Glen Scotia unveiled their new 21 Year Old at the beginning of this year. The whisky is aged in a combination of refill bourbon barrels and refill American oak hogsheads, before a six-month finish in first-fill Oloroso sherry casks. Plans are to release only 2,500 bottles each year.
The new Glen Scotia 21 Years bridges the gap between the 18-year-old and 25-year-old expressions. Both of these have crept up in price recently, especially the Glen Scotia 25 Years. So much so, that there was room in the pricing bracket to introduce another Glen Scotia. The 21-year-old was introduced at an RRP of £265, just about what the Glen Scotia 25 Years used to cost before it struck gold in San Francisco.
Not a development I encourage, but that’s just the way these things go. Nothing I can do.
Glen Scotia 21 Years (46%, OB, 2023)
Nose: Initial notes of gentle stone fruits with some candy-esque sweetness and tartness from lemons and rhubarb. Also touches of sweet apples, delicate floral elements and a slight medicinal edge. Aniseed is present too, alongside some mineral whiffs and dried grass.
Taste: Decent oily mouthfeel with some spiciness on arrival. Think cloves, but ginger and a pinch of pepper too. Then creamy vanilla custard and cinnamon-sprinkled apple compote, followed by a drying oak influence, dill and fragrant floral notes. A hint of salted caramel to round things out.
Finish: Medium length. Dry with oak spices, lemon pith and vanilla.
