No exploration of Single Malt Cask Strength whisky would be complete without a stop in Campbeltown. And while for many, the elusive Springbank 12 remains THE cask strength Campbeltown whisky to seek, there luckily are other great options. And so, after reviewing what some call the Campbeltown malt of the Speyside, Benromach, today I review Glen Scotia Victoriana, a whisky inspired by the golden era of this region.
TL:DR: More Campbeltown character than your average Glen Scotia, which might be a positive or not depending on your preference. It’s a “like” rather than a “love” for me.
Score*: 7, very good stuff
Evolving Victoriana
Glen Scotia originally released the Victoriana in 2015 as a 51.5% ABV single malt. The idea behind the Victoriana was to replicate the lightly peated whiskies made in Campbeltown back in the XIX century. That makes this potentially a bit of an outlier in Glen Scotia’s range, but not a less interesting one because of that.
In 2018, the Glen Scotia Victoriana shifted into today’s 54.2% Cask Strength expression, which is what I will review today. Inevitably, as often happens when a distillery makes a change, there was a split between those who preferred the newer, higher ABV version and those who remained fans of the original. Victoriana winning the OSWA for Whisky of the Year in 2022 reignited those discussions. A good chunk of those critiques used Victoriana as a proxy to criticise the OSWAs. I often find unjustified and based on a deep misunderstanding of this remarkable crowdfunded award, but that’s just my 2c. Feel free to disagree.
I decided to buy this less because of the awards and more because it is the most affordable and available Campbeltown Cask Strength Single Malt on the market. Kilkerran Cask Strength has started to become easier to find, but that’s far from saying it is available everywhere, and the Springbank 12 Cask Strength remains unobtanium for many. So for many it is the best option. I was also curious to see how it compared to other Glen Scotia’s I had tasted before. (For the curious ones here are the links to a previous review of the Double Cask and the Master Distiller Tour).
And now let’s get to the review of the Glen Scotia Victoriana.
Glen Scotia Victoriana
Specs
Price paid: €78.14
Bottled date: 13/3/2023
ABV: 54.2%
Natural colour: Yes
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Casks Used: The only info we get from Glen Scotia is that this uses “Deep Charred Oak Casks”.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Rich warm gold, like ripe wheat fields.
Nose: Very intense without any trace of alcoholic heat. The influence of the cask is immediately noticeable and almost overpowering. Creme bruleé, loads of vanilla and cedarwood, more like a perfume than the actual wood. The “pure” Glen Scotia spirit character, fresh white fruit with a light maritime note, is pushed in the background as is the Campbeltown funk, machine workshop, soot and a hint of fermentative notes. Right at the back of the nose I get some milk chocolate and a touch of red berries, possibly some Sherry cask influence.
Taste and finish: The texture is oily, and the alcohol is more noticeable. It is immediately spicy, with ginger, white pepper, and even a touch of chilli. The creme bruleé and vanilla continue to dominate, although the mild peat and funky workshop character are more noticeable on the palate than on the nose. There is more woodiness and a more generic character now.
The finish is long, full of more of the Glen Scotia character than before. I get ripe red apples, a slight brine, creamy vanilla custard and a drying woody finish
Score*: 7, Very good stuff
Before I explain the score, let me share my gut feeling on the Glen Scotia Victoriana in this review. It is a fine cask strength whisky, a good example of Campbeltown character and yet not a “true” reflection of Glen Scotia. Or, to put it another way, the cask influence is quite heavy-handed. Whether you enjoy this or not depends on your personal preference. I recognise this is a very good whisky, but it would not be my first choice in the Glen Scotia lineup (that would the the 15 year old, if you were wondering).
Let’s discuss those “Deep Charred Oak Casks,” a description that is not terribly helpful. Some online sources state that the spirit used for the Victoriana is initially aged in second-fill ex-Bourbon casks and then finished 30% in ex-PX and 70% in heavily charred casks. It’s unclear if that information relates to the original 51.5% ABV Victoriana edition, the current one or both. In any case, those deep charred casks remain. This seems to indicate either virgin oak or STR casks to me, which might explain the dominant vanilla on both the nose and palate.
And yet, even with all my reservations, this is a bloody tasty dram. And a fully integrity-bottled Glen Scotia for once. So take my comments above as mere grumbles of a curmudgeon who will not complain if anybody pours this in his glass.
* 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 Glen Scotia Victoriana enjoyed:
The Malt Activist (comparing the two versions)
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