Review #569 - Glen Scotia 18 Year
Glen Scotia is a brand and distillery that has been undergoing a bit of a revitalization over the last decade. It has grown immensely in popularity, cementing itself as a true enthusiast whisky next to Campbeltown neighbors Springbank and Glengyle. The distillery produces a wide range of age-stated and NAS whiskies, including a number of different finished whiskies in casks such as sherry, rum, and Port.
This 18 Year version of their single malt, presented at 46% ABV, spends the first 17+ years of its life aging in ex-bourbon casks. Then, at the end of the maturation process, the casks are married and aged for an additional year in Oloroso sherry casks to add perfume and fruit notes, according to the distillery.
Glen Scotia 18 Year
Scotland/Campbeltown - Single Malt
Price: USD 150 (2025)
Age Statement: 18 Years
Strength: 46% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon, finished in ex-Oloroso sherry casks
Details: Not chill filtered
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 7 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Musty and funky - a dank cellar, mushrooms, then some malt and wood char build. The oak is relatively subtle - a subtle nose in general, at times - and there's a mild vegetal note in the background. Vanilla and more malt add some sweetness, and we get a hints of salt; later, soft grape adds fruit.
Palate: White grapes and sauteed mushrooms mingle, then earthy flavors and sweet malt - lots of different facets to the flavor profile. Those mushrooms take on the quality of a white wine reduction; caramel and butterscotch bring baking sugars, while the funk returns, along with a savory note like soy sauce. Red fruits of raspberry and candied strawberry pop up from those Oloroso sherry casks, raisin too; soft oak grows in the background, adding perfume. It's a medium thickness mouthfeel.
Finish: Dirty mushroom and subtle funk linger, as well as some wood smoke. Tannins build, but we get some vanilla and cream coming forward, toasted sugars and caramel. The fruits are subtle now, but still present: orange, strawberry. Hay and honeyed malt stay in the aftertaste, and it's a medium length finish.
Final Note: Wow, a lot to explore here. The profile of this whisky is pulling us in a lot of directions - sweet and funky, fruit and oak, baking notes, umami notes, everything. At times it was quite subtle, but other times, more forward - a bit inconsistent, but always interesting. We liked this quite a lot, though the funk might be a bit much for those not used to that profile. Actually, this was probably the most funky Glen Scotia that we've tried so far - we liked it for that.
Value is okay, not great; that's pretty typical in the 18+ year age statement market, as the prices start to increase more quickly. Really, this is hardly the worst offender in terms of pricing on an 18 year single malt, and because it's so interesting, we would be willing to buy a bottle.
Our Average Rating: 7.7 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.77
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Glen Scotia reviews:
Review #199 - SMWS 93.170 'Mermaid Karate' - Glen Scotia 9 Year
