Glen Scotia Double Cask Single Malt

Mossberg Family Xmas Whiskey Tasting 2017: Purchased by Luke. Smells and tastes like fresh cut wood with caramel drizzled. Delicious!

Nice enough. Not one for the collection though.

Stop number 50 on the SDT is Glen Scotia. One of only three distilleries in the Campbeltown region of Scotland. Double Cask is a NAS whisky matured in ex bourbon casks and then finished for about 12 months in PX sherry casks. This is bottled at 46% ABV, is non chill filtered and natural color of golden honey. The nose is rich and full. Some alcohol burn at first but that quickly fades into quite the little sherry bomb. Dark toffee, caramel and honey. Dark dried sherry fruits, raisins, dates and figs. Brown sugar/molasses. Black cherry pie filling, plums and maple syrup. Sweet but not cloyingly so. A very deep and roasted type feel to it. Roasted almonds, chocolate, vanilla cream and buttery biscuits. Perfumed oak and faint mint. Quite nice indeed. The palate arrives spicy and sweet, but more on the sweet side. A dark and deep sweetness. Toffee, vanilla, syrup. Sherried fruits, dark berries, raisins, dates. A little pepper and nearly burnt pie crust. It’s a tad young feeling but still very good. Medium to full bodied. A little on the dry side but also mouthwatering at times. A medium long finish full of sherry, cherry syrup and toasted oak. Although it comes off as young overall (8-10 years), it has depth and maturity in there as well. A good sherry bomb that has a pretty good value at $50. It could have been smoother on the palate with less bite and had a stronger finish, but I still enjoyed it quite well. Thanks to @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample. A solid 4. Cheers

I decided to kick off our 4th round of samples after stuffing my face with turkey all day. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! This NAS whisky from the Campbeltown region of Scotland was provided by my friend Pranay. It comes in at a robust 46% ABV and is a blend of ex- first fill bourbon casks and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. It’s a rich, golden amber in the taster and looks plenty oily when you spin it. The nose was initially heavy on the fresh oak barrel with some green apple mingling with salty, seaside air. After resting for 15-20 minutes the PX sherry cask started to make its presence known. On the tongue, there were sugary toffee notes that were quickly subdued by a strong hit of apple brandy heat and harshness. The youth of the whisky really shows up and turns the dram into a bit of a chore to finish. It isn’t offensive, just strong. The finish is abrasive: heat and spicy oak battle for attention with sweet sherry showing up well after the sip- if you can handle just sitting there waiting for everything to cool down. This whole experience would be fine if you knew what to expect going in. Otherwise it’s a bit shocking. This whisky was originally a non-US release but a quick search on wine searcher found it readily available now across the US for $55-60. That’s asking a bit much for an abrasive, NAS juice IMO. It’s middle of the road for me in just about every aspect. Thanks again Pranay for offering this one up for the group. 3.25 stars. Cheers.