Review by: Raygun

Typically outshone by Springbank and Kilkerran, and I suppose with reason. I’ve found Glen Scotia inconsistent. Victoriana is nice and I’ve had a couple of good IBs. The yearly limited releases haven’t generally made a huge impression on me, certainly not enough to pursue a bottle. This is the first distillery exclusive I’ve tried. Matured entirely in a rum barrel, which is not too common. I’ve had a rum finish Glen Scotia before, but not a full maturation. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: Glen Scotia

Bottler: Glen Scotia   

Region/style: Campbeltown single malt Scotch

ABV: 56.4%. Cask strength.

Age: 10 years old. Distilled in 2013 and bottled in 2023.   

Cask type: First-fill rum barrel #20/302-2, 241 bottles.

Color: 1.0 deep copper. Natural color and non-chillfiltered.

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Nose: Got the usual Glen Scotia quality, which is salted caramel to me. Seems unpeated. The rum influence is pretty clear with lime, tres leches cake, and slightly green banana.                         

Palate: Salted caramel again, lime glaze, and tres leches cake. Almost exactly like the nose. With some coconut. Good level of sweetness, and the salt adds a nice touch. Still has the green banana flavor. Moves toward biscuits now, getting a little more savory with a definite butter flavor. 

Finish: Lime, salted caramel, and a mix of cake and biscuits. Coconut milk. Somewhat coastal. Does have some youthful sharpness, with some furniture polish.  

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Conclusion: Like a lot of Glen Scotia, it falls in that “decent to good” range. Which for a distillery exclusive is a little disappointing. I wasn’t much of a fan of the finish, though otherwise it was fairly pleasant. Seems like I prefer Glen Scotia older. Looking back, I wasn’t enthusiastic about any of the ones I’ve had in the 8-12 range. This is another one.

Score: 75

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)