
Country: Scotland – Campbeltown
Distillery: Glen Scotia
Type: Single Malt
Age: 14
Cask: American oak & Tawny Port
ABV: 52.8%
Proof: 105.6
Price: $88
Nose: Violet, Christmas cake, tobacco, grapefruit zest, plums
Palate: Sharp, really sharp, nutty with cherries, dry, black peppers, peat smoke, bitterness
Finish: Medium long with toasted caramel, berries, oak tannins
I already wrote about Glen Scotia's 2019 Campbeltown Malts Festival bottle here.
This year we are trying another finished whisky from the distillery. 2020's Glen Scotia 14 Tawny Port Finish is aged in American oak then finished in Tawny Port casks for six months.
I am pretty much confused about this one. Nose is brilliant with fragrant flowers, Christmas cake, touch of tobacco and citrus with dark fruits. I dig it. Though, when I faced the palate, I had some hard time overcoming the really sharp character of the whisky. Spices are real and there is this walnut bitterness that multiplies it. When you give some (5-7 minutes) it starts to soften and open up to a dark, fruity palate with prunes, plums, carob.
Finish is pleasant with toasted qualities, black currant and oaky features.
At the end, this didn't start well for me but ended up pretty good. It is not as sophisticated as some SMWS Glen Scotia Port Finish bottles (I have 3 different bottles I love!), but it is also not a whisky to forget on the side. I will be honest and say that 15000 bottles of Glen Scotia 14 Tawny Port Finish produced will not be an easy sale though.