A Scot on Scotch

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The Rise of Glen Scotia

A Scot on Scotch reviews a new take on an old friend, the Glen Scotia Double Cask – Rum Finish.

Glen Scotia is a whisky brand on the up. When I started this blog back in 2015, Scotia wasn’t the most beloved of distilleries but had recently undergone a change in ownership and things were starting to improve.

I paid a visit to Campbeltown in 2016, and it was clear that there had been some investment in the distillery. The doors had just opened to the public and we embarked on an in-depth tour followed by a fantastic warehouse tasting. That visit persuaded me that regardless of the distillery’s reputation, or lack thereof, the spirit was of a very high quality.

The new regime had just released a core range that consisted of the Double Cask, 15 year old and Victoriana bottlings. These remain the centre of the range today, but great as they are, it’s limited edition releases that get people talking. The annual Campbeltown Festival bottling, for example, always creates a bit of a buzz.

I returned to Campbeltown early this year and a visit to Scotia was once more on the cards. It came at the end of a very hectic two-night stay, just before a long journey back to Glasgow so there was to be no joyful sampling of whiskies like there was on my first visit but it was still great to check in and see how the place was getting on.

I hadn’t planned to buy anything but one bottling stood out as a bit of a curiosity – not to mention, a bargain. Double Cask is the distillery’s entry-level offering and I know it well but I had never encountered the Double Cask Rum Finish and since it was priced very reasonably, a bottle soon found its way back to Glasgow with me. Strange, but that keeps happening!

Glen Scotia Double Cask Rum Finish Review

Double Cask Rum Finish starts out the same as the regular Double Cask, in first-fill bourbon barrels before being transferred to Demerara Rum barrels for an eight month finishing period. It’s then bottled at 46%.

Tasting notes: The nose is a wee bit sharp at first but it softens with time. There’s some light pineapple and lemons, mingling with malt, vanilla fudge and a definite whiff of rum. A soft arrival on the palate, with light, summery fruits, turning towards some exotic spices and black pepper. There’s a weird, almost metallic, note that comes through around the midway point that I could do without but it soon turns towards rum in the second half – and into the finish. With water and time, the dram developed a light saltiness and a creamy vanilla flavour that worked very well with the fruit.

Thoughts: This feels like a very different animal to the original Double Cask. It’s lighter, maybe even a bit delicate in comparison. I’m not always the biggest fan of rum casks but the finish has been applied with a soft touch here and so is tolerable to my rum-sensitive palate. Not a classic from a distillery capable of so much more but a quirky wee diversion from their regular stuff – and a reasonably priced one at that. If you enjoy rum casks, this seems a no-brainer.

Price: £40. An accessible price for a dram bottled at 46%. Well done Scotia!

For more about Glen Scotia visit here

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