Glen Scotia 14 Year SMWS 93.120 “Cocoa and coal”
Whisky : Glen Scotia 14 Year SMWS 93.120 “Cocoa and coal”
Country/Region : Scotland/Campbeltown
ABV : 57.3%
Cask : Recharred Hogshead
Age : 14 Years (Distilled 31 Jan. 2005)
Nose : Fruit, cocoa, and faint maritime. Began with the big malt and chocolate powder of Ovaltine enjoyed along the sea shore. Between sips there were sliced fruits: melons, dried orange peels, and citrus gummies. In the background were notes of passionfruit butter, dry nuts, and gym floor wax.
Palate : Oily-buttery body with a lovely rich profile of chocolate, cream, and fruit. Chocolate milk powder or maybe sachets of instant hot cocoa with marshmallow delivered a wonderful dry chocolate and malty open. Further in were notes of citrus oil, sweet cinnamon, herbaceous tea, and sweet pastries. Cream, char, and subtly fruity caramelization came though on the backend as blackened breadfruit or baked ʻulu.
Finish : Lingering hints of woody vanilla, floral herbs, and maritime salt.
Score : 6
Mental Image : More Ovaltine Please!
Notes : A blast of childhood chocolate desire this Glen Scotia reminded me a great deal of the US exclusive cask 93.140 “Bacon on a bonfire.” I absolutely enjoyed the nostalgic combination of chocolate and malt and, while I rarely had Ovaltine as a child, it was always presented to me as “Old person chocolate milk,” my few memories of it are crystal clear. On the other hand, this was not totally unlike Instant Breakfast powdered beverage or Nestlé chocolate milk powder. There was more to this than chocolate milk, there were creamy notes of marshmallows and tropical fruits. I am not sure all of these different notes really worked together all the time and the dram eventually became a bit sweet for my taste.
Overall, this was a unique and lovely Glen Scotia with an interesting instant hot chocolate quality that I think many would enjoy. I am not sure where the coal comes in on this as I found little notable char or smoke character to the dram. You never know what you are going to get with Glen Scotia when it comes to SMWS and that’s one of the things that can make the distillery frustrating, but also a whole lot of fun. I can think of few other distilleries that produce such a broad and diverse range of flavor profiles— though some of the others that come to mind; ie, Bruchladdich, are also some of my favorites.
