Whisky : Glen Scotia 14 Year SMWS 93.101 “Grand cru cod liver oil”

Country/Region : Scotland/Campbeltown

ABV : 55.1%

Cask : Refill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead

Age : 14 Years (Distilled Feb. 20, 2004)

Nose :  Maritime and meat at the Sushi Bar; fatty melt in your mouth tuna, hamachi, and seared ‘ahi.  The fish notes have a wonderful oiliness that just explodes out of the glass.  Frozen ‘opihi and oysters come along giving an almost rubbery-chewiness to the delicious maritime meat.  Fainter notes of fruit and herbal shiso leaf rest in the background.

Palate :  Medium bodied with loads of complexity.  Mineral graphite pencil lead, kelp covered logs, driftwood, dried seaweed, and lime spritzed papaya cubes take this dram through a whole range of distinct images.  Building over time are rich umami notes of briny grilled shrimp and sea food pasta covered in pungent salty hard cheese.

Finish :  Lingering sea side shrimp grill with a fruity cocktail sauce.

Score : 7

Mental Image : Omakase Sushi Bar.

Something Similar : Bowmore 26Y French Oak Barrique (similar cocktail sauce, more chocolate/spice)

Something Similar : Ledaig 11Y Exclusive Malts (similar maritime/umami notes, more funky cheese)

Something Worse : Old Pulteney 11Y SMWS 52.25 (similar maritime meat/seaweed, less complexity)

Notes :  Another tasty Glen Scotia.  I have not been disappointed by any of the Glen Scotia bottled by SMWS— they have each had a unique profile.  Pouring one is almost like grabbing a candy from a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get— except in this case, it is going to be good.  A friend grabbed this particular Scotia while in Japan and brought back for us to enjoy at a tasting.

This was by far the favorite bottle in the lineup that evening and received almost more than twice as many ‘favorite’ votes as anything else.  The rich maritime profile had a lovely viscosity and a finish that just kept right on going.  Everything was wonderfully balanced, so that while the flavor range did not have a ton of breadth, every note was clean and crisp.  An excellent dram to sip on or pair with some pasta, this was another winner (in my book) for Campbeltown’s less hyped distillery.