Glen Scotia 12 Years Old (51.7%)

An official release of Glen Scotia, a 12 year old, at 51.7%. Glen Scotia is a Campbeltown single malt from the Loch Lomond Group, salty and oily in style. It has been owned by the Loch Lomond Group since the 1990s, after many changes of hands.

The spirit was distilled slow for the salty, oily Glen Scotia style, for an oily spirit with a coastal, salted edge. It was matured in a Tawny Port cask, the wood working into the oily malt. Integration folds eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) into the malt, the body oilier and the salt softer. Active wood frames the fruit without overwhelming the briny Campbeltown spirit. Its malt comes from Greencore Maltings in southwest Scotland. It is one of only three working distilleries left in Campbeltown, with Springbank and Glengyle. A former owner, Duncan MacCallum, drowned in the loch that fed the distillery, and is said to haunt it.

At 51.7%, undiluted, it is deep and briny. Baked apple, brine and a creamy oil, with a nutty, raisined red fruit from the cask. A dried fruit and a soft oak give it depth. The finish runs long, oily and coastal. This is a maritime Campbeltown single malt.