Glen Scotia 8 Years Old 2013 (SMWS 93.172)

A Glen Scotia of an 8 year old chosen by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, distilled in 2013, from cask 93.172, bottled at 58.9%, one of 227 bottles. Glen Scotia is a coastal Campbeltown malt sitting between heavier Springbank and lighter Glengyle. Its long ferment, averaging well over a hundred hours, builds a fruity, coastal character.

It was distilled slow for the salty, oily Glen Scotia style, building the Campbeltown Glen Scotia style. First fill bourbon gave a fuller vanilla and a touch of coconut from the lactones. At an extractive age eugenol lends a clove note and lactones a coconut, the spirit fresh, oily and coastal. The maritime setting on the Kintyre coast threads salt and brine through the spirit. It sits on High Street in Campbeltown, on the Kintyre peninsula on the west coast. Its water is drawn from Crosshill Loch above the town. A gentle maturation suits the oily make, the sea salt and toffee growing with time.

At cask strength 58.9% it is full bodied. A coastal, oily sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. It is oily and briny, the coastal spirit shining through. It finishes long, briny and oily. This is Glen Scotia, a survivor of the old whisky capital.