This was an exciting bottle I added to a recent online order: Glen Scotia 2018 Ruby Port. It’s a 9 year old, peated whisky that was finished for 5-6 months in Ruby Port casks and bottled for the Campbeltown Malt Festival. It’s also cask strength at 57.8% and only cost me $55. I had high hopes it would be a sleeper hit, while not breaking the bank. It’s copper and amber gold in the taster and makes some fat legs and large droplets around the glass after you spin it. The nose has a subtle, nice smoke initially, but was really closed off upon pouring it. Harsh oak and heat from the ABV dominated it until after I added some water. The palate was slightly too hot and dry, but had some decent smokiness and port sweetness. It had a good mouthfeel, although it was a tad dry. The finish was medium to long and also hot and dry. No real sweetness to be had as it was blocked out by the heat. So, I knew I had to add water if I wanted to give this one a fair shake and to get it to relax. Water brought out vanilla and sweet grapes on the nose and finish. It didn’t change the palate very much but it did make the overall feel a bit more complex. It made the finish a lot smoother, but you can still tell the youthful spirit is keeping this one from mellowing out much at all. Overall, it’s still a solid dram and a reasonable deal at $55. I’m going to look into some more Glen Scotia for sure. 3.75 stars. Cheers.