little bursts of gunpowder, wet earth, fig paste, rolling tobacco, camphor and a soft green fruitiness. Quite pleasant! Goes on with a little cocoanut water, green pepper, green olive tapenade. With water: oranges, greengages, dried leaves a little soot, some sorrel and fresh parsley. Mouth: Pretty hot and gravelly to begin. Some cardboard, a few crushed oatcakes, a fistful of damp soil. Becomes more elegant with time with some nicely peppery notes, gingerbread, maybe even a shred of cannabis resin. Relatively lean and straightforward with a pleasing saline, crispy bacon theme emerging. With water: milk chocolate, trail mix, flambéed banana, roasted chestnuts. Quite an improvement I’d say, water seems to invigorate it back to something equivalent to the quality of the nose. A little muesli, orange peel and various fruit cordials. Finish: Decent length. Perhaps a bit flat with something reminiscent of quinine. Still a little peppery though. Comments: A decent sherry matured Scotia, not stellar or particularly thrilling but the sherry and distillate were both clean and pretty fresh. SGP: 433 - 81 points.