Little Duos, today Scapa OB vs semi-OB


February 9, 2022

Little Duos, today Scapa OB vs. semi-OB
Scapa is Pernod-Ricard's Orkney malt. I find that the name was a tad more prominent ten or twenty years ago, but that may just be a wrong impression.
Did you know that Sapa was also a fashion brand? Indeed, just like Brora (cashmeres).

Scapa 'Glansa' (40%, OB, +/-2021)

With an NAS at 40% vol., we don't speak much. It seems that this is finished in ex-peaty-malt casks, which is just in-cask blending in our book. They should call these (many do that these days) blended malts, no? Colour: gold. Nose: there, naturally, this rather works, with a feeling of Ardmore and some rather lovely whiffs of meadow flowers and lighter compost. I'm even finding notes of fino sherry (that mineral smoke) and fermented plums. Oh and bandages and ointments in the background. Mouth: a blended malt, rather on smoked coffee, with some cigar ashes and, once again, a rather smoky kind of sherry. We're extremely far from Scapa's light honeyed floralness, but indeed it's a fine drop. Good blended malt. Finish: I'm also finding a little mustard in this fine blended malt. More fino, that's great. Comments: congrats to the blenders, very fine piece of work. At 46% vol., this well-crafted in-cask blended malt would be a killer. And then, again, who am I.
SGP:364 - 84 points.

And now, exactly the opposite…

Scapa 24 yo 1993/2018 (61.2%, La Distillerie Générale, 1st fill sherry butt, cask #963, 1164 bottles)

Scapa 24 yo 1993/2018 (61.2%, La Distillerie Générale, 1st fill sherry butt, cask #963, 1164 bottles)
These are wee 37.5cl bottles. La Distillerie Générale is Pernod, they also do cognacs within this range, for example, but always only their own makes. Not unlike what, for example, UD did with the Rare Malts. Yeah, right, there was no cognacs withing the Rare Malts range, but you get the picture, please stop quibbling ;-). Colour: amber. Nose: hold on, this is brilliant. Millionaire shortbread, Mars bars, plain caramel and Golden Grahams. Superb, even at 61% vol. With water: sultanas, dried jujubes, rambutans, figs, then concrete, fumes, engine oil, more Mars bars, chocolate, hoisin sauce… This is magnificent indeed. Mouth (neat): dazzling petroly sherry, with stunning miso and chicken stock. But then again, 61% vol…. With water: brilliant walnut wine, soups, stocks, ashes, paraffin and polishes, bouillons, some tar… Finish: long, with the same descriptors plus something both more medicinal and more on rancio. Comments: brilliant, but careful with your pipette and your H2O (and forget about spoons), it would drop out rather abruptly and become too dry and tea-ish. Otherwise, it's a real glorious old-school sherry monster and certainly my favourite Scapa from the last few years.
SGP:561 - 92 points.

Check the index of all Scapa we've tasted so far