Small Batch Series Series 02 | 58% ABV

Score: 6/10

**Good stuff.**
***TL;DR***
*A subtle but enjoyable balance between smoke and fruit*

The region may be ‘low’, the distillery count is no longer

It's not breaking news that, over the past ten to fifteen years, Scotch whisky (as well other whisky categories) has seen huge growth in new distilleries and whisky makers.

The demand must be there, because with what seems like an infinite supply of liquid available to us all, more and more new distilleries continue to pop up.

Now it goes without saying that perhaps not all of these new kids on the block will endure or last long enough to see their planned return on investment. Whisky is a long game and there are few short term wins. I'm already hearing worrying whispers regarding closures and discontent already happening with distilleries in Ireland. It seems that rising phoenix of a forgotten whisky giant is showing glimpses of diminishing flames, scorching itself with the sheer amount of brands on show these days.

But I digress. While other categories are growing in number and indeed reputation, today I'm talking about whisky within Scotland. When we consider regionality within Scotch whisky, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) defines the five official regions as: the Highlands, Islay, Speyside, Campbeltown and the Lowlands. I often throw one more in there, purely for my own differentiation; the Islands - not an official region, instead included within the Highlands region, but one many think needs individual recognition.

However, these days, with such vast differences in the new whisky being released, there's a real blurring of these lines with this idea of ‘regionality’ and the typical ‘classic’ tasting notes we might have associated with them years ago are less valid.

We're finding more peated and smoke-forward whiskies pop up in the Highlands and Speyside. Islay has a few distilleries producing non-peated liquid, while the island flavour spectrum can vary from light to heavy, smoked to sweet and everything in between.

When it comes to the Lowlands, to be honest, only recently have I been able to try more whisky from this once very under-represented region. Before these new distilleries (and those revived such as Bladnoch) came into the fray I don't think I'd experienced a Lowland whisky. The option available to me early on was Auchentoshan which was fairly expensive in my local supermarket here in the UK.

Nowadays we have much more available, and for me the experience doesn't lean toward that typical notion of 'lighter and grassier' with a heavy malt influence too. A lot of the sample shares I've been involved with include Kingsbarns, Lindores, Glasgow and Clydeside; all offering very different yet enjoyable experiences.

Curiously, an interesting fact is that Glengoyne is, by definition, a Highland distillery with its location directly upon the historical Highland line, and so their whisky is produced in the Highlands. Yet the maturation of casks in their warehouse lay across the road in the Lowlands region. Of course, due to modern, centralised maturation warehouses there are many malts matured in a different region from where they were distilled, but I know of no others that are ‘split’ by geographical or regional lines like this.

If the Highland region was defined by the actual Highland Fault Line (a distinct geological and non-political border between these regions; something I wasn't aware of before this review), you'd find the likes of Fettercairn and Loch Lomond, as well as others, falling into the ‘Lowland’ region.

Lowlands by name, but when it comes to distillery count, these days it is no longer low by nature. At the time of writing, the region hosts around fourteen active distilleries with more still in development. With the Lowlands being an often neglected and overlooked part of Scotland for me, I’m delighted to discover that there are some fantastic experiences today that, in my opinion, can already go toe-to-toe with some of the more established names around the Highlands and Speyside. With so many new releases across Scotland, it can be hard to really show your colours and what you're about as a new distillery, but for me, pricing and presentation always comes into the equation.

Glasgow, founded in 2015, is one of these new independent distillers and recently their expressions have been widely enjoyed and praised, including throughout the pages of Dramface. They have a unique and fantastic bottle shape and their releases have been inventive and experimental. Not always to everyone's tastes, sometimes they land very well indeed, and their core range has been a real recent success - some of which I've thoroughly enjoyed. But I think their real appeal has stemmed from a well-presented (natural) and well-priced range offering enthusista the chance to really taste what the Lowlands are about in the 2020s.

Today, we have their Cognac Small Batch 2 release review and, in typical Dramface style, Fergus will pitch in with his thoughts too.

