We interrupt our regular programming for some (almost) breaking news: a review of the new regular release from Glen Scotia, the 12 years old. We don’t often see established distilleries add new releases to their core range, so when it happens, it is worth taking a moment to check out if all the effort placed into creating a new release paid off.
TL:DR: A welcome addition to Glen Scotia’s lineup: rich, cask-forward, and just a touch funky.
Score: 7, very good stuff
A change in direction at Glen Scotia?
There is something that makes this new Glen Scotia 12 I am about to review important in the eyes of many of us in the whisky community. It is a remarkable step towards a fully natural presentation from the Loch Lomond group (the owners of Glen Scotia, if you were wondering). Outside of the 40% ABV 10 year old, which mostly targets the supermarket shelves, most of Glen Scotia’s core releases, like the standard Double Cask and the 15 year old, have avoided chill filtration for a long time, but have kept the use of caramel colouring.
The first sign of things changing came when the Rhum cask edition of the Double cask was released, at natural colour. Was it a one-off, or a sign of things to come? The release of the 12-year-old, as well as the new Bordeaux edition of the Double Cask, both at natural colour, gives a strong signal that Glen Scotia might have turned the corner and is buying into natural presentation at last. I am hopefull we will see this spread to the rest of the core range soon!
And now let’s dive into the review of the new Glen Scotia 12 year old.
Glen Scotia 12 years old
Specs
Price paid: €46
Lot: L2.206 25
ABV: 46%
Natural colour: Yes
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Casks Used: Exclusively first-fill ex-Bourbon casks
Tasting Notes
Colour: Surprisingly quite dark for an ex-Bourbon whisky, but for once we know it is all natural, hinting at some pretty active casks being used.
Nose: There is a first one-two punch of tropical fruit (pineapple, papaya) and spice (cinnamon, pink peppercorn). Those two main aromas remain quite dominant, with the addition of some lemon peel. There is some complexity, however: sea spray, some honey, a little bit of dark caramel (those active casks), a touch of oily funk, and a vegetal fig leaf note that ads a touch of freshness.
Taste and finish: Much more powerful on the palate. It has a lovely oily, mouth-coating and warm texture. The cask, already pretty dominant on the nose, is much more prevalent here: dark caramel sauce, vanilla, cinnamon. The tropical fruit character and citrus notes are still noticeable, but no longer the main players. It has a slight oaky bitterness, which balances the otherwise quite sweet-leaning aromas.
The finish is medium-long, bringing both nose and palate together, with notes of tropical fruits, caramel, maritime salinity, spice, and just a touch of oak. It closes with a nicely warming feeling.
Score*: 7, very good stuff.
I’ll be the first one to admit that I often find more enjoyment in the aromas of a whisky than the texture, but occasionally there are some bottles where the richness of the liquid becomes the main event. The Glen Scotia 12 in today’s review ticks that box. That’s not to say that the aromas, both on. The nose and palate are lacking. Glen Scotia’s characteristic estery notes are evident, as well as some welcome Campbeltown funk. But it is the rich oily texture that sets this in the very good category.
It comes with a caveat, though. If you prefer your Bourbon cask influence to be a gentle one, you might find this a bit overdone and not to your taste. Because of this, I am not surprised by the differences in opinion in the early online reviews.
For me it is a great effort by Glen Scotia, and at this price, a bottle I am likely to buy as part of my regular rotation. Hopefully this will be successful and show the powers to be at the distillery that they can ditch the caramel colouring used in many of their core releases… I’ll keep my fingers crossed!
* Scores are based on the scoring scale used by Dramface, slightly modified to allow half-points
After writing my tasting notes, I always find it interesting to look at other opinions. Here are a few other reviews of the Glen Scotia 12-year-old I enjoyed: