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Fellow Drammers!
Back in May we had the honor of hosting Glen Scotia’s Master Distiller Iain McAlister, and we assembled such a massive lineup, we decided to break it up into 2 events. At the time we distributed 12 samples, and two additional unreleased cask samples arrived a couple days late, so combined it would have been 14 pours. So we encouraged folks to save some of the samples (plus the 2 cask samples) for the second event, which will be Sunday, September 20th at 3pm EST / Noon Pacific. And since they have generously agreed to let us buy two barrels of their rare Glen Scotia, this event will also be a barrel pick event, with their Master Distiller Iain on hand to help us choose wisely! As with past events, everyone who signed up previously or signs up now will be eligible to be on our tasting committee to help us pick a barrel. Everyone who signed up participated in part one, you should already have some of your samples from before, and we’ve got two additional cask samples to get to you (to be clear — everyone will get to try the 2 unreleased cask samples, which are not part of our barrel pick, and then a handful of folks who are selected at random will get the cask samples we’re choosing from for our barrel pick, we didn’t have enough for everyone for that). If you missed part one but want to join in the fun, it’s not too late, we’ve still got some samples left (see original lineup below), but FYI we’ll be selecting the tasting committee to help choose the barrels Monday morning, so if you want to be eligible for that, be sure to sign up before then. ($95/person for Drammers Members / $120/person for Drammers Observers).
Cheers!
Charlie
[ORIGINAL LINEUP FROM OUR EVENT IN MAY BELOW, WHICH INCLUDES THE LINEUP]
Big weekend coming up for us -- celebrating Springbank on Friday and then Glen Scotia on Sunday with their master distiller Iain McAlister, I'll follow up with a detailed email about our Springbank event, but below is the full SET A / SET B bottle lineup for Sunday. In addition, their Brand Manager Gary Mills and Fobes McMullin, the VP of Sales for US Loch Lormand Group are expected to join
It's hard to believe that at its peak in the 1800s there were 23 distilleries operating in Campbeltown (some say more), and that only 3 survived to the present, all 3 of which we're celebrating this weekend. I recently finished reading "Glen Scotia Distillery: A History" by Angus Martin who starts the book by writing "The most intriguing question arising in the history of Glen Scotia Distillery is how it managed to survive the catastrophic collapse of the Campbeltown whisky industry in the 1920s...", and he goes on to conclude it was due to the dedication of the Bloch Brothers who bought the distillery in 1933. The other 2 being of course Springbank and the newly resuscitated Glengyle (which makes Kilkerran), and we'll celebrating both of them on Friday.
Anyway, of course we've gone to great lengths to make sure to give Iain a proper Drammers Club welcome with an incredible lineup. Everyone will get 12 pours (let me know if you want SET A or SET B), and if the two unreleased cask samples arrive in time, you'll get 2 more (if they don't arrive in time to send out with the event, we'll include them in a future set). Of course, nobody should finish all 14 during our event on Sunday! So, try some then, save some for later, and we may even simply give skip tasting a few during the event and simply talk about them instead, but we wanted to give you a thorough overview of this incredible, storied distillery. So, without further ado, check out this lineup, drumroll please...
- 2020 Campbeltown Malts Festival.(BOTH SETS A and B) -
A bunch of us were planning on attending in person, but at least we'll get to try the official Glen Scotia festival bottling that we would have waited in line for hours to try if we were there. This one is a 14yo, peated single malt scotch, finished in tawny port barrels and bottled at 52.8% abv.
- 2019 / 2018 Campbeltown Malts Festival Bottles -
We wanted to give members a chance to compare the 2020 bottle against past bottles, so we secured some at auction to that SET A will get to try the 2019 bottle (rum cask finish, distilled in 2003, 51.3% abv) and SET B will get the 2018 bottle (a ruby port finish, distilled in 2008, 57.8% abv), both peated. Since this event emerged as a response to the canceling of the festival, very glad our members will get to try multiple festival bottles.
- 2020 SMWS 17yo Glen Scotia Fest Bottle 93.128. (SET A ONLY) -
We were able to secure one bottle of this just-released "Smoke and Smugglers" bottle of Glen Scotia juice, released in honor of the would-have-been 2020 Campbeltown Malts Fest and bottled at 54.9% abv. I haven't seen any reviews of it yet, but we're very luck to have gotten a bottle, only 213 total bottles released! But the SET B folks may have an even better bottle....
- SMWS 25yo "Like a Vintage Dessert Wine" 93.78. (SET B ONLY) -
We secured this one at auction, it was distilled in March 1992 and matured in a 2nd fill Oloroso butt. 1 of 186 bottles released from the cask and bottled at 53.3% abv. Incredibly, this is the first of 3 different 25yo Glen Scotia bottles we'll be trying...
