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My review and rating are based on a single dram. I feel it would have taken the better part of the bottle to really get under the skin of this one and make it my BFF.

21 20 20 20 81 whisky for a location or outdoors, and better in cold weather, it's very alcoholic IMHO

Without runaway, from nose to finish. Sounds dull, but it is not. Although it does not achieve the quality of its predecessor, it is not really lacking much. Springbank doesn't have to get warm yet, but what Glen Scotia has been doing lately can be pretty fun if you like the Campbeltown style.

Strong and spicy, in the nose some more fruits than in taste. Very intense, that typical dirty side of Glen Scotia in combination with the port finish works pretty good. Edit: Had this one some weeks later again in a blind tasting, scored this 2 point lower than my registered rate, and made really different notes of nose and taste. This one came after a pretty dominant Ardmore, which must have had pretty much impact on this Scotia. Interesting how these things can work sometimes.

tasted blindly

Nose 22, taste 22, finish 21, balance 22

2020 Rating

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2020/06/03/summerton-virtual-whisky-festival-2020-part-1-3/ Last year’s festival bottling featured a rum finish. The year before that it was port. There’s a finishing theme. 2020’s festival release sees a peated malt mainly matured in refill and 1st-fill bourbon with a tawny port finish. Colour: a lovely pinky hue as is the [tawny] port-finished way. N: On the nose, we’ve gritty grimy [grimy as in ‘get out all your bike/car cleaning products, pour a drop or two of each into a saucer, and mix grimy’], and shammy leather characteristics you won’t find coming from many other distilleries – Loch Lomond perhaps [and St Georges]? In relation to the previous two whiskies, we’ve a considerably deeper maltiness that’s come from a far longer ageing time frame. Indeed, I think this is the oldest malt in the festival lineup by some margin. The smoke and port influence is clear though it’s more integrated into the backdrop rather than upfront. Desirable toasted oakiness comes through later on, the previous bourbon cask contents low-key. Reduced a touch, this was around 57%-ish at cask strength. Joe: “,… on the knife-edge of complexity”. T: Same curious arrival as the nose had indicated. Hits the palate mid-centre, though water will broaden it. With a thin yet dense mouthful then, we’ve a gritty [Colin “mucky”] idiosyncratic journey as I’ve come to expect and appreciate from Scotia, and this release doesn’t disappoint. The tawny influence navigates us through a dry grimy oily soft saline peaty and [Iain McAlister] medium charred terrain. There’s no arguing with the balance. F: Finishes right and true with [tawny] fruits and flower petals dragged through a mechanics yard, encapsulated within a spirit & oak interplay. C: Like Bimber, the choice to include this for Summerton carries the festival spirit. Likely to be the best of the flight by a country mile. Scores 86,.. but I could push to 87 points. It’s hard to imagine not going on a journey with a bottle. You may not find many similar examples for your tasting shelf.

Strawberries, Cherries & Raspberries The festival was cancelled, but the festival bottling certainly hit the market with no less than 15.000 bottles. You can find it left and right for around 70 EUR. It’s a 14 years old Glen Scotia that matured on Tawny Port casks, which explains the color. I’m looking forward to this. The nose makes me happy from the very first moment. Lovely, round notes of red fruit (strawberries, cherries and raspberries) with some peach, vanilla and bubblegum on the one hand, the typical dirty peat of the house on the other. The smoke becomes very big all of a sudden, but retreats just as quickly. Evolves from sweet to salty with some green garden herbs in the middle. There is a lot going on here and it’s all good. The arrival is quite piquant, but the structure is silky soft. The peat is much more outspoken than on the nose and easily overpowers the red fruit. Salted caramel and nougat appear, while the tannins also kick in and offer up a bitter touch. Midpalate a big maritime hint appears. Ship’s ropes and chewing tobacco. This is very good! The finish is the trump card. Long, warm and peppery with a sudden death of menthol. This Glen Scotia on Tawny Port is a whole other league than the one on Ruby Port from two years ago. Impressive.

The whisky seemed a little simple, but it was sweet and pleasant.

For peat + port fans, this will work a charm. I personally have grown less fond of such "juicy" finishes -and also consider this slightly less coherent and complex than last year's GS festival release.

61-70 – Okay, but not more than 1 Dram

Aroma spicy, little smoke. Salt, port finish with sweet currant juice. taste Nice creamy mouthfeel; Red fruits, sweet and wood spice, strong honey. WOW Finish: Long, spicy, becoming dry

This was a sample courtesy of Peatbogger. This falls into the category not for everyone. I do like Glen Scotia I think it's underrated. If I had a full bottle of this I think I might grow to love it. As for adding water, well I took Peatbogger's advice as it didn't seem to help at all.

