Glen Scotia 18 Year

Nose: popcorn, burnt caramel, toasty grains Taste: fresh sweet cherries, burnt caramel

Nose: very light and delicate, orange and lemon, ginger, vanilla from bourbon barrels. Palate: orange and lemon, vanilla, but also red fruit and honey, very spicy. Final: short and sour, the worst part of the tasting. A whisky that is certainly valid and of high quality, but ruined by a finish that is not up to par. Rating 4.25 ____________________________________________________________ Naso: molto leggero e delicato, arancio e limone, ginger, vaniglia dalle botti di bourbon. Palato: arancia e limone, vaniglia, ma anche frutta rossa e miele, molto speziato. Finale: breve ed acidulo, la parte peggiore della degustazione. Un whisky sicuramente valido e di alta qualità, rovinato però da un finale non all’altezza. Voto 4,25

Salted pretzel drams aren’t my thing. Is the 25 yr any better?

The nose starts with key lime pie, burnt hay bales, light ocean brine and chocolate covered raisins then freshly lit pipe tobacco along with seaside rock minerality followed by chamomile tea, white grape juice, apricots and persimmons that transitions to ginger, cloves, black pepper, and polished oak with light ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with slightly soured but creamy tropical fruits before a mild pepper spice that quickly fades to charred lemon, key lime pie, burning bales of hay, and light ocean brine then dark chocolate covered raisins followed by chamomile tea, white grape juice, apricots and persimmons that transitions to ginger, cloves, black pepper, and a mild ashy oak spice with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with burnt hay bales, soft creamy tropical fruits, sea salt taffy, spicy dark chocolate mocha, prunes and polished oak. Overall, this is an excellent dram with the typical Glen Scotia DNA of citrus, farmyard, ocean brine, rocky minerality, and tea that the 18 years of aging has managed to turn those sour fruits found on the younger expressions to sweet and creamy with the addition of polished oak. At a price of $120+ a bottle, I think this is well worth the price and it can even compete against the 25 year that costs $400+. The 18 year has very similar notes to the 25 year, with a slightly thinner mouthfeel and lack of those dusty-leather bound books, but if you want a well-polished Glen Scotia for under $150, this would be the one I’d recommend.

Silky smooth.

Nose: wet paper, bitter chocolate, denim, dry dark fruit, nutty Palate: cigar tobacco, plum, red pepper flakes, sherry late Finish: medium long, pepper, chocolate

Toffee apple on the nose. Sour apple and spices on the palate. Spices on the finish.