Glen Scotia 14 1992 Gordon & MacPhail Cask Strength

Today is brought to you by the number 7. As in Advent Day #7.

Yes, I’m keeping up with this, popular or not. I went through it, now you do too. It’s like you’re drinking it, without the taste or intoxication or comradery or really anything fun. But hey, you get to read what I wrote! That’s… something. Right?

Let’s get to the whisky before you think about that too much, shall we?

Price: N/A at the LCBO

Region: Campbeltown

Vintage: February 4th, 1992

Bottled: September 12th, 2006

Cask Type: Refill Sherry Hogsheads

Cask Numbers 99, 103, 104

Abv: 59.9%

Colour: 10YR 7/10

Nose: Orange blossom, oak, plum, hot cross buns

Lots of floral and plum going on. Some water opens it up with yeast, cinnamon, and even a bit of raisin. There, now you too can go to make your own homemade hot cross buns. Live that WASP 50s dream.

Lots of floral. I immediately think this is a Lowland. Or a port cask. Given the amount, I think it’s both. I am wrong.

Taste: Dark Smarties (Canadian), oak, rose water, caramel, smoke

Dark chocolate with that floral/sugary side. For those of you who haven’t been let down by the Canadian equivalent of M&Ms, imagine said more popular candy, but with this extra thick shell and some floral/sugary undertones.

Add to that less floral and more caramel going on, this calms down a bit for those of you who aren’t hunting floral/Lowlands like I am. It’s easier than eating floral arrangements.

Finish: Dry oak, dry pear, plum, caramel, orange, cinnamon The finish is stronger on the acidity. If you’re a chocolate/orange fan than you’re certainly having a good time on this finish. I’m not. I don’t like orange with my chocolate, though the chocolate does pair back quite a bit here, and it goes really dry and fruity.

Conclusion: Dry, dark cocoa, orange, some spice. None really touching, so it loses points there, but it has that floral aspect going on. It’s definitely benefited from the vatting of three single casks that probably were one note each.

The only reasons I’m taking off marks is a) some of the great flavours that would be great together never get there b) orange and chocolate is a sin c) the taste gets overtly sweet in areas that make me curse shitty Nestle Canadian candy brands.

That all said, if you’re a floral fan or a port fan, this will do it, even though it’s not a Lowland or a Port Cask.

83/100

Guess: Lowland, Port Cask, 56%

Actually: Glen Scotia 14 1992 Gordon & MacPhail

It makes more sense once we find out that this is a mixture of three casks of Glen Scotia. It has those fruit and peat aspects that a Campbeltown is known for. The floral part though? Totally left field. This doesn’t act like a Glen Scotia at all.

Scotch review #1064, Campbeltown review #53, Whisky review #1657