Glen Scotia isn’t a distillery you’ve likely heard a lot about. Besides being one of 3 distilleries in the once infamous Campbeltown region it has no real claim to fame. It’s not one of the major malts people look for and releases have been sporadic, and limited, over the years due to frequent closings and ownership changes. Since 1928 it’s had 6 different owners and has been shut down 3 different times for a total of 16 years and that makes it tough to keep a brand going. Then there’s the fact that Glen Scotia doesn’t produce a whole lot whisky; producing less than Kilchoman yearly.
Keeping all of this in mind it’s interesting, but not surprising, that Samaroli bought a barrel, but unlike most NDPs Samaroli doesn’t just buy it and bottle it. When Samaroil buys whisky from a distillery they often re-cask them and they do so based on what they think would benefit the whisky most. Sometimes it’s virgin-oak, sometimes they do it in fresh ex-bourbon, or sherry, port, madeira, refills or any other cask they think can get their hands on and will compliment the spirit they bought. The whole point is to use something that will bring out the nuances and create complimentary flavors to the whisky. For the 1992 Glen Scotia the barrel they chose was an ex-sherry cask which they let it mature in for a few years before deciding it was perfect for bottling.
Samaroli Glen Scotia 1992 Info
Region: Campbeltown, Scotland
Distiller: Glen Scotia
Bottler: Samaroli
Mashbill: 100% malted barley
Cask: ex-Sherry
Age: 21 years
ABV: 45%
Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Price: $290
Samaroli Glen Scotia 1992 Review
EYE
Caramel
NOSE
Holy mother of funk this is a swampy marsh monster of a whisky. Muddy, boggy, earthy, musty, sulfur reek charges out of the glass like a mud covered bat out of hell. However, if you give it a good 10 – 15 minutes most of it blows off and what’s left are notes of iodine, dry vermouth, wood, overripe strawberries, dark fruit syrup, vanilla, cumin and ashy peat.
TASTE
Again, if you go right in without letting it breathe you’re going to get a mouthful of that muddy, swampy, sulfury character and it’s not pleasant. If you get a bottle of this or are tasting it somewhere LET IT BRETHE. Once you do, and most of it blows off, there are some nice notes of wood, malt, vermouth, cinnamon, dark fruit, sherry like sweetness and more of that ashy peat.
FINISH
A long, funky and malt heavy finish with notes of sherry, caramel, anise with slight vegetal and bog characteristics.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Beneath the sulfur bomb is a nice harmony of sweet and spicy notes bouncing off of the even earthier undertones. A nice medium body with a soft texture make for a nice drinking experience.
OVERALL
The initial muddy aroma of the Samaroli Glen Scotia 1992 from the sulfur treated cask was abysmal, but a good portion of it did blow off after several minutes of swirling to add air and then letting it breathe. Once most of it blew off I started to feel better about what I was drinking and even had a few seconds where I enjoyed it, but then that funk would creep back in a bit and I’d find myself frowning at the glass. With how quickly the majority of it blew off I think there is potential here and over the course of 3-4 months it would open up could end up being pretty good. However, I don’t know that for sure and so I have to rate it off of what I tasted.
SCORE: 73-76/100 (Range due to not tasting at home)
