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The Latest Small Batch Releases from Glasgow Distillery

A Scot on Scotch reviews the latest Glasgow 1770 Small Batch releases.

Glasgow Distillery has been producing whisky on the south-western edge of the city since 2015. With a core range of unpeated, peated and triple distilled malts, backed up by regular Small Batch releases that explore a wide variety of cask finishes, the distillery has something for every palate.

I’ll be tasting my way through three drams. The first is a peated malt, finished in a refill bourbon cask that previously held Islay whisky. The second began life in a virgin American oak cask before being finished in a Madeira Cask. The third is a vatting of three Marsala Wine Casks.

Glasgow 1770 Ex-Islay Cask Finish

This is a six-year old whisky, distilled from malted barley that was peated to 50ppm. The whisky was finished in a refill bourbon hogshead that previously held Islay malt. It’s bottled at 57.3%.

On paper, this one confuses me a wee bit. Why use an ex-Islay cask on a spirit that’s already peated? The Islay cask trend makes sense if you want to add a subtle smoky note to an unpeated whisky but won’t its influence get lost in the smoke of the peated spirit? There’s only one way to find out…

Tasting notes: A rich nose with lots of vanilla, toffee and cinnamon. The bourbon influence definitely leads the first impression but there’s smoke in the back. Quite a perfumed smoke. Floral. Lavender, even. Ashy, too. Is there a wee coastal influence or am I trying to persuade myself of that because I read the word “Islay” on the label? Arrives on the palate with a lovely oily texture. Caramel and toffee. That bourbon cask vibe again. Some black pepper spice. Big smoke – dry, ashy, pungent. Slightly medicinal on the finish, perhaps. A splash of water softened the oak character, releasing some honey and a touch of citrus – lemon in particular.

Thoughts: It certainly seems like there’s a bit of Islay about this dram, although you can’t rule out the power of suggestion. It definitely feels like one of the most powerfully smoky 1770 drams I’ve encountered so far. I guess that’s why you use an Islay cask on your peated spirit. Adding water brought about a change, the fire and brimstone was dampened down, albeit only marginally and a fresher side of the spirit emerged from the oak. Arguably, the whisky was more complex that way but I think I preferred the intensity of it before water.

Price: £65.95. Glasgow are fairly reasonable with their limited releases in comparison with some of the other newer distilleries. I wouldn’t say it’s a bargain but the quality is certainly good enough to justify the price. Easily.

Glasgow 1770 Madeira Cask Finish

Another six year old whisky. The spirit was originally filled into a Virgin American oak cask but spent the last year and eleven months of its maturation in a Madeira cask before being bottled at 58%.

Tasting notes: This is full of enticing aromas. I hate the overuse of the word luxury in whisky but everything about the smell of this dram screams luxury to me. There’s polished oak furniture, dried fruits and plenty of Autumnal stuff – think fallen leaves and conkers! There’s a fruity side, too. Cherry, plum and figs. In the background, there’s smoke but it feels tame in comparison to the previous dram. Another wonderful mouthfeel. It’s like drinking maple syrup. There’s burnt caramel, walnuts, hazelnuts, black pepper, liquorice and, of course, peat smoke which comes in at the finish in a surprisingly punchy display. It’s much more than you might expect from the nose.

Thoughts: For me, the big burst of peat at the end was a lovely surprise but for those who feel less affectionate towards the black stuff it could be a bit of a shock. For my tastes, however, wow. What a bloody dram. It’s exceptional. It’s full of rich, luscious flavours yet it still feels somehow rebellious with that big smoky kick at the back. Just a brilliant example of Glasgow Distillery’s capabilities.

Price: £60. No issues here at all. I’ve paid twice as much and gotten half as good. This is a fully certified belter.

Glasgow 1770 Marsala Wine Cask

Last, but by no means least, comes this Marsala Wine Cask. At seven-years old, it’s the oldest of the bunch and combines three sister casks – numbers 17/549, 17/550, and 17/563. Each cask was filled in 2017 with peated spirit before being married together and bottled at 60.2%.

Tasting notes: The smoke is to the fore this time. It’s acrid and ashy and a wee bit meaty. The marsala comes across like a honey glaze with some aromatic herbs and spices thrown in for good measure. There’s some orange in there too. The meaty vibe continues on the palate with a big helping of struck matches. There’s golden syrup and lots of black pepper and a nicely smoky finish. Also burnt caramel, vanilla and brown sugar. Maybe even a touch of mango chutney at times.

Thoughts: This one feels more of a challenge than either of its predecessors. It’s certainly not as instantly lovable as the Madeira. That said, sometimes a challenging dram can prove to be the most rewarding. For some, a wee blast of sulfur in whisky is an instant turn-off but the struck match thing has always appealed to me. It is quite prominent here but not unpleasantly so and there’s enough going on that it’s just part of the picture. Maybe my least favourite of the three but another pleasant drop and one that sort of dares you to try it again.

Price: £60. I’m not fully convinced yet that this one is for me but the price remains within reason for what you’re getting.

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