Glen Scotia 5 Years Old AG&C Pure Scotch Malt Whisky (A. Gillies & Co. (Distillers) Ltd.)

A 5 year old Glen Scotia from A. Gillies and Co, bottled at 40%. Glen Scotia is a Campbeltown single malt known for sea salt, oil and a salted toffee. It has been owned by the Loch Lomond Group since the 1990s, after many changes of hands.

Distilled slow for the salty, oily Glen Scotia style, building the Campbeltown Glen Scotia style. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak quiet behind the oily spirit. At an extractive age eugenol lends a clove note and lactones a coconut, the spirit fresh, oily and coastal. The slow distillation and shell and tube condensers give the oily Glen Scotia body. The maritime setting on the Kintyre coast threads salt and brine through the spirit. Crosshill Loch water and a long ferment give the oily, coastal Glen Scotia make. Long ageing turns the fresh citrus towards dried fruit, salted toffee and a soft spice. Refill oak lets the salty, oily Glen Scotia character lead the way.

At 40% it is smooth and oily. Sea salt, citrus and a salted toffee, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked apple and a sea salt lift it. The finish runs long, oily and coastal. This is Glen Scotia's coastal, briny Campbeltown style.