Introduced as the pinnacle of the distillery’s 2013 upgrade, Glen Scotia 21-year-old is matured mainly in bourbon casks.
Appearance: Diluted tea. Lots of medium legs, teardrops and a beaded tide mark. A decent film quickly forms and clings to the glass for a good amount of time.
Nose: A nice level ABV, what I’d expect from 46%. Tropical fruits, tinned fruit syrup, lemonade and condensed milk.
Again there’s that mixture of coastal air and a distant BBQ. A natural spring aroma, pure water that seems to layer other scents.
After a while, there’s butterscotch, vanilla and honey.
Palate: Semi-viscous mouthfeel. A spice tingle: hot aniseed and cinnamon.
Lemon and tropical fruits also appear on the palate, together with the syrupy sweet fruits.
As the dram matures the jammy fruitiness increases. It’s a lovely element and a very welcomed metamorphosis.
A tannic taste appears just before the finish.
Finish: Sweet berry jam, cinnamon and fading aniseed. The tannic note also transcends to the finish but fades quickly thereafter.
Overall: It’s a very nice dram but I’d gravitate towards other distillery’s 18-year-olds that seem to pack more flavour and complexity.