Very tasty, tastes very good to me, the alcohol is very well integrated and because of the restlessness it doesn't seem boring. Notes from a blind tasting. Very typical, easy to recognize as Glen Scotia.

Delicious from back to front with a lot of Campletown character. Barrel and distillate harmonize quite well and invite you to enjoy.

N21 P22 F21 B22

Short notes as the ones I tried to save earlier were lost. Peaty whiskies and maturation in port wood can be tricky as the whisky can get quite a sour note (which doesn't combine well with the peat). Glen Scotia has proved that the combination can work very well too. This whisky is well-balanced, with peaty, maritime notes as well as cream and mixed red fruits. Especially with a few drops of water it is excellent.

Opens very quickly in the air. One feels that the distillate (newmake) was somewhat rough (there are distant rubbery notes and grainy sourness). There is scoch myst with water. Water makes the situation much worse. Didn't feel the corporate identity of the distillery, tried Glen Scotia for the first time, perhaps it will be difficult to recognize this distillery in a blind tasting, maybe only by these rough notes of newmake?

For the Campbeltown Malts Festival, Glen Scotia brings a special bottling onto the market every year. These bottlings have not disappointed in recent years. After the wonderful Ruby Port in 2018, there will be a Tawny Port in 2020 with an age of 14 years, cask strength and natural color. Whisky as we want it, whisky with a bright red-gold color. A nice whisky that arouses many expectations. www.glen-efze.de

Blind Taste

Really solid, but not exceptional either.

Glen Scotia festival 2020 14 yo port pipe Nose: honey, vanilla, fruit in spirit, blueberry jam, candied cherries, sweet citrus, salty pecans, strawberries but after a long time. Palate: verbal caramel, light smoke, wood, coffee, red fruit, prune, nuts, some wood and tobacco, cinnamon. Finish: tart, chilli, bitter, like burnt toast with butter, orange peel, cinnamon, pepper.

Successful port finish that does not overly dominate the malt. I only noticed the smoke in my nose.

EYE / NOSE Amber. Very fine, reddish tinge. Then the scent from the nosing glass wafts towards me. Dirty, impure, so the very first associations. Is it sulfur or a tannic note from the Tawny barrels? Sulfur in such a festival bottling? Hardly likely. On the other hand, the smoke is barely noticeable - what phenol content does GS still use? In the air, the somewhat dirty impression quickly diminishes. Freshly uncorked bottles are always such a thing. Then comes a berry sweetness. Red currant juice - but for children's taste, mixed with plenty of sugar. PALATE The alcohol is very well integrated, I notice very positive in view of the barrel strength. The malt looks round and ripe, not as youthfully impetuous as the powerful Ruby Port, but not quite as elegant as the Rum Wood last year. The character somewhere in the (golden) middle. Very pleasant mouthfeel, slight tingling on the tip of the tongue. A clean, fresh and quite fruity malt with a balanced, nutty port sweetness, without great sperenzien, which is wonderful to drink. Nuances of spices that I associate most with pastries. A hint of cinnamon, a little green cardamom, that describes the direction. Amazingly 'light' body, which I note in the overall view as extremely positive. You like to take a second sip on the sunny terrace, almost too much. FINISH / CONCLUSION In the finish, which is very warm, velvety and sweet, the great hour of phenols strikes. The wood becomes palpable - noble bitterness struggles in a balanced struggle with fruit sweetness and the smoky peat influences. Towards the end the tawny then becomes wonderfully chalky, slightly grassy and a little dry. To see none of the perfume-like off-notes that sometimes plague Glen Scotia bottlings. Iain McAlister and the small Glen Scotia team did a good job. Glen Scotia will always be in the shadow of the spring bench icon and yet the ugly duckling under Ian has gradually become a little swan.

Without water little bit aggressive but not bad, I don't see significant port influence but overall with some time to open great dram

Earthy, fall leaves and dried berries. Smokey finish. Raspberry coulis, cayenne, minerals, gravel, sweet, but not overly so. Drying finish with raspberries and cayenne. A fine example of the style.

Scotia is traditionally a wonderful festival release in Porto. Rich in nuances, with a chic drink. Peatiness is not very noticeable in the aroma, but then quite noticeable, especially in the aftertaste.

Another nice filling of the festival series. I would have liked a little more fruitiness, the port has been relatively reserved in the malt. Nevertheless, a whisky that is reasonable in terms of taste and price.

"On the edge” at all times. Very brave to fill something like that. I think it's really great. I think the community appreciated that too! Full review in a flight of six Campbeltown malts: https://keinehalbendrinks.de/2022/08/04/campbeltowning/

A nice solid festival bottling with an acceptable age. Glen Scotia is on the right track with their bottlings. Nutty, peat and smoke, raisins.

