Review No.179. Glen Scotia Double Cask

Glen Scotia is another distillery that I am a huge fan of.  The 15 year old bottling carries all the characteristics that I like in a whisky, especially the sea spray characteristic.  So when this Double Cask edition came out at the price of approx. £25-£30 on offer I had to grab a bottle. The Double Cask is matured in the first fill bourbon barrels before being finished for up to twelve months in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks.  According to Glen Scotia this produces a whisky with rich spicy fruits, overlaid with the characteristic sea spray and vanilla oak finish. Yummy.

Whisky: Glen Scotia Double Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 46%

Nose: Potpourri, lavender, vanilla, butterscotch, cinnamon, ginger, orange, raisins, leather

Taste: Sea salt, vanilla, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, earth, oak

Finish: Salt, oak, earth, tannin

Score: 3.25

Summary: At this price point I think this is a very characterful and lively single malt.  This stands out amongst over non age statement bottles at similar price point (Scapa Skiren being the exception). This will give you a strong indication of the Glen Scotia style.  The bourbon cask influence shows on this with notes of vanilla, butterscotch and cinnamon but the sherry influence is a bit abrupt for my liking.  There is a nice bit of spice and dried fruit but there is a drying oak and tannin feel to this further on the development and finish.  This lets it down for me but others may prefer it.  This is not a bad substitute to turn to if I am not able to get hold of the 15 year old which can be tricky to find sometimes.

Scoring scale: My scores reflect a balance of the overall experience, availability and cost for a whisky,

1 – not to my preference

2 – tastes fine but does not excite me

3 – more to my liking and would revisit occasionally

4 – very much to my liking and would consider as a regular feature on my whisky shelf

5 – permanent feature on my whisky shelf

Image source: www.thewhiskyexchange.com