Cask Strength/Single Cask OBs | Various ABV

Is Glen Scotia Still a Hidden Gem?

The gold is at the end of the bad review rainbow.

Ok that barely makes sense. Allow me to phrase differently. The best value whisky out there is the one that you love but others don’t.

This is particularly true about my favourite whisky of the line up today but, in the wonderfully subjective landscape of whisky, it can happen anywhere. Especially at auction, for example, where buyers might rely on average ratings from Whiskybase or an expert review from Whiskyfun.

High ratings often translate to high prices, and of course low ones will yield poorer prices. That is of course obvious, but my point here is that it’s worth figuring out where your opinion diverges from the masses (and/or experts). Today I have found such a bottle.

Don’t get me wrong, reviews are an important reference point for buying, and I myself rely on them regularly. But in reality I don’t go seeking high or low priced bottles. I seek good value bottles, whether it be at retail or at auction. Or, more specifically, mis-priced bottles. After all, what’s the fun in paying a premium for a highly sought-after bottle, when you can seek out something that others don’t realise is fantastic. That’s the real hunt. [Note to editors: please overlook the fact that I paid RRP for this hidden gem]

Turning to the bottles I’m reviewing today, and speaking of steering clear of highly sought-after bottles, like many people I know very little about Glen Scotia. I’d had a bottle of the 15 year old a few years ago that I didn’t particularly love, a bottle of Victoriana that I did love, and that’s it. So when I descended on the distillery during a Campbeltown visit, I was excited to try more of their flavour profile spectrum.

I wasn’t there during peak season, but it was such an odd experience visiting because you go from a mob scene at Springbank to an empty shop at Glen Scotia, vacant of even many walk-ins except for a few stragglers and the odd confused person looking for Springbank. Anyway, they deserve far more respect than that. After a lovely chat with Master Distiller Ian McAlister, and an interesting review of (other) cask samples, I walked away with two of the three bottles you see in this review. Admittedly higher prices than I wanted to pay, but I was feeling that distillery visit glow.

Today they are paired with a young single cask from Southport Whisky Club. One of these three single casks has an average Whiskybase score that truthfully would normally be a disqualifier for a purchase, but thankfully it was bought before any reviews came in.

Review 1/3

Glen Scotia 9yo, Southport Whisky Club, 2013/2022 #33, First fill Bourbon Barrel, 57.1% ABV
£69 sold out

I paid retail for this and had it shipped, delivered it was £77.

Score: 7/10

**Very Good Indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*A salted caramel sweet you can drink*

Nose

Salted caramel, heavy on the salt. Toasted toffee and bread pudding. Lovely!

Palate

Sweet toasted shortbread with bitter caramel nibs. Tart, sweet, salty all wrapped into one. Quite unique and lovely, actually. Spice-forward and a bit brash but I wouldn’t otherwise say youthful.

The Dregs

I am thoroughly impressed with this. This is one of the lowest Whiskybase ratings in my collection (83 points at the time of writing) and I could not disagree more. It’s also a profile that I’m coming to learn is the quintessential young-ish Glen Scotia. The (presumably) heavy char can sometimes be confused for peat-something I thought until Ian McAlister corrected me. An accessible version of this would be the Victoriana, but I will personally seek out more single cask examples like this.

Score: 7/10

Review 2/3

Glen Scotia 13yo, Warehouseman’s Edition, 2005/2018 #17/413-9, Recharred American oak, finished in oloroso sherry, 56.2% ABV
£135 paid

Purchased at the distillery visitor centre.

Score: 5/10

**Average.**
***TL;DR***
*A berry, nut & spice bitter*

Nose

A world apart from the Southport bottle. Toasted almond and vanilla paste. Berry tart. Chalky and actually a bit mossy. Nutty.

Palate

Spiced walnut, Christmas cake, underripe, tart red berries, and redcurrant. The sweetness layer is superficial on top of bitter oak. Good. Not loving it though.

The Dregs

It feels like they were trying to create something different with the Oloroso finish, but it ended up falling short on both ends of the spectrum. Neither clean and salted caramel, nor sweet spicy goodness. And a pretty big disappointment at the original £135 asking price.

Score: 5/10

Review 3/3

Glen Scotia 7yo, Distillery Exclusive Shop Bottling, 2013/2020 #12, Heavily Peated, 61.4% ABV
£90 paid

Also purchased at the distillery visitor centre. Advertised as “Heavily Peated” in the shop, an inexplicably absent detail on the bottle or tube.

Score: 6/10

**Good stuff.**
***TL;DR***
*A Bruichladdich Octomore lover’s Glen Scotia*

Nose

Sweet burning rubber. Heavily charred peach. Porridge. Salted caramel.

Palate

Heavy burnt rubber, tar, with some butyric acid notes lingering, which reminds me of Octomore. Some burnt lemon meringue. Lemon rind and a minty fresh finish. It’s a dirty, earthy, and bold blanket around the spicy, salted caramel Glen Scotia profile that I’ve come to know and enjoy. Well clever for a young brash whisky. If you’ve had Victoriana, it’s like that, but peated and punchier.

The Dregs

I’m not a peat head, but the peat works here. The nose seriously reminds me of many Octomores that are heavily peated but not actually overwhelming. A dirty and brash dram for sure, but nevertheless very good. I’d give this 6.5 if I could.

The Final Dregs

This was fun. Quite different profiles across the three, but I take particular pleasure in finding something that others vehemently dislike. That Southport bottling is lovely.

If we were to solely and blindly follow the opinion of others, we might never uncover what it is that we, ourselves, actually love.

For me, youth clearly works with Glen Scotia, and the salted caramel profile really shines and, like everything, worth a closer look.

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

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