2021 & 2022 Releases | 54.7% & 51.1% ABV

Score: 8/10

**Something special.**
***TL;DR***
*Damn fine whisky. Slightly rich fiscally, but worth it.*

I read the room and realised I didn’t know how to read rooms.

Back in winter of 2021 I was approaching the middle of my bell-curve shaped acquisition phase. With heavy hands and blinkered eyes I’d grab at anything that tickled my fancy.

Alistair Walker was a big favourite; his Infrequent Flyers gave me the diversity of cask strength whisky I craved. I’d taken to refreshing whisky websites quite often, on any given day, and checking the auctions twice as much — give me everything and anything.

Springbank was already registered in my mind as unobtainium, and so I’d fallen, somewhat reluctantly, into the Glen Scotia stride, growing to love the 15 year old and adoring, off the bat, the majestic Victoriana. The very unique signature of Glen Scotia was something I’d not found in any other whisky I’d tried, from anywhere; the combination of coal fires and salty fish smoke certainly wasn’t a tasting note I was actively looking for.

What I was looking for was the “next big thing”. I’d seen how quickly whisky would appear online only to disappear minutes later, and I’d seen how much attention Glen Scotia was getting; Whisky of the Year 2020 did much to cast the spotlight upon their faces. I’d also recently visited Callander and had seen in their window a Callander Drinks Company exclusive cask bottling for £60, but I didn’t buy it there and then…

I did end up buying it, when I got home; the drive back along the winding roads of Gleneagles and Glendevon were spent rueing my decision not go in and get it. I was, at that point, still quite a shy whisky exciter and the thought of chatting whisky in front of other people was a bit too much to bear. That, and my wife and child losing patience at my window-licking dilly-dallying.

So it was to be that I’d open the Glen Scotia Callander Drinks Co Single Cask No.19/380-9 and decide not just that it was one of the most decadent whiskies I’d ever tried, but that it was one of the most decadent things I’d ever ingested – ever. A stunning depth of flavour: a surging cacophony of such dense, rich, oily yum-yum that the bottle was held close to my chest and sung to each night before bed.

Glen Scotia 15. Victoriana. Callander Single Cask. I’d even tried the “entry level” Double Cask expression and bloody loved that more than the 15, which was surprising and confusing and wonderful. The more I exposed myself to the Glen Scotia signature style, the more the smoky fish van receded and gorgeous orchestras of caramel sauce wheeled themselves out of the wings. Could this distillery get any better? Could there be any more delights forthcoming to tickle my face and burn my bank account further?

It came to pass, in October 2021, that Glen Scotia released a whisky under the banner of “Seasonal Release” and I, under the banner of “Whisky Sooker”, purchased not just one bottle, but two — without having tasted it. The rationale was that 1), it would sell out quicker than Scotch pies from Baynes Bakers on a Monday morning, and that 2), it was Glen Scotia. Hopefully, the upward trajectory of my affinity with this distillery would continue linearly and unabated, or maybe even be enhanced by this new expression. Any fears that it would be a sick bowl-infused garbage whisky, as the previously unbranded “Seasonal Release” (an 11-year-old double sherry cask expression) was generally purported to be, would hopefully not come true.

Four days after I took delivery of the two bottles, I blew my right knee out in a 7-a-side game, late in the evening, deep within rainy Fife. When I arrived home from the pitch, after a solid 30-minute drive made possible by an electric cars and one-pedal driving, I got my knee up on a stool and poured myself a Glen Scotia Double Cask whilst I debated what to do — hospital or no hospital. Owing to my lack of energy and whisky intake, no hospital was frequented that evening…but many more whiskies were.

With my knee deemed to be out of action for a good long while, I was house-bound and fed up. Not only had I just managed to reach a peak of fitness I’d never obtained before, but the damage to my knee was discovered to be cartilage based, which meant my limb didn’t swell but I did experience a maximum feeling of utter disconnect between knee joint and leg. Walking was risky, twisting was akin to turning a mortar inside a pestle, and — my giddy aunt — the pain. My daily routine was a flip-flop between chugging pain killers and shouting “ooh ya bastard” at the floor.

November arrived post-haste and, as my wife and daughter waved goodbye to my doorway-silhouetted, walking-sticked person on their way to the local bonfire and fireworks display, I uncorked the 2021 Seasonal Release, toasting myself to the long road back to any semblance of fitness. Dang it.

