Scapa 10 Years Old (43%)

An official Scapa single malt, aged 10 year old and bottled at 43%. Scapa was opened in 1885 by two Glasgow blenders on Orkney, looking out over Scapa Flow; Pernod Ricard has run it since 2005. A long fermentation of up to seventy hours draws out the fruity esters at its heart.

The spirit was made on a rare Lomond wash still for an oily, full bodied spirit, for a creamy, fruity make of real depth. Maturation came in American oak, with vanilla under the orchard fruit. Younger here, it keeps a clean, fruity freshness over soft vanilla. Long, cool island ageing lets the fruity spirit take oak gently over many years. The creamy, fruit forward style sets Scapa apart from its smoky island neighbours. Scapa Flow saw the German High Seas Fleet scuttled in the summer of 1919. Scapa sits a mile from Highland Park, yet makes a wholly unpeated, honeyed malt.

At an approachable 43% it is soft and balanced. Vanilla and a creamy note from the barrel runs under orchard fruit and salt air. A tropical fruit and a faint sea salt give it real lift. Tropical fruit and a faint brine see out a long finish. This is a honeyed malt from the shore of Scapa Flow.