Review by: dustbunna
Distillery: Various (Blended malt.)
Bottler: J&A Mitchell.
Region: Campbeltown, Scotland.
ABV: 46%.
Age: NAS. Bottled in 2024 (batch 24/180).
Cask type: Ex-bourbon/ex-sherry vatting.
Price: Gift but goes for $60-65 USD locally.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 5 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder (consistent through the life of the bottle.)
Nose: oranges, earth, minerals, berries.
Palate: oily, medium-thick ~ cutting oil, more minerals and oranges, lemon zest, dunnage earth.
Finish: long ~ more earth and dunnage, petrichor, pepper.
Thoughts: Okay, real talk: I’ve been trying various Campbeltown blended malts for a number of years, because they’re typically much more accessible and affordable than single malts from the region in the US market. Most often, I’ve found the two regional ones available from the Laing brothers (Campbeltown Journey from Hunter Laing, and The Gauldrons from Douglas Laing.) The remit of almost all Campbeltown blended malts, given there are currently only three operating distilleries, is that they are primarily based on Glen Scotia because that is the distillery with the widest availability.
This one is clearly different. J&A Mitchell own both Springbank and Glengyle, the other two Campbeltown distilleries, and so they have a lot more control over what whisky they can access for this blended malt. I’ve heard it said that a large amount of what’s in this comes from Glengyle, though nothing is confirmed from the producer. Not to ding on Glen Scotia, but the result here blows the other blended malts out of the water: it’s full of great bass notes in the form of dunnage-y earthiness, dead leaves, and metal shavings. I wouldn’t call it complex, but I just love it; this is the essence of everything I love about Campbeltown in a very easy and accessible shape. It may be the value find of the year—I know, I’m a few years late, but whatever. I’m so happy to have discovered this whisky, and pretty quickly went out to get another one.
Final Score: 87.
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.
Malt Runners 
I was slightly disappointed by it, given it normally retails for $20 more than the Kilkerran 12 year old in Australia. However a local online retailer cut the price by $50; it must have been moving slowly. To my mind there’s something missing from the middle palate, although I can’t put my finger on exactly what. Anyway I’m glad I bought it, and probably would again for $120. But not for $170. Then again I won’t pay the normal asking price for Glen Scotia Victoriana, either.
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Interesting, in the US this is one of the least expensive C-town options, and when Kilkerran 12 can be found it’s often closer to $100 USD now.
I understand they embrace pretty significant batch variation (it is J&A Mitchell, after all), so maybe not every bottle will hit the same way. I’ll see if I still feel the same way about it after trying more batches.
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