Scapa 17 Years Old 1970 (G&M)

This Scapa was from the independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail matured to 17 year old from 1970 and bottled at 56.2%. Just 240 bottles were filled. Founded in 1885 on Orkney, looking out over Scapa Flow, Scapa is Orkney's unpeated island malt. Water comes from the Lingro Burn, piped to keep the spirit free of peat.

The spirit was made on a rare Lomond wash still for an oily, full bodied spirit, for a creamy, fruity make of real depth. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, gentle American oak beneath the fruit. By this age the creamy spirit rounds into heather honey and ripe orchard fruit. Maturation on Orkney, by the sea, gives a clean, maritime lift. The distillery looks out over Scapa Flow, the great anchorage of two world wars. Water from the Lingro Burn is piped to keep the spirit clear of peat. A long fermentation of up to seventy hours coaxes out the fruity esters. Mothballed in 1994, Scapa was restored and revived by Pernod Ricard in 2005.

Undiluted at 56.2%, it is layered. Vanilla and a creamy note from the barrel, with heather honey and orchard fruit. The mouthfeel is oily, the honey carried on a creamy body. The finish runs soft, fruity and warm. This is a creamy island malt of real depth.