Whisky : Glen Scotia 7 Year SMWS 93.107 “Flexing the mussels”

Distillery : Glen Scotia

Country/Region : Scotland/Campbeltown

ABV : 59.6%

Cask : First Fill Ex-Bourbon

Age : 7 Years (Distilled 21 December 2010)

Nose :  Calm seas— the nose on this opens with sea cotton, salt spray, and sun bleached coral.  There is a refreshing spice that balances against subtle salt: herbaceous pine, citrus, star anise, and five spice blends well with meaty-salty dried or pulehu tako and boiled peanuts.  The meaty spice clears the sinuses and invites you to the buffet table.

Palate :  Herbal pine and pine tar lead the way but do not dominate.  Toasted herbs give complexity— thyme, cumin, rosemary, sage— it would be a recipe for a baked chicken if the meaty notes were not faintly salty or fishy creating more the impression of frog legs.  Bits of five spice and roasted pork come through toward the end taking the dram towards a salty, savory, and satisfying end.

Finish : Lingering herbals notes with citrus and a bit of rock sugar and licorice.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Boiled Chinatown Peanuts

Something Better : Bowmore 1997 Distillery Manger’s Selection 22 Year (similar pine & herbs, more winter spice, longer finish)

Something Similar : Laphroaig Cairdeas 2018 Fino (similar nuttiness & salt, more jammy fruit)

Something Worse : Kilchoman Machir Bay (similar herbal/maritime nose, more smoke, less body)

Notes : This one really grew on me.  It was just fine the first time, solid the second time, and absolutely lip smacking delicious the third and each time my scoring of it went up, though my tasting notes stayed consistent.

I know some people see the C grade as a failure— as something sub par and not very good.  I have heard a few complaints— mostly in jest— when I have given a dram someone really loves a C, as if it were some black mark or a strike against their taste.  I think a C grade is solid, it is more than passing and far from a failure.

The B-/C+ score on this Glen Scotia is a well earned mark and a sign of quality.  It may not be something I would necessarily buy and stock in my cabinet, or something that I would celebrate as one of the greatest I have ever had— but it is delicious and well balanced.  It combines lovely maritime salt, savory herbs, and rich meaty notes.  The B-/C+ is meant to signify that this is an absolutely solid dram on the verge of being something special— it is not a failure on the part of Glen Scotia or the cask pickers at SMWS.

At our last SMWS whisky tasting this dram did earn a few votes for the best of the evening— and in subsequent tasting sessions I became more appreciative.  A couple of the tasters who were a bit afraid of the peatier side of the lineup found the subtle peat notes of the Glen Scotia to their taste.  The blend of Chinese spices with the subtle nuttiness on the nose gave them the impression of the bags of boiled peanuts one might buy in Chinatown or any ‘crack seed store' (a local snack shop).  Their is a lot of love when a dram can bring out feelings of nostalgia and happy memories.