Batches : Glen Scotia Victoriana

Distilleries often release whisky in batches, the same name but subtly different recipes, ABVs, maturation periods etc. In this occasional series I'm going to review a number of different Batches in my Side-by-side format to see if I can detect any differences, does each batch get better or are they to all intents and purposes the same?

This time I'll be reviewing batches 1,2 and 3 of Victoriana from @GlenScotiaMalts distillery, what differences are there?

Glen Scotia distillery is located in Campbeltown at the bottom of the Kintyre peninsula. Founded in 1832 it's now part of the Loch Lomond group. It's 2 stills give it a capacity of 0.8m litres of alcohol per year. It's spirit is mainly matured in a ex-bourbon casks at 15, 18 and 25yo at a minimum of 46% ABV. This review is looking at their NAS batch strength Victoriana, matured in ex-bourbon casks and then finished in a combination of heavily charred ex-bourbon and ex-PX sherry casks. The first batch was released in 2015.

"The base liquid is 70% 10yo first fill bourbon, 10% 10-12yo peated first fill bourbon and 20% 16-18yo refill American oak hogsheads." The whisky is then vatted and finished "in 70% heavy charred American oak barrels and 30% 1st fill PX for 12 months before being married in refill bourbon for 3-6 months. The finishing is done in batches, so batches were combined ie as a batch was coming to an end it was combined with next full batch. The original release was bottled at 51.5%. Batch 001 was a single batch, not combined with any other and bottled at cask strength of 54.8%. Cask Strength release are bottled at 54.2% and batches will be combined for consistency between batches."

Dram	Original (2015)	Batch #001 (2018)	Cask Strength (2019)
Characteristics (Shared)	NAS NCF Batch Strength
Characteristics (Different)	51.5% ABV Coloured	54.8% ABV Natural colour	54.2% ABV Natural colour
Distillery info	Each cask is chosen for its rare character and exceptional maturity. Finished in deep charred oak, the result is an exceptionally smooth single malt whisky whose aroma and flavour work in harmony. Bottled in the traditional way straight from the cask and without filtration, its subtle wood and vanilla flavour is enhanced by a full bodied spicy fruit aroma and mildly smoky aftertaste. Nose: An elegant nose with hints of oak driving the bouquet. Interesting creme brulee notes leading to generous caramelised fruits and finally polished oak. Palate: Sweet and concentrated start with some jammy blackcurrant fruitiness. A big mid palate. Typical tightening towards the back palate. Becomes more austere with water. Finish: Clean and initially sweet. The green bean, with cocoa characteristic.
My thoughts:
Appearance
	Coloured dark gold in the glass, swirls cling and fall as slow thick legs.	Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling and fall as slow thick legs.	Dark gold in the glass, slightly darker than the previous two. Swirls cling and fall as slow thick legs.
Nose	Masses of vanilla, toffee and a hint of smoke with the high ABV attacking the nose immediately! Some tropical fruit notes and a lovely sweetness developing over time	Very similar to the original but the slightly higher ABV gave an added complexity. The tropical fruit notes were toned down a little, spice turned up a little, the smoke and seaweed is there but in the background	For me this one just hit the nasal sweet spot - the smoke was a little more prominent than the previous two, the maritime notes also dialed up a little.
Palate	Thick almost syrupy arrival, loads of sweet tropical fruit notes, some lovely gingery spice and again the hint of smoke. Some seaweed notes developed with later sips.	Another thick syrupy arrival, absolutely no need for added water. This is a much more balanced dram, smoke, salt and spice in perfect harmony. The tropical fruit notes are there but come after a few sips - not as sweet as the Original.	Again thick and syrupy - as with the nose the smoke and salt are a little more prominent and the spice a little hidden. Again the tropical fruit notes are there and again not as sweet as the Original.
Finish	A lovely balance of tropical fruit sweetness and spice with a blanket of smoke.	Long lingering smoke, a nice spice note and some tropical fruit notes.	Again long lingering smoke, a nice spice note and some tropical fruit notes.
Overall	To be honest I think the Batch #001 wins overall, the Cask Strength has a nicer nose, but the palate and finish are better. The Original offers more tropical fruit notes and seems a lot sweeter than the later two versions. Overall a perfectly balanced cask strength peated Campbeltown dram, a high ABV easy sipper to enjoy slowly, discussing it's merits with friends - what more could you want?

Geeky Stuff:

Victoriana Releases
Release	Bottled	ABV
Cask Strength	2019+	54.2%
Batch #001	2018	54.8%
Original	2015	51.5%

There is a Travel Retail version of Victoriana available in a tin tube rather than cardboard carton, it's currently the same as the Original 51.5% version but new stock will be the same as the Cask Strength 54.2% version.