Glen Scotia Campbeltown Malts Festival 2024 Limited Edition - Unpeated Fino Sherry

As well as being my birthday the end of April usually sees the release of @GlenScotia's Campbeltown Malts Festival Limited Edition.

This year they've gone with an unpeated 9yo finished in a Fino Sherry

Iain McAlister, Glen Scotia's Master Distiller, describes it as:

"This 2024 Festival Release bottles the unique and exciting atmosphere of the Malts Festival — a delicious dram which is quintessentially Glen Scotia, with our distinct salty maritime note and salinity, as well as being bold and punchy, appealing to those looking for something a little more unconventional. With tickets for our events selling out in record time this year, it is an increasing priority for us to share the spirit and character of our remote whisky home with our fans around the world who cannot make the festival. The on-pack virtual experience does just that, and our discerning aficionados can transport themselves inside the walls of the distillery in what is a wonderful experience for any whisky fan." 

The whisky is a vatting of casks matured for 8-8½ years in 100% first fill ex-bourbon casks, a sweet spot for Glen Scotia (see my single cask reviews here). Half was finished for 6 months, the other for 11-12 months in Fino Sherry Casks before being married together. The longer batch to get some depth of sherry character and the shorter finish batch to get a crisp, saline note.

Distillery info:

Glen Scotia was born in a place like no other – the smallest whisky region on the west coast of Scotland that was to become the Victorian Whisky Capital of the World. Our whisky has a wonderful way of bringing people together, and that unique community spirit has ensured Glen Scotia prevailed where some thirty other local distilleries fell. Today, it stands proudly among the last of the many.

Cask Strength 56.2% ABV - Non Chill Filtered - Natural Colour

Nose: Fresh floral 

Palette: Lemon citrus, white orchard fruits and oak spice. 

Finish: Long, satisfyingly dry with a subtle maritime quality and salinity

 

So let's see what it's like:

My thoughts:

Appearance: Light gold in the glass, swirls cling as a thin line, bead up slowly to form an inverted crown and eventually fall as slow thick oily legs.

Nose: Maritime salinity to start: dried seaweed - typical unpeated Glen Scotia distillery character! The nose is really dry if you know what I mean: icing sugar, desiccated coconut, almond marzipan and chalk dust. There's some vanilla fudge, green apple, berry and faint lemon zest notes.

Palate: Thick oily mouth-coating arrival (robust as Iain would describe it!), it starts off dry and sweet like the nose promised: icing sugar, coconut, honey. There's aome tropical fruit notes but the dry salinity is all prevailing - dried seaweed, beach pebbles and rock salt. The citrus is more pronounced: lemon bonbons. Holding the liquid on the tongue releases some berry notes, faint but noticeable. There's a herbal note here too, some green olives and a lovely dry peppery spice.

Finish: Lingering citrus, peppery spice and salinity.

Overall: Yes I'm a Glen Scotia fanboy so I'm pre-programmed to like this... (I didn't like the Rum cask or the Sherry Double though remember?) This is lovely, after a few drams I'm putting it 2nd behind the Tawny Port bottle from 2020. The maritime salinity and Fino dryness just mean you need to keep pouring it but your thirst is never quenched - dangerously drinkable! Huge distillery character is built on with coconut, citrus and a faint berry note from the Fino. YUMMY!

 

Huge thanks to Iain and the team for a wonderful dram!