A handful of sprightly young Glen Scotias


April 30, 2025

A handful of sprightly young Glen Scotias

More from Campbeltown, as the Campbeltown Malt Festival is coming up soon, and what's more, we have a lovely Glen Scotia for the Maclean Foundation…

Charlie's sons Lachlan, Ewan and Jamie (The Maclean Foundation)

Glen Scotia 8 yo 2016/2024 (59.1%, The Maclean Foundation, first fill bourbon barrel, 210 bottles)

The 2nd release from the Maclean Foundation, a charity founded by our friend the brightest whisky expert Charles Maclean and his sons. It is sold through Royal Mile Whiskies, all profits supporting clean water projects in Madagascar, with each bottle helping provide clean water for one person for life. Colour: white wine. Nose: bright and breezy, opening on distillate-born pears and apples waltzing merrily with mangos and bananas that must have slipped in from the cask. The exuberant youthfulness is a real asset here and, thankfully, there's not a plank in sight. With water: hardly any change, it remains crisp and buoyantly fruity. Mouth (neat): truly a family-sized assortment of jelly babies, jellybeans, Jesuses and crocodiles, all courtesy of Maison Haribo. One hopes Haribo are chipping in to the Maclean Foundation! Lovely notes of banana cake and finger biscuits too – one could almost mix up a new cocktail with this. Charlie, what about a Maclean Spritz? Has a ring to it, doesn’t it? With water: same medley, all fruity charm and ease, even a dash of something Littlemill-esque – after all, they were once kin. Finish: in the same vein, with liquorice allsorts and jellybeans, plus a dollop of orange sponge. Comments: thoroughly fresh and fruity, though it does sing even better with a drop of water. Which is rather apt, considering the mission of The Maclean Foundation to bring clean water to Madagascar! I’ll drop the link again for good measure.
SGP:641 - 87 points.

Glen Scotia 9 yo (56.2%, OB, Campbeltown Malts Festival 2024, first fill bourbon and fino sherry finish)

You’ll say it was high time we gave this one a proper go, at least before the Campbeltown Malts Festival 2025! Colour: white wine. Nose: clearly in the same ballpark as the Maclean, though a little less defined and cheerful, showing more paraffin, modelling clay and leafy greenery. Could that be the fino influence? With water: bread dough, fresh sawdust, baker’s yeast. Mouth (neat): same general remarks, the casks do make themselves known, but the fruitiness persists. Plenty of apples and a slight earthy, twiggy side. With water: it takes water well, bringing out liquorice and lemon zest. Very nice bitterness too (liquorice wood, ginseng). Finish: fairly long, youthful, with the sherry rounding off the whole ensemble. Comments: very pleasant indeed, just lacking the Maclean’s sense of ‘clear line’.
SGP:651 - 84 points.

There, an older one…

Glen Scotia 1992/2012 (40%, Samaroli, first fill sherry, cask #4, 600 bottles)

This is not Samaroli by Silvano Samaroli, as he had sold the company in 2008, but make no mistake, there were some excellent ‘Samaroli by Bleve’, even if 40% vol. might seem a touch odd these days. Colour: gold. Nose: this is lovely, gentle and polite, very civilised in fact, on apple juice with hints of natural vanilla, a little cinnamon, then tinned peaches and ripe yellow melon. Soft, pretty, calming… Mouth: light without being weak, though as so often, the lower strength does let a little more woodiness and dryness through. The melon and ripe peach are back, followed by a few drops of fruity beer – something like an IPA – and a touch of mint. Finish: short but charming, fresh and classic, with a hint of plum. Comments: a little gentleness in a brutish world. The 40% vol. really works here – all in all, very charming stuff.
SGP:541 - 85 points.

Campbeltown Distilleries 8 yo 2016/2024 (48%, Hogshead Imports, 1st fill barrel, 318 bottles)

Officially a blended malt, though one rather suspects – deep down (what?) – that it’s Glen Scotia in disguise. Colour: white wine. Nose: yes indeed, it’s soft, fruity and vanilla-led, all on apples, a touch of gentle honey (acacia – the trees are in bloom here just now), and warm brioche. Mouth: a little more presence on the palate, though still very much in the GS house style, with apples joined by a whiff of pineapple. Floral jelly too – dandelion and mullein especially – with vanilla, a touch of apricot, fruit pastilles and the like. Finish: similar again, with the cask pushing slightly forward now, adding a citric edge. Comments: very pleasant, flawless, right in the expected groove.
SGP:551 - 84 points.

