Glasgow 1770 Small Batch 2026 - Peated Passito di Caluso Cask Finish

Glasgow 1770's annual Small Batch Series throws up unusual maturation of the distillery's three spirit types.

This year there's a Triple Distilled White Port, Double Distilled Amarone wine and this Peated Passito di Caluso wine bottling.

Small Batches are by their very nature small, and allow the distillery to experiment with their spirit. This Passito di Caluso release was from 2 hogsheads giving 690 bottles, if you don't get a bottle quick they'll be gone.

I'd tried this dram as part of a tasting organised by Karl at NEWAS, but buying a bottle allowed me to take my time and enjoy a few more!

Glasgow 1770 are very open when it comes to giving the details about their releases, most information is on the box and bottle and a little extra given on the website. For this release they say:

Introducing: Glasgow 1770 Passito di Caluso Cask Finish

This five-year-old limited edition bottling is drawn from two robust sweet wine casks (20/1627 and 20/1629). These two casks were initially filled with the distillery’s rich and smoky double distilled peated new make spirit on the 12th of October 2020 and matured for 3 years and 8 months in first fill Wild Turkey ex-Bourbon barrels, before being reracked into Passito di Caluso sweet dessert wine hogsheads on the 17th of June 2024. The whisky then matured for a further 1 year and 8 months, before being bottled on the 16th of March 2026.

Bottled at a robust 57.8% ABV with only 690 bottles available, this release highlights The Glasgow Distillery’s rich and smoky peated single malt style alongside the rich and savoury Italian sweet wine casks. Expect BBQ smoke, coastal maritime salinity, rich caramel and black pepper spice.   

Meet Passito di Caluso

Passito di Caluso is a traditional Italian sweet wine produced in the Canavese area of the Piedmont region in north-western Italy, around the town of Caluso, just north-east of Turin.

It holds DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) status and is made exclusively from the Erbaluce grape, an ancient local white variety known for its naturally high acidity and aromatic profile, two qualities that make it particularly well suited for crisp dry wine, sparkline wine, and sweet wines.

The wine is made using the appasimento method, the same method used for the production of Amarone and Recioto, where Erbaluce grapes are harvested in late autumn and then air-dried for several months on mats or racks. This dehydration concentrates sugars, acidity, and aromatic compounds, resulting in a dense, sweet must.

After pressing the wine is slowly fermented, typically lasting a couple of months and then matured for an extended period. DOCG rules require a minimum of 4 years aging, though many producers age significantly longer. This combination of concentration and slow oxygen exposure builds complexity and longevity.

Passito di Caluso tends to be rich yet lifted, balancing sweetness with a spine of bright acidity and typically provides the drinker with notes of dried apricot, candied citrus, honey, dried herbs, and a nutty profile.

The palate is usually viscous and sweet, but with a high acidity profile keeping the wine fresh and crisp.

The casks used for this single malt are 225 litre European oak hogsheads that have held Passito di Caluso in them since 2016, providing an ample amount of residual complexity and character that elevates The Glasgow Distillery’s rich and smoky peated malt profile. 

Release Breakdown

Cask Numbers:20/1627 + 20/1629

Spirit: Double Distilled (Peated, 50PPM malt)

Batch number:01

Initial Cask: First fill Wild Turkey ex-Bourbon barrel

Initial Cask Fill Date:12th of October 2020

Initial Maturation Period:3 years and 8 months

Secondary Cask: Passito di Caluso Hogshead

Secondary Cask Fill Date:17th of June 2024

Secondary Maturation Period:1 year and 8 months

Bottling Date:16th of March 2026

Bottling Strength:57.8% ABV

Outturn:690 bottles (700ml)

Availability: UK + Export

RRP:£62

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Coastal, opening with a gentle salinity and sweet, drifting smoke. Notes of sun-dried hay and polished wood emerge, layered with candle wax, bright lemon zest and an underlying earthy depth.

Palate: Rich yet composed, with honeyed sweetness carrying flavours of dried apricot and maritime air, wrapped in waves of soft smoke and smoked sea salt.

Finish: Long and satisfying, remaining rich and honeyed to the end. Baked banana and candied ginger develop alongside lingering candle wax and a mineralic smoky glow.

My thoughts:

Appearance: Mid gold in the Glencairn with a little pink tinge, swirls leave thin lines which bead up slowly and fall as slow thin oily legs. 

                               

Nose: Huge peat smoke notes to start - ashy and dry. There's some salinity, underlying tropical fruit, floral hints and a little citrus.

Palate: Thick fruity arrival: some tropical fruit hints, maybe some berries and then the smoke blankets everything. Very drying. Beach pebbles and dried seaweed add a maritime note. There's some lemon zest, dried pineapple and a little coconut before the smoke and ginger spice take over again. 

 

Finish: Lingering smoke, salinity and ginger spice. 

Summary: To be honest it difficult to tell what the wine cask has added to the peated spirit, when compared to the Peated CS Core Range bottle (PX rather than wine maturation) the main difference is the spice - it's not there in the Peated CS and maybe the salinity? It's a very interesting dram, half way between Islay and Campbeltown!

 

Geeky bit 1:

Glasgow 1770 distil 3 types of spirit:

Double Distilled - traditional pot still distillation with a medium cut point of 72-63 ABV

Triple Distilled - an extra distillation in the spirit still with a high cut point of 81-75 ABV giving a very light spirit.

Peated - traditional pot still distillation with a medium cut point of 72-57 ABV giving a 'thicker' spirit

All of the spirit is diluted down to 63.5% before being filled into casks.

Double Distilled have white cask ends 

Triple Distilled have white cask ends  with a picture of 3 pot stills

Peated have black cask ends 

Geeky bit 2:

The label gives us a little more information at the bottom:

 

This release is from Casks 201627 & 201629 : 2020 distillate into cask 1627 & 1629

PT indicates Peated

PA indicates Passito di Caluso

2HH indicates 2 Hogsheads