Glenscotia ‘Victoriana’
Distilled at Glen Scotia Distillery, Campbeltown, Scotland
Bottled at 51.5% ABV with out color or chill-filtration
Fall is here, and that means it’s whiskey season. There is nothing better than a nip of whiskey to counter that cold bite in the air. Settling into a nice glass of whiskey allows us to sip and savor each moment as we prepare for winter. This quarter’s release is from a spot off the beaten path, hailing from the town of Campbeltown. As soon as I tasted it I wanted a bottle, and figured you would too. Sláinte!
Joshua Thinnes
Whisk(e)y Evangelist, PlumpJack Wine & Spirits
Glen Scotia is just one of three remaining operating distilleries in Campbeltown, Scotland. A town that was once rife with distilleries, fishing boats and people, it once rivaled the Speyside for the highest number of distilleries and even volume output of whisky! Founded in 1832 by Stewart Galbraith, it later fell into the hands of Hiram Walker in the 1950s, best known for creating and marketing Canadian Club which rose to popularity shortly there after. It is now owned by Loch Lomond Distillers, same folks who produce Inchmurrin. The distillery is said to be haunted by one of the previous owners, Duncan MacCallum, who drowned himself in the Cambeltown Loch in 1930 after realizing been tricked out of losing his fortune in a business deal gone bad.
Glen Scotia is elusive. They don’t make much whisky, and you don’t really find it in many markets. The character of the whisky usually falls into the medium body range with pronounced mouth feel and oiliness, along with quintessential Campbeltown flavors of brine. Introduced in 2015 as a part of the distilleries international rebranding campaign, this Victoriana bottling is a blend of 12yr old and 10yr old single malts, 5% of which were peated. That whisky was then vatted into two different casks, 30% of the whisky went into Pedro Ximenez casks and 70% into heavily charred barrels. The result is a full-bodied expression with oily rich mouth coating texture that shows a mixture of sweet and earthy flavors.
This whisky does seem to have a touch more smoky character than previous expressions of Glen Scotia. The flavors are sweet and savory, with browned and oxidized fruit flavors, complimented by a nutty sherry blanket dusted in baking spices. It seems to have two sides to show. On the one hand, a lot of green, mossy flavors in the nose, with flavors of oatmeal cookie, raisin, chocolate and gingerbread spices that linger on the finish. The more I try this whisky, the more I like it and want more. It is exceptionally smooth for the proof. Perfect for the turning of the season.
