Young Glen Scotia for CMF


July 11, 2025

WF’s Little Duos, today young
Glen Scotia for CMF

Well, we’re two months behind. It’s always a bit of a challenge for a somewhat seasoned taster to rid themselves of the biases built up over decades of not always successful experiences with this or that brand or distillery. In any case, Glen Scotia has made great strides in recent years, as has the entire group by the way, starting with Loch Lomond.
(Bodega Vega Real, Castrillo de Duero, Valladolid)

Glen Scotia 9 yo ‘Heavily Peated’ (54.3%, OB, Campbeltown Malts Festival 2025, Ribera del Duero finish)

Given the extreme makeover (unusual peatiness, Spanish red wine), I must confess I rather hesitated before approaching this baby, but then again, why not, let’s see whether it truly jars or how badly it does. Right, see if we’re in the realm of strawberry-coffee-mustard style... Or not. At any rate, Spanish red wine continues its invasion of Scotland. Colour: great maiden's blush (that’s a real colour). Nose: indeed, there’s something of the artificial strawberry sweet and cigarette ash about it, but also a coastal breeze that feels quite pleasant, along with some blood orange. With water: a chalky note emerges, orange peel, sourdough, bakery scents. Mouth (neat): very odd but not unpleasant, very taut, very much on grapefruit and lime, with some scratchy ash in the background only. It almost feels like a syrup-free Caledonian ti-punch. With water: rather nice, though we’re quite far removed from traditional malt whisky territory. The flavours remain clean, sharp, nervy, and still heavily on vivid citrus. Finish: fairly long, with no major changes save for a touch of brine atop citrus peels. Raspberry makes a late entrance in the aftertaste, together with some… cinsault rosé. Not sure they have cinsault in Ribera del Duero, have they? The vast majority is tempranillo anyway. Comments: there’s something both youthful and uninhibited in this concoction that, all things considered, I find rather endearing, even if, truth be told, it’s not exactly ‘my thing’. But love the great Riberas.
SGP:755 - 82 points.

Glen Scotia 8 yo 2014–2016/2025 ‘Glen Toon’ (57.1%, Decadent Drams for Campbeltown Malts Festival 2025, 1st fill hogshead and barrel, 430 bottles)

A blend of 2014 and peated 2016 composed with evident care, well, one imagines. Colour: pale gold. Nose: shock and awe, this one blasts the official bottling without the slightest hint of shame. Far more mineral, and not far from a fine Chardonnay, with chalk, dandelion flowers, flint in a most Chablis-like fashion, some lees, bread dough, and honeysuckle. With water: lovely vanilla emerges, strudel too, but above all, a good deal of stones and wet pebbles. Mouth (neat): the balance is rather clever between the peat and the citrus-driven tension. At this stage, it’s closer to a Sauvignon Blanc, though still packed with flint. With water: excellent, bitter oranges and ginger tonic, with a pinch of salt and one of white pepper. All this works beautifully. Finish: long and curiously refined for such a young stylistic blend. Italian bitters in the aftertaste, Campari direction—I do mean direction. Comments: clearly, some proper work went into this, whether in the lab or in the kitchen. It clicks together shockingly well considering the age.
SGP:464 - 88 points.

Hold on, we've found a third one – let's taste it quickly…

Campbeltown Blended Malt 9 yo 2014/2023 (54.3%, Whiskyfacile, Black Cat, sherry hogshead, cask #23, 96 bottles)

Colour: amber. Nose: rather lovely sherry with a faintly ‘bourbony’ touch (pencil shavings), featuring delicate notes of game birds, dried figs, toffee, and cigar box. With water: fresh cement and equally fresh pumpernickel. We're getting closer to the raw ingredients here. Mouth (neat): cedarwood is quite forward, alongside salted butter caramel, fudge, millionaire’s shortbread, and raisins… Very nice texture. With water: out come the fruit loaves, crusty farmhouse bread sheltering bits of candied zest, raisins, figs, and apricots. Would you kindly pass the butter? This should go down a treat with foie gras. Truly. Finish: long, just a wee bit more ‘dirty’, ‘leafy’, with the tiniest flecks of ‘gunpowder’. Comments: really very, very good, though ever so slightly on the ‘adventurous’ side.
SGP:552 - 87 points.

Another lovely little tasting session today. Even if, frankly, we could do without those red wine casks, which are starting to get quite tiresome. Soon enough, the guidebooks will be saying that Scotch whisky is distilled beer, aged in neutral oak casks, then flavoured with wine from Spain, Italy or France. Let’s quickly light a few candles to make sure that never happens… In any case, may no one accuse me again of talking too much about wine in our very modest and rather clumsy tasting notes! LOL (as we used to add B.I.C. - before the informational chaos).

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