Glen Toon 11 yo 2012 (53%, Whisky Sponge, Campbeltown Malts Festival 2024 exclusive, 1st fill bourbon hogshead, 225 bottles)

You can’t make a label more retro than this, short of scrawling directly onto the bottle in white paint like those old-school port or madeira jobs. RU Game, Decadent Drinks? Colour: light gold. Nose: perhaps not the brightest idea to line up a series of young ex-bourbon Glen Scotias in the same session. We’re back on apples, croissants, baker’s yeast, vanilla, sweets, melon, and the whole shebang. With water: a few hints of petrol, fresh concrete, and a touch of metal polish. Mouth (neat): banana, sponge cake (!) and an increasingly herbal character, just about held in check by mango and passion fruit. With water: fair enough, it’s pleasant, fresh, fruity, slightly minty. Finish: same again. Comments: honestly, it’s really good – it’s just not terribly thrilling to be tasting these babies back-to-back.
SGP:551 - 84 points.

So, shall we have one last dram and call it a night, yeah?

Images of Campbeltown (53%, Malts of Scotland, Davaar Lighthouse, cask #MoS 24015, 285 bottles)

In theory this is Glen Scotia – otherwise it would cost rather more. Colour: white wine. Nose: apples, pears, gooseberries, tinned peaches, Juicy Fruit chewing gum and fresh plaster. With water: fresh panettone, which is not half bad! Mouth (neat): a pretty fruit allsorts juice, though quite a bit of alcohol too – more or less a tutti-frutti eau-de-vie. Barley syrup. With water: green apple, barley syrup again, and a wee flash of blanco tequila. Finish: similar. Comments: still very nice indeed, though we are gently drifting off by this point…
SGP:551 - 84 points.

Oh, hang on, there’s still a local bottling left to sample…

Campbeltown Blended Malt 7 yo 2017/2024 (57.1%, Watt Whisky, barrel, 246 bottles)

Attention, this was the 100th bottling from Watt Whisky aka Campbeltown Whisky Company Ltd.! That’s worth celebrating! As usual, we’re a bit late to the party, but bravo Kate and Mark! Colour: light gold. Nose: well now, this is more engaging – there’s a touch of engine oil, linseed oil, amaretti, pumpernickel spread with fresh butter, even a few tiny oysters, all layered atop the classic apple and pear base. With water: a brand-new Harris Tweed jacket. I swear. Mouth (neat): we’re back on oil, oyster shells, a few drops of petrol, a dab of light peat, and even hints of diesel and acetone, Jamaican style. Truly. With water: right, at heart it’s still apple, beer and barley. Finish: same again – apple, beer and barley – though there’s a persistent saline tang hanging in the background. Comments: absolutely lovely! Bravo!
SGP:462 - 87 points.

Wait a sec, we could finish off with an older one…

Campbeltown Single Malt 32 yo 1992/2024 (45.8%, Vintage Bottlers, Secret Series #4, 60 bottles)

The number of bottles is very limited, but the geographical data is abundant – the distillery’s coordinates are given as 55°25'46.8"N 5°36'13.7"W. And these 1992s are known to be excellent, as previous examples from… Cadenhead have amply demonstrated. Colour: full gold. Nose: but of course. Candlewax, farmhouse cider, fresh croissants, sunflower, sesame and olive oil, sourdough, then more farmhouse cider alongside clay and chalk. Mouth: excellent again – salty and a tad acetic, on olives, marinière mussels, quince jelly, smoked meats, balsamic, peppers, beers… There's a lot going on here, bordering on ‘funky and dirty’. All rather unexpected, even a touch offbeat, but jolly good fun. Finish: long, on salty pasta, olive focaccia, amaro – one wonders whether there weren’t some Italians involved in this little one. Comments: this is ultra-fun, slightly punk, and even if it’s Glen Scotia, there’s a definite Longrow streak. Yes indeed, it’s true.
SGP:462 - 89 points.

We've got more ‘Campbeltowns’ waiting in the wings, but this time we’re really calling it. CU.

Check the index of all Glen Scotia we've tasted so far