Glen Scotia 28yo
Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection | 47.6% ABV
Discovering the oasis that was Cadenhead’s
Before we get to know this Glen Scotia, I’d like to rewind to 2019, when I had just moved from New York to London, with few connections and fewer friends.
I had started my whisky journey a few years prior and knew my way around various online groups in the States that did bottle splits and swaps (RIP r/scotchswap and various later-banned Facebook groups), but I was otherwise completely green to the UK whisky scene.
Naturally, I had pinned a few whisky shops and bars to my map, and on that list was Cadenhead’s in Soho. I had purchased a couple miscellaneous Cadenhead’s bottlings, but didn’t really know much about them. This should be no surprise, given how generally useless their website was, and how limited their set of distribution partners was (is?), particularly in the US.
Well, on one weekday evening I walked into the small Chiltern Street shop and began to browse the shelves and chat to the staff. Lots of interesting bottles. As I was chatting with an affable young employee, I noticed the occasional person popping in the door, waving a quick hello, then proceeding downstairs in increasing numbers and frequency. By the fourth person, I was curious: “What are those people doing?” “Oh, they’re here for a club tasting to try the new releases” “Oh, that’s interesting, how do you do it?” “You have to be a member of the club.” It momentarily ended there as my brain processed this. They were trying all the new releases, they were whisky geeks, and they were members of a club. I wanted to be there. “Could I join the club now, then do the tasting now?” He paused for a moment, then said “Sure.”
Then came a fateful decision: “Would you like to join the Cadenhead’s Club, or the Springbank Society?” By that time I had tried the Springbank 10 and 18 year olds, and didn’t really love them. My 2017 tasting note from the 10 year old included the inconclusive yet hesitant sentence “I have a bit of a like/dislike with this and it varies by day and mood.” So naturally and regrettably I picked Cadenhead’s Club, with little awareness of the fact that I would not only come to love Springbank, but also that the Society would soon shut its member rolls indefinitely. Oh well!
So that night I joined the club, went downstairs and began my journey into the London whisky scene. It was great. A free taste of all the new releases, and a wonderful introduction to the shop manager, who was warm, generous, and approachable in an environment that can sometimes be exclusionary at worst, or opaque at best. Access to in-demand releases circa 2020 was difficult to navigate, and I would say even now Cadenhead’s and Springbank still benefit those with relationships. After the lineup, Stephen occasionally shared bottle remnants from his vast Cadenhead dumpy archives, which helped kickstart my journey into old and rare. Checking my past photos, I saw 1978 Linkwood, 1962 Convalmore, 1963 Dalmore, among others. Mind bogglingly generous.
Things changed drastically shortly after my introduction to the shop: prolonged Covid closure, staff changes, and drastic inventory changes (more on that below).
This experience did twofold for me: (1) started my exposure to the people in the London and UK whisky scene (which later led me to other groups and future friends), and (2) opened my eyes to the breadth of offering from Cadenhead’s. I would later find out that I had joined in the later stages of what was really a golden era of aged stock at reasonable prices from Cadenhead’s. To give a small taste of what was on offer, 2019 releases of the Authentic Collection alone had no fewer than five bottles aged 30 years old, and many others in the mid- and late-20s. This is not to mention the various other single cask and miscellaneously labeled bottles. Rewind from there and you’ll be filled with envy. Compare that to today, when it seems that Cadenhead’s has mostly exhausted their aged stock.
Review
Glen Scotia 28yo, Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection, Single Cask 1992/2020, Bourbon Hogshead, 47.6% ABV
£132.90 paid. Sold out.
So why am I harping on about my first Cadenhead’s London shop experience? Because this bottle of Glen Scotia was released in 2020. This 28 year bottle was the final release in a series of 1992 vintages that started with 18- and 21-year olds in 2010 and 2013, then released in succession from 25 years old to the 28 year old final release from 2020 that you see here today. It sat in my cupboard for four years (a common plight amongst enthusiasts) until I opened it alongside several other Glen Scotia single casks. This Cadenhead’s bottling was such a distinct profile relative to newer distillate that I decided it should stand on its own.
Nose
Bourbon. Like, real bourbon. Now toward Rye spice and hard caramel candy. Some graphite. Water brings some floral quality out.
Palate
Like a thin and astringent rye. As a scotch it isn’t thin, though. Subtle metallic quality that permeates. Burnt caramel. Sour grape and toasted oak chips. Water dilutes the flavors while keeping the spice on the top of the palate. Dry, slightly astringent finish. Buttered popcorn Jelly Belly.
The Dregs
The notes sound a bit bad but it’s not actually bad. It’s just not really selling me on the profile. And it’s worlds apart from newer and younger OB single casks (see prior reviews). In other words, it misses the mark of my expectations. When I went back to this and sipped it more casually, I found that I enjoyed it more. That’s great, but a bit hard to swallow for a £132 bottle (even if that’s a steal for the stats). The price knocked my score down a point.
My opinion bucks the trend. This has good scores from both Whiskybase and Whiskyfun, and was described as a “firm favorite” in the release email back in 2020.
Score: 4/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. IG