- Glen Scotia 25yo (O.B.). (BOTH SETS A and B) -
Bottled in 2017 and bottled at 48.8% abv, "gently matured in the finest american oak barrels before being married in first fill bourbon before bottling". According to their website "the signature nose has hints of vanilla oak, interwoven with the subtle notes of sea spray and spicy aromatic fruits.".
- 25yo Glen Scotia Bottled by Murray McDavid. (BOTH SETS A & B) -
It will be great to compare these different 25yos, this one bottled a year earlier (in 1991) but matured very differently -- in a sherry hogshead and finished for 4 years in a French Pinot Noir barrique ("Vosne-Romanee brq"). Released as part of Murray McDavid's "Benchmark" line, we're very fortunate to have secured 2 of the 315 bottles released from this barrel. 46% abv.
- 24yo Glen Scotia 1991 from Signatory Vintage. (SET A ONLY) -
Next we'll turn to a series of one-off single cask dusties we secured at various auctions. We don't know a ton about most of these other than what's on the label. This one is 24yo, it was distilled in 1991 and botted in 2015, it was matured in "a hogshead", cask no. 1076 and we're drinking bottle no. 216. This will be paired with...
- Gordon & Macphail "The Macphail's Collection" 1992 Glen Scotia. (SET B ONLY) -
Bottled in 2011, so technically either 18 or 19yo and bottled at 43% abv. Should be great, Gordon & Macphail picks rarely disappoint...
- The Whisky Agency / The Nectar 22yo Glen Scotia. (SET A ONLY) -
Matured in a refill hogshead, distilled 1991, bottled 2013 at 50.4% abv, 1 of 279 bottles. According to the bottle, this was selected for the 2013 Spirits in the Sky Festival in Leuven, Belgium.
- Distillery Bottling Single Cask No. 17/416-11. (SET B ONLY) -
This one is a 10yo, bottled for a whisky festival in Berlin (Whiskyherbst). It was matured in a first-fill sherry cask, distilled in Feb. 2008 and bottled in Jun 2018, 1 of 196 bottles.
- Glen Scotia 18yo (o.b.). (BOTH SETS A and B) -
Matured in refill bourbon and refill American oak hogsheads, then finished for 12 months in Oloroso, bottled at 46% abv.
- Glen Scotia 15yo (o.b.). (BOTH SETS A and B) -
Matured in American oak barrels. According to the website, "the signature nose has hints of vanilla oak, interwoven with the subtle notes of sea spray and spicy aromatic fruits". 46% abv.
- Glen Scotia 10yo (o.b.). (BOTH SETS A and B) -
Matured in first fill bourbon barrels, this one is peated with peat from North-East Scotland. 46% abv.
- Glen Scotia Victoriana (o.b.). (BOTH SETS A and B) -
This one is bottled a little higher than most of their core range at 51.5% abv, and interestingly says it is "finished in the finest deep charred oak". Will be interesting to hear more from Iain about how this bottle came about.
- Glen Scotia Double Cask (o.b.). (BOTH SETS A and B) -
Last but certainly not least (in fact, it is reportedly Iain's favorite of their releases). The two casks in question are first fill bourbon barrels followed by a finish in PX sherry casks. 46% abv.
- Unreleased Cask Sample #1 -
Cask 2017/106/6, 2007, medium peated, first fill bourbon, 24 months in Bordeaux Red Wine Hogshead, Chateaux Marac, 58.9% abv. We think we'll get enough to give BOTH SET A and B, but no promises until they arrive...
- Unreleased Cask Sample #2 -
Cask 96 / 2013, heavily peated (54.5ppm), first fill bourbon. 60.2% abv. Again, probably both SETS but no promises.
That's our lineup! Members can register at Drammers.com!
SPECIAL THANKS: It was a true team effort pulling together this lineup and a lot of thanks are in order. First and foremost to fellow Drammer Matt Lurin, who will head up our forthcoming Long Island chapter and more importantly runs the wonderful whisky charity Water of Life -- he took the lead on setting up this event. Also, huge thanks to fellow Drammer Harold Hahn for lending us his two 2020 fest bottles which we'll replace when ours get unstuck from customs, also huge thanks to Raj and the team at Glass Revolution which imports the 25yo Murray McDavid Glen Scotia bottles and played a crucial role in helping us secure two of them in time, and again huge thanks to Bill Meyers, who is heading up our forthcoming St. Louis chapter and generously let us have the one SMWS 2020 fest bottle he secured for our event. Last but the opposite of least, an enormous thanks to Iain, Gary, Forbes and the entire team at Loch Lomond Group and Glen Scotia for donating their time and so many bottles to make this a truly epic Glen Scotia tasting. Cheers!
Best,
Charlie