Glen Scotia 18 Year Old

Often in the shadow of its Campbeltown neighbour, Glen Scotia seems to have had a bit of renaissance in recent years. From their new range I have previously tried their 16YO green bottle; this is the blue one. It has been open for about 6 months so has had plenty of breathing time.

Nose is very fresh but quite fruity. I get quite unusual notes of pineapple, grapes and lemon. Offset with typical salty and mineral notes. Grassy, slightly seaweedy but with more body and depth than the 16. Seems a little sweeter too.

The palate shows slight peat and seaweed notes with hints of liquorice and fennel. Lemon and salt;... minerals. Astringent, fairly thick mouthfeel. Not as fruity as the nose, but still slightly grassy with almost herb-like hints. Intriguing.

A very dry, slightly bitter and long-lasting finish.

The 16YO was very delicate but with lots of subtle complexity. This retains the complexity but loses some of the delicateness for a more robust hit. Although I really like this, I actually think I prefer the subtle delicate nature of the 16YO. Just my personal opinion of course.

I have always had a fascination with Campbeltown whiskies and it all started when I tasted a smashing 10 year old Springbank at a friend's place. Which is why every time I uncork an expression from that part of Scotland I am always urging it to be good. However, it is not the case with this 18 year old.

An unremarkable nose greets me as we are introduced to each other. There is the damp and musty smell of curdled milk in the air along side a day old piece of kneaded dough. I summon all my powers of concentration and eke out a handful of dry raisins. But that's it.

This journey of unremarkable-ness continues on the palate with a more than necessary burst of fiery black pepper corns. One has to fight through the pin pricks to single out a touch of honey lemon and something faintly nutty.

A mentholated short finish later I am left pondering over what I just experienced.