Review: Glen Scotia 9 Years Old 2001 Select Cask 627

Category: Campbeltown single malt scotch whisky

Origin: Glen Scotia Distillery

Bottling: Official, Distillery Only

ABV: 45%

Cost: £45

Score: 85/100

What they say:

Single cask bottling, matured in oak casks, no chill filtration, no colouring.

Cask No. 627

Date Distilled: 5th November 2001

Date of Bottling: 28th July 2011

Wood type: Bourbon barrel

Bottle No. 22 of 330

45% Alc/Vol

What I say:

This select cask available from the remaining stocks at the Glen Scotia Distillery shop was selected during our recent visit for something fairly unique but easily affordable. Since it’s re-emergence under Loch Lomond Distilling Co. leadership, most Glen Scotia has been bourbon matured. For example we recently reviewed the outgoing Rainbow range of age statement malts which all fit this bill. A series of casks identified as having superior individual qualities when compared to the rest of the stock were hand selected and bottled in their Select Cask portfolio. This is Cask 627, a 9 year old bourbon matured example.

Colour:

Bright champagne gold (5/20) slow-forming and slow-moving fine tears leave medium legs

Nose:

Dusty or chalky and fruity, lots of citrus zest but balanced with a honey and cereal sweetness, apple, pear, pineapple, apricot and peach spring to mind all freshly picked, a touch of spice or alcohol burn or perhaps fresh oak, the fruits become stewed, grassy hay and summer meadows are called to mind as well as fresh linen and orange marmalade with a hint of ginger

Taste:

Sweet and luxurious vanilla cream or ice-cream, clotted cream, honey and fruit juices all sugary sweet, more apple and pear – a touch of Calvados, some cereal barley malt and milled barley flour, again a little dustiness to it, salted caramel, and ice-cream wafers, butterscotch, crème brulee, rough cut marmalade on white bread toast with a hint of butter.

Finish:

Medium-long, more creamy vanilla ice cream and wafers, fairly ethereal but persistant

Overall:

Actually we found this to be a rather nice single cask example from Glen Scotia. A heavy bourbon cask influence adds masses of creamy vanilla but the interplay between cask and spirit is nicely balanced and much of the odd zestiness and freshness I found in their standard range has transformed into slightly deeper, richer and more exotic flavours and aromas. Good stuff!