Looking back at my notes from that point in time, I notice a number of things. First is that my palate was clearly still developing from the introduction to whisky in January 2021, and second is that cask strength whisky was still a novelty for me. My notes read thus:

Nose is obvs Glen Scotia Sweet and spicy, salty and earthy. Doesn’t smell heavily sherried which is good, in my opinion — that 12 months of finishing hasn’t overwhelmed it. Time in the glass reveals caramel coated strawberries. Yep. And the merest hint of pencil shavings. Vanilla pod. Smokey saltiness.
Palate is bloody hell. Cask strength, it’s an exercise in coping with the stratospheric wave of spicy heat. Yet it’s not unpleasant, just hugely warming. You can see why they say it’s a winter dram — you could stay warm for the entire season with this stuff. Two teaspoons of water and a bit of time and we are in business. Oodles of warm caramel sauce served alongside a cinnamon spiced, chilli-chocolate shortbread with a bit of pencil shaving on top and a squirt of bold citrus. I want to say lime, because it’s sharp. Razor sharp. Sherry arrives in the onslaught of heat waves so unrelenting that you are tasting this for a long time after it’s down the throat.
Finish is longer than a winter’s night. Hotter than a cedarwood burning stove at full whack. It’s bright on the finish, chrome reflection, much brighter than the Victoriana or 15 or Doublewood. Fresh, one might say. But it’s still warming, not cooling. Exhilarating and magnificent.

It’s safe to say that I liked it. A week on and I wrote an update, saying that the massive entrance had retreated a bit and left a more delicately nuanced whisky in its absence. And then, just like that, the whisky’s gone from my notes and photo reels, never to be seen again. Did I just throw it back? Did I share it out? Whatever happened to that bottle, it was dealt with toot sweet.

The second bottle has remained in my cupboard since then, untouched. I’ve been quite busy working through all the other drams I’ve procured, and for some reason the Seasonal Release just never begged to be opened. I’ve been through a bottle of 15 and two Victorianas since then, but my hand never seemed to reach far enough into the cupboard for the metallic red box. It wasn’t until this week when my whisky pal, the one that brings me whisky each time he visits, brought me a new bottle: a Glen Scotia Seasonal Release 2022. I knew it was time to open its predecessor — if only to see what a difference a year makes.

Review 1/2

Glen Scotia Seasonal Release, 2021, 54.7% ABV
£75, still some occasional availability

I’m really interested to know if my palate has developed: it’s almost a year since I last tried this whisky and I’m a wee touch apprehensive to know if all that time in between has given me anything other than a depleted bank account and multiple whisky headaches. Will I register any further notes or find any further depths? Will I find it as utterly gorgeous as I did the first time around? Will it be as monumentally hot as I remember?

glen scotia seasonal release 2021 bottle label image — Score: 7/10

**Very Good Indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*Delivers competently fantastic flavours*

Nose

Something sour. Cream? Milk? Fruit? It’s fleeting, leaving room for earthy sweet buttery fudge to take flight. The savoury, earthy note persists as more flavours reveal themselves: chalk, brick paints, caramel sauce atop a venti macchiato with whipped cream to go. Vanilla sponge cake with buttery sour-cream filling. Victoria sponge, I guess — a jammy note is mingled among the dairy. A hint of Victoriana denseness but not as pronounced. Slight medicinal note, first-aid kit. That sour note appears briefly again. Oak is starting to declare itself now. Cedar wood sauna. Wood workshop with glue and varnish in the air. Freshly washed loose leaf salad out of nowhere. Liquorice. Vanilla custard. Peppery garden. PVA Glue.

Palate

Sweet arrival. Woody, toffee, and citrus splash. Not a crescendo of heat, just delightful, shifting notes. Big wave of wendy house warming in the sun. Oak announcement. Damp oak. Dark damp oak. Lashings of caramel laced with strawberry…laces. Red confectionery. A nice exit of cedar wood gym hals, a bit of sauna steam, and a finish of lingering orangey citrus — bye bye.

The Dregs

The 2021 is nothing like I remember — from the visceral wave of heat perspective. The experience is really nuanced, delicate, and balanced in this year of 2022: loads of flavour notes to be discovered and a rather delicious palate to boot. A very good whisky that competently delivers fantastic flavours. A mark down from the 2022 owing to the sourness present throughout the glass.

