Whisky : Glen Scotia 21 Year; Gordon & MacPhail “MacPhail’s Collection 2014”

Country/Region : Campbeltown

ABV : 43%

Cask : Refill Sherry? 

Age : 21 Years (Distilled 1992, Bottled 2014)

Nose : Mellow and light, notes of graham or maybe a graham cracker crust drift out along with a pinch of salt and a hint of fruit.  There is a bit of creaminess to the nose, more like sunscreen or lotion than actual cream, charitably its coconut cream custard.  In the background sit notes of wet moss, minerals, seared scallops, and florals.  There is a surprising amount of heat for something two decades in the cask and bottled at 43%.

Palate : As mellow and restrained as the nose hinted.  Slightly sweet, slightly savory graham crackers follow grassier sweet notes of pandan and sugar cane.  There are bits of black pepper and ginger, but a prevalent spirit/alcohol note drowns out most of the spice.  This dram is very restrained giving its sweetness the consistency of honeyed water.  This is the salad of scotches— a palate cleanser.

Finish : Honeyed notes fade quickly leaving behind bitter astringent herbs and grass.

Score : 3

Mental Image : Flavorless Iceberg Lettuce with dash of Caesar Dressing.

Something Better : Glen Grant 30Y SMWS 9.149 (similar pandan, black sugar, more complex/body)

Something Better : Chivas Regal 18 Year (similar graham, better finish, more pastries)

Something Similar : Johnnie Walker Platinum 18 Year (similar palate cleanser, better flavor profile)

Notes : Despite all of the flavor notes described above, this whisky was bland and without much character.  If a whisky could be described as flaccid— this would be a flaccid whisky.  The flavors were just so limp and flat, you have to strain to really get anything beyond the tepid sweetness.  The notes that are there are not bad, but it is like a shadow play.  You can almost pick up a well rounded interesting profile, but it is always just out of sight, out of reach.  

Would this be better as a cask strength offering instead of 43%?  Honestly, I do not think so.  There was so much spirit and heat present at just 43% that I imagine at cask strength the dram would be even hotter and more spirited while the flavor profile would remain just as muted as it is at 43%.  After all, we usually add a few drops of water to bring flavors forward and tamp down sometimes dominate characteristics or dispel any lingering spirit forward heat.  This clearly has been dropped down from cask strength, yet the heat remains and the most interesting flavors still barely present.  Besides, G&M bottles plenty of cask strength drams and you have to figure that if this had been a winner at cask strength they would have bottled it as such.

So who might enjoy this?   Occasional scotch drinkers that fancy the sporadic dram of Chivas 12/18, Dewars, or any of the standard blends offering a relatively balanced and mellow flavor profile.  The occasional drinker might find this to be an easy introduction to the world of single malts.  It will not burn the palate and it will not overwhelm you with competing dominant flavor notes.  I call it bland, but sometimes you just want some plain yogurt, a scoop of rice, a slice of bread, or a baked potato and there is nothing wrong with that.