Thursday 9 January 2014

Holy Cow

Glen Scotia 18 year old - 46%


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Campbeltown eh? Two closures, one bankruptcy and a suicide; you could say that Glen Scotia has suffered a somewhat colourful past. Judging by the new packaging, the same could be said about the future.


A relaunch early last year saw Glen Scotia put out a bunch of new releases spanning the spectra of both age and, more worryingly, colour. The new design wouldn't look out of place in a trendy city nightclub and presumably is supposed to appeal to the masses. Bear in mind that the same could be said about Big Brother contestants. Inside the bottle it's a different story; no colouring, no chill-filtration and 46%. It's a farmer in banker's clothing.

Nose:
Quite muddled at first. There are apples in there, certainly, although nothing else really jumps out. A little time to open up suggests a hint of board marker but it's fleeting. Wholly underwhelming.

Water gives a little sweetness with a suggestion of cherry-vanilla but by Christ, it's hard work. A little more time in the glass does precisely nothing.

Palate:
A little spice, a little wood. Slight bitterness, some sweetness. They're all out of sync; nothing's really holding them together.

With a little water, there's not much of a change. All of the elements are still there but they're just not engaging. Imagine four school friends at a reunion after 20 years; all in the same room but it's just a little bit awkward.

Finish:
Short-medium with an element of spice. Not unpleasant but certainly unremarkable.

A little water and I'm still waiting for something to happen. The spice is there but it's a one-trick pony. Hold on, there's the merest suggestion of a citric tang. Nope, it's gone. Is there anything good on the telly?

Thoughts:
Looking back at the tasting notes, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is a poor whisky. I promise you, it's really not and is certainly greater than the sum of its parts. All the elements of a good whisky are there it's just that they're all over the show and it never quite gets off the ground.

Grade: C
All the notes are there, someone please put them in the right order. As things stand, everything seems to be cancelled out by everything else and the whole thing falls flat. Shame.

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