Review by: The Muskox

Finally, it really is a Scapa! I think it’s fair to say that this distillery lives mostly in Highland Park’s shadow as Orkney’s less popular distillery. It’s not nearly as popular, it’s rarely seen as indie bottlings, and when it does appear it tends to run on the expensive side. Gordon & MacPhail seem to be one of the only companies that manages to bottle casks of Scapa regularly.

This cask was bottled for Alberta’s BSW Liquor. I couldn’t find a picture of this bottling anywhere, so I used the next closest label… This whisky didn’t have a Whiskybase listing until I added it yesterday.

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Distillery: Scapa.

Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail.

Region: Islands.

ABV: 55.8%. Cask strength.

Age: 37 years. Distilled October 27th 2005. Bottled in 2023.

Cask type: Cask #487, a first-fill bourbon barrel.

Price: $220 CAD.

Color: 0.5, Yellow gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Sugary-sweet and fruity-fragrant. Pretty hot, too. Pear, orange oil, lime cordial. Very floral. Honey and sweet grass. Sugar-dusted croissants and egg tarts.

A dribble of water cuts the heat somewhat, letting the malty sweetness shine through.

Palate: Medium texture. Arrives with tart green apples, honey, lime, guava, peach, and ginger. Spicy oak on the development, along with crusty brioche and some wet hay. Hints of cinnamon, allspice, vanilla, and aniseed.

The strong spice persists even with the water.

Finish: Medium-long, sweet and spicy. Orange sherbet, melon, lime, kiwi, and grass. Orange blossoms, angostura bitters, caramel fudge, and buttered toast. Slightly herbal here, hints of juniper and fennel. A little musty.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Cider start-up Ponzi scheme”

Conclusion: Not bad, but not really inspiring. There are some nice fragrant flavours, but they’re overwhelmed on the palate by oak spice, and overall it’s still a bit of a boring whisky. The finish is where the richness and complexity start to come through, but it’s a bit late to save this dram from relative mediocrity. Weird, the sister casks on Whiskybase all seem well-liked.

Final Score: 77.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.