Interesting dram. The blue cheese-like tone in the smell / aftertaste makes it strange but fun at the same time.

blind tasting. Very full-bodied and great balance in taste, but a bit closed in the nosing. With water, however, it loses its red fruits in taste and finish and becomes grassier. I would be careful with water.

Enjoy with a few drops of water!

4. Glen Scotia 2005 Tawny Port Finish #2017/4136/6 57.8% recharred American oak, heavily peated 32ppm Nose: port, drying, tobacco, fennel, dark chocolate, ruby grapefruit, musk, oud, bergamot Palate: really juicy, narghile tobacco, Provençal rose, honeyed ham, pulled beef (reminds me of a smokehouse) Finish: marmalade, egg custard and rice pudding with nutmeg With water Nose: pink peppercorn and rose Palate: more orange heavy Finish: smokier, burnt toast and activated charcoal Cask sample tasted as part of Southport Whisky Club Winter Festival with Master Distiller Ian McAlister

402- GLEN SCOTIA 14 yo (PEATED) FESTIVAL RELEASE 2020 LIMITED EDITION TAWNY PORT FINISH SINGLE MALT SCOTCH Whisky 52.8%. ...a quite coherent, interesting entry. It's powerful, so if you're not yet feeling up to it, you should "practice" with whiskies up to 50%. Although I've encountered cases where a 40% whisky, with a bit of it, felt unmanageable and hit the nose and mouth hard. There's power here, but it's acceptable. The aromas are distinct, and over time, they reveal more of them than we'd expect. In the mouth, everything in the nose, plus that peaty veil and a salty sea breeze. It's a must-have. The finish complements the whole. In short, a neat festival version. Although it's a limited edition, you might still find a bottle somewhere, or someone with a good heart who's thirsty for a drink.

certainly interesting, but port finish isn't my cup of tea

Another high quality and good value release by Glen Scotia for their Malts Festival. The port influence is not overpowering in any sense but is present enough to leave behind a lovely fruitiness and a touch of spice. Value (£60) : 8/10

What do you take with you when going on holiday to Scotland? Yes, samples Scottish whiskies. This was for me the absolute winner and surprise of the about 15 samples I took with me and tasted in our cottage. When poured in the glass it immediately draw my attention: this was something great, Great combi of Glen Scotia on Tawny port cask. This is on my wishlist!

Glen Scotia 14 year old tawny port cask finish 52.8%. 30ml sample at home Jan 2022. Mid-tone amber orange. Aroma is barley, barrel char and coffee cake, fruited fudge and port, raisin, hubba bubba bubblegum, seared strawberry, that slightly nasal nauseating wine cask vibe that’s not far off pasties and clove. Complex, yes, with good intensity, but weird ... like I find many red wine or port cask finished whiskies. Becomes more chocolate covered raisin with time as it settles and then with a long wait it’s coffee liqueur. Even later on it’s rose petal and milky coffee. Body is oily. Taste is plum tart, hints of coffee, prickly salt merges with the other flavours, liquorice. Again it’s complex. Interesting milky coffee and liquorice, moving to salted fudge, then moving to burnt salty char. It tastes like a novelty version of whisky. It still mostly retains its character but there’s a fudgey coffee liqueur note that makes me think of confectionary. Despite the aspects of this I don't like, as usual, the peat is highly redeeming for me – I’m not saying I like this fact about myself but to my palate decent peat forgives all. This whisky just about works. There’s such a fine line to be tread with this sort of cask, and this one really threatened to overstep ... but then that peat. If the peat wasn't there, this would be quite poor. And yet on the whole I found this a very interesting and pretty enjoyable whisky, as a one off sample. I wouldn’t be going out and buying a bottle but it was worth trying and actually there’s plenty to enjoy here. 3.525/84

Nose The aroma is soft and intense. Woody notes, leather, spices Taste Sweet, then sour. Leather, pastry notes, light peat, crème brulee. Old tree. Aftertaste A very long time. Wood, spices, then dark chocolate and spices again. Quite an interesting release! The balance is excellent!

That’s really quite excellent. There’s a fantastic savoury meaty peat-reek going on here, much richer in style than the 2019 release.

a great Scotia, typical Campbeltown funk

A peated whisky was composed here from the 2004, 2005 and 2006 distilleries of the Glen Scotia distillery, which can now be described as a 14-year-old malt. It was developed in refill american oak hogsheads, medium charred american oak barrels and in first fill bourbon barrels. Then there was a finish in first fill Tawny Port hogsheads and the whisky was bottled at 52.8 vol% without coloring and cooling filtration in cask strength.

This is a good whisky that does not have anything special and nothing that can be described as outstanding or typical, but it is pleasant to drink.

From a blind sample.

