Glen Scotia 45 Years Old 1973 (Ex-Bourbon)

Glen Scotia from the distillery, a 45 year old, from 1973, at 43.8%, 150 bottles in all. Glen Scotia is a Campbeltown single malt, one of only three distilleries left in the old whisky capital. A former owner, Duncan MacCallum, drowned in the loch that fed the distillery, and is said to haunt it.

It was worked through the stills for an oily, coastal make, for a briny, oily make of salt, citrus and a salted toffee. First fill bourbon gave a fuller vanilla and a touch of coconut from the lactones. In its ethereal years the malt is waxy and oxidative, faded esters and a touch of sotolon (maple, dried fig). Maturation in the Campbeltown warehouses, by the sea, lends a coastal edge. A long ferment gives a fruity make that ages with a coastal, oily grace. It has been owned by the Loch Lomond Group since the 1990s, after many changes of hands. Its Victoriana and single cask releases have won the distillery wide acclaim.

At cask strength 43.8% it is full bodied. Citrus, salt and a soft vanilla, with a soft vanilla from the oak. It is oily and briny, the coastal spirit shining through. The finish runs long, oily and coastal. This is the oily, salted malt of the Wee Toon.