Score: 7/10 DC

Review 2/2

Glen Scotia Seasonal Release, 2022, 51.1% ABV
£79 still some availability

Packaging-wise, this latest Seasonal Release is almost identical to last year’s, but with Glen Scotia’s newly updated, bigger labelled design. I like the fresh design direction, but a different colour might have been nice to differentiate the two releases. Be that as it may, this the time of year where red sunburst gradients are welcome.

glen scotia seasonal release 2022 bottle label image — Score: 8/10

**Something special.**
**TL;DR**
*Overwhelming Christmas in a bottle*

Nose

Buttery, creamy fudge. Red fruity. First-aid kit. Sweet sugary salt. Strawberry jam on a buttery croissant. After a good while sitting in the glass, Christmas spices – cinnamon, nutmeg and thick red jam – and a berry that might be cranberry, might be strawberry. After a while more in the glass, the sherry note appears, red and subdued. A desaturated red. Jam filled scone, no cream. Christmas returns, astonishingly vivid! Big cinnamon stick stuffed into a freshly iced cinnamon swirl pastry. It’s decadent and utterly dreamy. Christmas cracker freshly cracked — salty matchbox. Digestive biscuit-based cheesecake.

Palate

Big fruity wood entrance. Quite edgy-hot but not ablaze. The Scotia funk kicks in: smoke, coal, salt, sand, damp. Brick paints and sherried figs. Old Spice. Christmas arrives just in time and delivers bigly: waves of spiced fruits, cinnamon, gingerbread, and Christmas cheer. Christmas pud with lashings of brandy cream and the lingering flickers of flambe. The Scotia signature loiters in the background, asserting its presence with echoing shouts from the back of the room, but it’s wearing a flashing Christmas jumper that catches your eye every now and then. Overwhelming ear to ear smile of Christmas in a bottle. Fantastic.

Score: 8/10 DC

The Dregs

I am left with nothing but delight. Both the 2021 and 2022 Seasonal Releases are morphing, ever changing whiskies, from the moment of pour to when the tongue waggles around the glass, desperate for any remnants of last-breath conversation. Both offer fantastic levels of engagement if you’re willing to spend the time and give the drams a moment to warm up. Whilst the 2021 is not the whack of heat and caramel face smash I wrote of a year ago, it’s no joke either. The 2021 is a bit more tart, a bit more sour and a bit more woody. It has all the caramel and red fruits you’d want, but there’s a persistent borderline funky dairy-feel that keeps things from falling into the overtly sweet. It’s like a less bazooka Victoriana, and for that I love it more.

The 2022, meanwhile, is like a slightly more accessible version of the Callander Drinks Co special: not as utterly dominant, commanding and assertively decadent, but still offering a genuinely captivating dance of fleeting flavours to keep the eyebrows raised and the smile wide. I love the sherried integration in the 2022 and the relentless bursts of abject Christmas in a glass is: at this moment in time, it’s incredibly fun. I’m surrounded by fairy lights and Christmas cheer, and this dram fits into this season perfectly.

But. Price.

So I paid £75 for the 2021 Seasonal. At the time, I thought this was a great deal, because its cask strength and age stated. I reasoned that the increase in asking price over the older 15yo was warranted because of the extra ABV, and I thought the experience you get from the 2021 is worth it.

The 2022 Seasonal is skirting around the £80 mark in most places. It’s cask strength again, albeit at a slightly less potent ABV. Do I think it’s worth the extra £5? Do I think it’s worth the same asking price as the Victoriana? What about the Callander Drinks Co Exclusive cask, which was £65 and also cask strength?

Whisky is getting more and more expensive, it just is, and there are some seriously questionable asking prices for whiskies around right now — for example, Lagavulin 16 is £80 and offered at 43%. Talisker 2022 Special Release is £110, albeit at 55% ABV. Macallan 12 year old “Double Oak” is £78 and, you guessed it, 40%.

In that context, the Glen Scotia 2021 and 2022 are great value: you’re getting incredible whisky, delivered at cask strength with all that potent ABV offers, and it’s widely available. You can still pick up the 2021 release now, something that I find astonishing given its quality.

I thought coming back to the 2021 release would, with a more tuned palate, leave me disappointed, or at the very least show that Glen Scotia might not be the wunderkind I remember — glassy eyes and broken knees notwithstanding. Instead, I’ve been reminded that Glen Scotia are putting out whisky that is magnificent, for prices that are, compared to some of the other things on the market that are similar, within the realms of the quickly justifiable.

I love the 2021, but the latest 2022 release pips it on account of it being more potently Christmas and more deliciously decadent.

Merry Christmas!

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

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