Straight after opening the bottle I was a little bit disappointed because I had high hopes after last years nice Peated rum festival bottling... Still good solid whisky... Now after the bottle is open for 3/4 weeks now it makes a noticeable difference... Whisky gets more mellow, red fruits and some peat in the nose... Round and complex in the mouth, little bit nutty, water helps the development... Like it better, rating improves from 88 to 89. Very drinkable and great price / value relationship. Well done

Nose: lovely tawny port nose not overloaded...initially vanilla ice cream with hot red berries - loved this as a child :) then some Xmas spice (cinnamon, nelke...) some Smoked ham, Tannenwald and eucalyptus, slight cold bonfire...Taste: Starts sweet (Vanilla ice with red berries) and honey creamy feeling..then salty...sourness red/ white currant mix some slight ashiness and BBQ, finish: short dry ashy sour lemoncest slight menthol...usually 88 but vanilla ice with berries make it a 89 for me ;) Note* Nose doesn't take water too well - mouth does * After a year way more coastal / briny and imo more peaty / I like

Subtle peatsmoke, well balanced with the fruity Port-notes. Dangerously drinkable! After a while the peat gets more present in the taste.

This bottle was opened a month ago and only has about 1/6 left. A very decent whisky, and good value for money. Need more products like this. Added a few scores because of for this.

The berry notes through the port finish are definitely recognizable.

Great stuff, miss it dearly

Aroma: discreet, not intense, burnt caramel, raisins, burnt berry jam, burnt wood, ash, mineral salt, sea water. Over time, the sweetness intensifies, peach, citrus marmalade, phenols and smoke, on the contrary, recede into the background. Slightly squeezed, phenols are well integrated into the overall picture. Taste: bright, caramel, black pepper, ginger, peat, mineral-metallic, ash, chalk, astringent wood, sour berries, cranberries, currants, their skins, bitter dark chocolate. Finish: caramel sweetness, mineral ash, sweet and sour, berry jam, dark chocolate, salt, wood, walnut, medium length. Score:87 Bottom line: a good festival release with a comfortable %, everything is expected - the profile of the peaty Glen Scotia, the tangible influence of a port wine barrel. Probably my expectations were slightly overestimated, I expected a little more from 14 years old, although whisky is good, but it’s not worth chasing after it.

Ripe, sweet red fruit! Sweet, pleasant. Then some dirt, black earth, stinging alcohol, rosemary. The taste is bitter, alcoholic, sweet.

The first nose has red berries, notes of leather and menthol, and a very light medicinal smoke. When exposed to oxygen, sour apples, a bit of the tropics, as well as baked goods and chocolate appear. The signature minerality is painted in “tablet” tones. The taste is round, largely repeats the fruit and berry and medicinal motifs of the nose, with additional herbal components and grapes. The finish is persistent, with lots of wood and pepper combined with sour fruit.

Nice filling, the finish fits well. However, he can't get to last year's bottling, and the smoke is a bit too dirty / bitter for me.

aroma sweet, spicy, caramel, red apples, raspberries with leaves, strawberries, minerality, spices, pear, dried fruits, lemon wafers, orange 88 Taste pleasant, tart, lots of wood with port, red berries, lime, gravel, walnut, chili, dried fruits, vegetation that opens with dried leaves, green tea, hibiscus 88 Finish: spicy, oak, red berries, caramel, milk chocolate, orange, dried fruits 88 Delicious whisky

A bottle of outstanding work! Unfortunately, this bottle is out of print and cannot be reproduced. The overall taste is 91 points, the price is deducted 1 point, and the total is 90 points.

In the nose you immediately feel a vinous aroma with spices like caraway in the background. In the mouth, the sweet and spicy taste is immediately ready, which leads to the medium-long finish. At the end there is a certain bitterness. You can tell he was 14 years old. A nice bottling. PLV fits.

Quite strong peat, sea and focal notes, red fruits, caramel, chocolate, spices, smoked plum, nuts, the finish could be longer.

Nice sweet port nose, and then this great light scotia smoke combined with the perfect alcohol strength at a very fair price.

Tasted it in a group of four. Each one likes other things - all of us loved that Glen Scotia. Found it as a blind sample in a christmas calendar. Am currently looking for a bottle on ebay.

I understand that whisky ratings can be subjective but, my goodness, this is my whisky of the year. Before I rated this one I purchased multiple Springbanks, Longrows, Kilkerrans and previous Glen Scotia Festival Editions to ensure that this whisky is not one of many exceptional Campbelltown whiskies released in 2020 (because I am new to this style/region), but this one remained my favourite. What I look for is complexity, roundness, integrity of presentation, strong flavour, age statement and good viscosity, and this whisky has it all. After just over 5 years of experience, tasting several hundreds of whiskies I can say that this is certainly in my top 3 whiskies. What I like is when the peat meets the red/dark fruits with added funkiness. This is the highest score I would give to any man made product. Unbelievable! Incredible! Superb! Good health everyone!