Glen Scotia 15 years old bottle versus cask sample
We have a fun experiment today for our monthly Campbeltown Wednesday. We taste the official release of a 15 years old Glen Scotia, and compare it to a cask sample from vintage 2011 that is also 15 years old. Let’s see if we can spot some similarities in these, even though I am fully aware that the official 15 is of course a vatting with a recipe all its own.
Glen Scotia 15 years old, bottled at 46 % abv
First things first: Matured in first fill bourbon and re-fill American oak casks, this version was bottled in 2024. The label states that it is “rick & smooth”. Lovely!
Upon Sipping: Do you too sometimes dip your nose in the glass and think: this smells like whisky, immensely generalised and integrated? What a beautiful nose, very rich in oaky notes, warm barley and whiffs of sea breeze slipping in through an open window. You just washed the bed sheets. You have some blossoming trees in your front garden. The midday sun warms the tarmac of the road. Campbeltown-Dalintober in a bottle, really. There are some sour-tasting fruits in there, lemon, grapefruit, all very balanced. Notes of ginger. I believe it offers a lot, but all very harmonious, making it perhaps a bit too spread out. Anyway, let us taste! A nice, spicy arrival on the palate, a tad too much oak, but very rewarding and lots of classic maritime notes. Quintessential Glen Scotia. The finish carries a punch without ever getting too harsh, meaning the 15 years of maturation has provided grace. I enjoy sipping this GS, with its subtle hints of nutmeg and delicate sour notes.
Word to the Wise: Think of this what you want, but it is a fact that there are few 15 years old whiskies out there that have such a particular signature. The Campbeltown style on display.
Score: 86 points.
Glen Scotia 2011, 15 years old when drawn at 55,8 % abv
First things first: Sample from a fresh bourbon cask.
Upon Sipping: Yes, this cask would definitely fit into the make-up of the core range 15 years old, even though the vanilla is much stronger on this one. Again those hints of warm barley steeped, as it seems, in sea salt. The salinity on this cask sample outperforms the end result of the core range bottle. Taking a sip, I feel that the sour fruit is mixed more evenly with more tropical fruits, pineapple to the front. With a drop of water, you can also smell the tropical hints on the nose. On the palate this Glen Scotia cask sample turns even more luscious, with a hint of smokiness coming from the wood if nothing else. Indeed, some ashes might be tangible, but very subtle. Maybe the cask had undergone some charring? It is a nice touch of complexity. The finish delivers a good touch of oak, which feels less forced compared with the Glen Scotia 15 years old above.
Word to the Wise: With its sheer power it offers me more than the standard bottle, which is of course intended for a more commercial audience than your whisky nerd here. I like the amped up fruitiness of this cask sample.
Score: 87 points.