Whisky : Glen Scotia 12 Year; Warehouseman’s Edition 2018

Country/Region : Scotland/Campbeltown

ABV : 56.2%

Cask : Rechar American Oak, First Fill Oloroso Finish

Age : 12 Year (Distilled Sept. 2005, Bottled Aug. 2018)

Nose : Bursting with tropical fruits— melons, cantaloupes, plantains, papayas all on display at a roadside fruit stand.  Faint smoke from a beachside barbecue and the sweet salty mineral taste of ocean air during a high surf advisory.  Subtle malty notes come through as salted crackers and buttery pastries.

Palate :  Light body with an oily mouthfeel, creamy with ample oaky notes.  Toasted vanilla latte, peppery wood smoke, maritime salt, unlit coal bricks, dried out driftwood, and sweet honey.  Beachside notes mix with dessert to give tropical fruits, fried vanilla ice cream, caramel, and salted chocolate.  Lovely warm heat from the spirit and spice near the end.

Finish : Lingering sweet creamy custard, malty chocolate, and pepper.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Bank full of Sand dollars.

Something Better : Laphroaig “Williamson” 7 Year; The Maltman (similar driftwood/coal, more meat)

Something Better : Glen Scotia 14Y SMWS 93.101 (similar driftwood/beach, more tropical fruit/salt)

Something Worse : Peat Faerie 3rd ed.; SMWS Blended Scotch (similar ice cream/fruit, less complex)

Notes : This was a wonderfully light and fruity dram with tons of interesting salty maritime and sweet dessert notes.  I was surprised just how much delicious tropical fruit came through on the nose and the finish had full of tons of sweet caramelized cream.  I only wish the body on this were a bit heavier, a bit bolder, and that the flavors came through more cleanly.  This was a delicious dram, but it fell just shy of being really gorgeous.  The recharred American oak doled out a healthy amount of spice on the palate, while the oloroso influence seemed totally lost— especially for a first fill cask.  I really wonder how long this was in an oloroso cask, I cannot imagine it was much longer than a couple months.  I am not sure a heavier oloroso influence could have pumped this up to the next level as the dram made for a beautiful summer time sipper or something to bring back memories of beachside naps, but the cask influence did seem mostly missing in action.  

I remain excited any time a new Glen Scotia finds itself in my glass— the distillery puts out such a wide range of slightly different flavor profiles that I am rarely ever bored and often pleasantly surprised.