Glen Scotia 17 Year Old 1992 Malts of Scotland

Let’s dig up an old (well, somewhat) Glen Scotia. It was distilled in 1992 and after 17 years of slumber in a sherry cask, bottled in 2010 by German indie Malts of Scotland. At cask strength, mind you. When I first tried it, I could not please me, but that was the very first time I tried Glen Scotia. This was 7 years ago and my palate has developed quite a bit, if I say so myself. So let’s give this one another go…

Well, the nose still doesn’t amaze me. Next to some lovely sherried notes like coffee, candied oranges, cranberry, baked apples and cake, I still get quite a bit of burnt rubber, bicycle tyre, carboard and wet clay. This reminds me a bit of the old curtains in my grandmother’s house… The first time I put my nose in the glass, it was pleasant. The second not so much. The third time was okay-ish, the fourth time a disaster… What a schizophrenic nose!

Upon arrival you immediately get a kick to the teeth. Very spicy (cloves in the lead, followed by some cinnamon and salt) and a lot of oak for a bitter note. Roasted chestnut, coffee, liquorice, eucalyptus and some black, organic chocolate with a handful of nuts. But the rubber returns with a vengeance. And still… it does not make me pull faces and I gladly take a second sip. Cannot be all that bad then, right?

The finish is long, drying and dies a piquant death on hazelnuts.

This is not an easy Glen Scotia and depending on your mood this is either a pleasant dram or a (big) failure. But what fun!

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