Review 1/2 - Hamish

Glasgow 1770, Cagnac Cask Finish, Small Batch 02, Lightly peated, a marriage of three unpeated and two peated cognac casks, initial maturation within first fill ex-bourbon before finishing in French cognac casks for 3 years and 4 months, 2250 bottles, 58% ABV
£59 and fairly wide availability

Nose

Cigars. Treacle. Soft brown bread. Slight lick of peat but not much, but still quite nice. Soft waft of a damp and extinguished campfire. Some chocolate raspberries, strawberry laces and fresh grapefruit. It's bright, punchy and peppery that mixes in a rounded 'green' element too, think pine needles. Deeper and you can pick our honey roasted peanuts, some toffee with tinned whole pears & a dusting of ground cinnamon.

Palate

Peat smoke, bacon fries and stewed apples. Quite tropical with passion fruit and red grapes. Slight note of burnt pancakes with warm butter. It has a nice long finish that brings a delicious sweet and lingering peat note and develops into some dark roast coffee beans. Blasts of fresh oak, chopped hazelnuts, vanilla custard and just the smallest hint of honeyed ham too.

The Dregs

Having received both this Cognac expression along with the Tokaji, it's hard for me to separate the two when tasting side by side. While not a big fan of Cognac/brandy as a standalone liquid, the use of Cognac casks can impart a positive and enjoyable influence on whisky. (Especially Irish whiskey - in my experience!)

Yet to me, this is a better dram than the Tokaji. More foundational elements of the Glasgow liquid are accessible here while showcasing a vibrancy from the use of Cognac casks. Marrying this cask type with peated whisky adds a nice element of smoke, spice and fruit sweetness that I'd assume would sit rather nicely with Scotch and general whisky drinkers alike. The peat is a nice addition and I think it’s a particularly nice selection as an autumnal warmer, if perhaps not so much in the summer. Certainly, it challenges that notion of a lighter, softer, more elegant Lowland style.

I'd buy this bottle from the two in this iteration of their Small Batch series. The ABV sits at a nice level while not being too overbearing for the senses. Again, another bottle that keeps the Glasgow Distillery on my radar for future purchases, and a stand that I'm particularly looking forward to visiting at this year's Glasgow Whisky Festival come November. I hope you get a chance to catch up with what they’re doing too.

Score: 6/10 HF

Review 2/2 - Fergus

Glasgow 1770, Cagnac Cask Finish, Small Batch 02, Lightly peated, a marriage of three unpeated and two peated cognac casks, initial maturation within first fill ex-bourbon before finishing in French cognac casks for 3 years and 4 months, 2250 bottles, 58% ABV
£59 and fairly wide availability

This is my first experience with Glasgow whisky, so when Wally said that they were offering samples, I was quick to put my hand up. They initially reached out to Wally offering ‘samples’ of their Tokaji and Cognac casks, and he responded with my details alongside those of the similarly willing Hamish. We didn’t expect to receive a bottle of each, but here we are. Thank you Glasgow. Consider this a follow up to the Tokaji we shared earlier in the month, with a Dougie bonus thrown in (he had to buy his bottle!).

It’s also my first experience with whisky that’s been in a cognac cask. Although it states that it’s a finish, the label also details that it spent three years and four months in the cognac cask which, when you consider that this is a 6yo whisky, makes it closer to a double maturation, to my mind at least.

Either way, I was keen to find out what sort of flavours a cognac cask might impart, as it’s not something I come across everyday in whisky.

Score: 7/10

**Very good indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*Clean, balanced and fresh*

Nose

The label on the box states that the vatting is a ‘marriage of three unpeated and two peated cognac casks’, and the peat is evident on the nose. That said, it isn’t overwhelming; rather it’s a thin wisp of industrial coal smoke. After the initial smoke, I get tinned peaches, pineapple, pencil lead, ginger and garden mint. Overall, it’s a light, fairly fresh nose.

Palate

The mint on the nose carries through onto the palate. It’s a really pleasant, fresh note that you don’t tend to come across a lot and it’s fairly prominent here. I also get Applejack sweets, coconut, tinned peaches (including the slightly metallic tin note), lime, pineapple, mango, some sweet black tea, chocolate and strawberry creams. The smoke is still there, but there’s less of it on the palate than on the nose.

The Dregs

The main thing that strikes me about this whisky is how balanced it is.

The peat smoke is there, but it lingers in the background, something that allows the fresher, fruitier notes to shine through. There’s a little richness from the cognac cask, but the light, fresh nature of the spirit is still able to shine through. At £59, for cask strength, small batch malt, I think this is a solid buy.

Score: 7/10 FMc

Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. HF

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