Three Glasgow 1770 Peated Releases

Glasgow 1770 have recently released their latest set of small batches - using their peated spirit finished in ex-Islay, Madeira and Marsala casks

Let's try them!

Glasgow explain the new batch releases on their website:

Not familiar with Islay?

Islay is a Scottish island on the west coast of Scotland that is synonymous with peated single malt scotch whisky. The use of island peat typically offers Islay whiskies with maritime notes of salty smoke, fresh citrus, and a herbal medicinal character.

What is Madeira?

Madeira is a Portuguese fortified wine that shares its name with the island on which it is made. Produced from a variety of grapes, Madeira has a unique ageing process whereby the contents within the cask can be heated and cooled multiple times throughout its maturation lifespan. This deliberate technique is said to replicates the traditional sea-ageing (known as ‘Vinho da Roda) that would occur as boats passed through the tropics on long voyages after taking on the wine at the convenient seaport of the Island of Madeira. Madeira is also picked from younger grapes which have a higher acidity than other wines, allowing Madeira to be aged for much longer periods. This unique production and ageing technique offers Madeira with flavours often associated with stewed fruits, orange peel, and a rich nuttiness.

What is Marsala?

Marsala is a fortified wine produced in Sicily and made from grapes grown on the island. Some Marsala is matured in a traditional solera-style system, known as ‘in perpetuum’, where the cask is continually topped up with new vintages of Marsala as stock is removed for bottling. Marsala wine is typically associated with flavours such as honey, tobacco, cherry, and apple.

Let's see what they are like! 

Dram	Islay Cask Finish Batch 01	Madeira Cask Finish Batch 01	Marsala Wine Cask Batch 01
Characteristic	Cask: 18/1114 57.3% ABV 6yo 303 bottles	Cask: 18/1191 58% ABV 6yo 298 bottles	Casks: 17/549, 17/550, and 17/563 60.2% ABV 7yo 860 bottles
Distillery notes	On the nose, experience a sweet, honeyed smoke leading to rich butterscotch, tropical fruit and red apple orchards. The palate offers notes of golden syrup, bright citrus fruits with fresh ginger sponge cake, and flamed orange peel. The finish is thick and long-lasting with notes of sweet cinnamon, freshly planed oak and a lingering subtle smoke.	Notes of sweet smoke, apricot jam, and rolling tobacco meet dried apricots and a welcoming sweet earthy spice. The palate offers notes of crystallised ginger, dark plum and orange peel alongside barbecued banana and rich honey. On the finish, experience dark chocolate-coated raspberries, notes of ground coffee and a sweet cinnamon spice.	On the nose, experience notes of rich toffee, stewed apple, roasted peach, and a touch of salinity leading to sweet honey smoke and raspberry jam. The palate showcases dark fruits and sticky toffee, accompanied by ripe stone fruits and smoky bacon. The finish is packed with salted caramel, blackberries, and tobacco with a drying oak-forward finish and a welcoming hint of white pepper.
My thoughts:
Appearance
	Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling as a hairline crack in the glass, bead up slowly and fall as slow thin oily legs.	Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling as a hairline crack in the glass, bead up quickly and fall as slow thin legs.	Dark gold in the glass, swirls cling as a hairline crack in the glass, bead up slowly and fall as slow thin legs.
Nose	Maple syrup, salted caramel and ripe pear all covered in a thick blanket of smoke. There's some cola cubes, spearmint and dried seaweed.	Golden syrup, orchard fruit, dry hay and a thick dirty smoky bacon. There's some black cherry and plum hints and an odd note of PVA glue. A little time and air offers pineapple, kiwi and ginger.	Dry pine-y smoke, icing sugar and hedgerow berries. This smoke is a little different to the previous two, a little drier, a little more distant. There is some tropical fruit here too.
Palate	Thick chewy arrival, immediately dry, spicy and smoky. Honey and brown sugar, melt on the tongue before the spice kicks in cinnamon and black pepper. There's notes of thick black treacle, milk chocolate and penny toffees. There's seaweed salinity and some sour citrus.	Thick, juicy and smoky with a huge bite of ginger spice. There's sweet orange zest, tropical pineapple, kiwi and some hint's of dark chocolate and coffee grinds. Balsamic vinegar drizzled strawberries, blueberries and cherries. The smoke piles in as the liquid disappears.	Hugely juicy, sweet and spicy with a lovely blanket of dry smoke. Tropical fruit to the fore here but with that lovely orange zest note I associate with Glasgow. There's some toffee, honey and red berries before the tongue is assaulted by dry spice.
Finish	Lingering smoke, salinity and tropical fruit notes.	Lingering smoke, berries, spice and a little salinity.	Sweet berries, orange zest and dry spicy smoke.
Overall	Where do I start? The second Small Batch release of the year from Glasgow 1770 and three really good drams at their usual £59 - a bargain. Unlike the Spring release these are all peated rather than double and tripe distilled, which obviously adds smoke to to each but these have all been finished adding another few layers of complexity. Glasgow haven't revealed where the Islay cask came from but I'd suggest Caol Ila - adding salinity and seaweed notes to the 1770 Peated Spirit. There are some lovely similarities to the Peated Cask Strength Batch 01 which came out around this time last year - the extra ABV obviously but also the chewy smoke and spice that you you don't get on the 46% Peated version.  The Madeira finish adds sweetness, tropical fruit, spice and some lovely berry and cherry notes. Again similar to the Peated Cask Strength but also to the recent Peated PX cask I tried at the distillery which was bottled for NN Whisky. The Marsala tops the 3 for me, but only just, it's the unusual dry spicy smoke on top of the orange zest laden 1770 spirit which appeals. For me Glasgow rival only Loch Lomond in it's versatility and range - 3 different types of spirit finished in a huge variety of casks offer lots of variety and apart from that yummy but ultimately 'overcooked' Manzanilla finished release from the Spring, all keep some aspect of their distillery character. What's not to like?