SMWS 81.14 (Glen Keith 13 yo 1994/2007)

SMWS 81.14 (Glen Keith 13 yo 1994/2007)

2007, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Orange gold
60.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, sponge cake, honey, milk, butter, raisins, cinnamon, black tea.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, watery, static, loose.
Tasting: Sweet. Honey, brown paper, vanilla, sponge cake, cinnamon, milk, cream, butter, black tea.
Finish: Long. Walnuts, cream, butter, vanilla.

Comments:

High tea whisky! Reminds me of eating sponge cake with a cup of tea handy. Very gentle, despite the strength. This whisky is almost bland, and very delicate indeed. Handle with care, don't add too much water.

Verdict:

I like this.

SMWS 69.10 (Glen Albyn 25 yo 1979/2005)

SMWS 69.10 (Glen Albyn 25 yo 1979/2005)

2005, SMWS
Single malt - North Highlands
Golden
58.7% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, raisins, pears, vanilla, plums, honey, hints of prunes.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, warm, tingly.
Tasting: Sweet. Chocolate, raisins, pears, plums, prunes, honey, hints of heather.
Finish: Long. Warm, chocolate, raisins, prunes.

Comments:

Lovely and sweet, gentle and light, and above all, rare. Absolutely delicious whisky, tastes surprisingly like Drambuie.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 104.8 (Glencraig 33 yo 1974/2008)

SMWS 104.8 (Glencraig 33 yo 1974/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Light gold
49.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, surgical spirit, nutmeg, cinnamon, orange blossom, cedar wood, brazil nuts.
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, watery, loose.
Tasting: Sour. Vanilla, green tea, orange blossom, cedar, brazil nuts, cinnamon, hints of nutmeg.
Finish: Short. Orange blossom, cinnamon, green tea.

Comments:

Styled by the SMWS as "Sophia Loren in a mink coat". Very accurate indeed - floral, fragrant and perfumed. There's a slight astringency on the tongue, with a delicate green tea flavour. Very nice and refreshing, with a touch of Japanese class.

Verdict:

I like this.

Scapa distillery

Scapa Distillery
Scapa
St Ola, Kirkwall
Orkney KA15 1SE

Islands, Scotland - Active

Flavour profile

Lots of sour (and unusual, at least in whisky) tropical fruits in Scapa, among them pineapple, grapefruit, tomatoes, pomeloes, papaya and even coconut. All this is wreathed in peat, and occasionally, something sweet like cocoa, or syrup. Fruit flavours are always good in a whisky, and Scapa has a lot of interesting ones. If this were wine, it would be white, from an excellent vineyard. Not bad for a distillery that was, once upon a time, worked only when the people at Highland Park had a spare moment.

Scapa whisky is generally tangy, perhaps slightly sour, although the latest official expression, the 16 yo, is quite sweet. There are occasional reminders of the distillery's proximity to the sea, with the odd whiff of sea salt.


All the Scapas I've tasted so far are here.

Scapa 12 yo - good
Scapa 14 yo - good
Scapa 23 yo 1978/2001 - good
Scapa 16 yo - very good

Distillery history

Founded in 1885 by John Townsend, Scapa was owned by the founder's eponymous company until about 1919, when it was bought by a consortium. Then it passed through various hands until it ended up with Allied Domecq. It was nearly sold to a third party after Allied's merger with Pernod Ricard, but Pernod hung on to it in the end. The distillery was silent from 1934-1936 and again from 1939-1945. From 1994 it was operated on a part-time basis by employees of Highland Park.

There's a limited official range - a 12 yo and a 14 yo. Very recently, the 14 yo was discontinued to be replaced by a 16 yo. Scapa malt is part of Ballantine's.

Potted distillery facts

Water source: Lingro Burn, a source of peaty soft water
Washbacks: Six, stainless steel, 21,548 litres each
Wash stills: One, ex-Lomond still, 13,500 litres
Spirit stills: One, normal neck, 12,563 litres
Spirit still Lyne arm: Bent s-shape
Production per year: 1,000,000 litres

- The Scottish Whisky Distilleries, Misako Udo

SMWS 33.76 (Ardberg 10 yo 1998/2009)

SMWS 33.76 (Ardberg 10 yo 1998/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - Islay
Dark gold
56.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, peat, smoke, honey, grilled fish, peanuts, hints of raisins.
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, turns watery, slightly astringent.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Chocolate, peat, tarry rope, sea salt, grilled fish, honey, liquorice, hints of raisins.
Finish: Long. Walnut skins, peat, liquorice, chocolate.

Comments:

Sweet and fragrant, curiously light for an Islay whisky. Complex body with chocolate overlaid by peat and smoke. Very interesting whisky, very great whisky. Thanks to Anne-Lise, kind enough to share!

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 29.76 (Laphroaig 18 yo 1990/2009)

SMWS 29.76 (Laphroaig 18 yo 1990/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - Islay
Light amber
51.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemons, pine, smoke, peat, smoked fish, vanilla, hints of limes.
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, loosens, turns watery.
Tasting: Sour. Pine, smoke, lemons, plums, smoked fish, green apples, peat, hints of vanilla.
Finish: Medium. Coconut, pine, plums, smoke, vanilla.

Comments:

A fine Laphroaig indeed - tart and smoky, with a light vanilla fragrance to leaven it. Complex but obvious, this dram is easy to understand indeed. Excellent whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 25.48 (Rosebank 18 yo 1990/2009)

SMWS 25.48 (Rosebank 18 yo 1990/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - Lowlands
Copper
59.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon sweets, mead, honey, rolled oats, brass polish, hints of fennel. With water, lemons, lemons sweets, orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, static, tingly, warm.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Lemon sweets, rolled oats, cinnamon, honey, fennel, vanilla, hints of chillies. With water, more sour, lemons, lemon sweets, much more like a Rosebank.
Finish: Long. Lemons, mead, cinnamon.

Comments:

Delicious, thick Rosebank. Not light like the usual make, instead surprisingly heavy. But the lemon sweets, brassy character is still there, albeit covered by cereally flavours. A little water opens this up admirably.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 123.3 (Glengoyne 8 yo 2001/2009)

SMWS 123.3 (Glengoyne 8 yo 2001/2009)

2009, SMWS
Single malt - South Highlands
Rose
59.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Strawberries, plums, kirsch, cherries, chocolate, vanilla, hints of raspberry jam.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, warms, then loosens.
Tasting: Sweet. Cherries, raspberry jam, strawberries, chocolate, toffee, hints of butterscotch.
Finish: Long Butter, peanuts, strawberries, cherries.

Comments:

Deliciously sweet and laden with red fruits. Rather like Portuguese cherry brandy (ginja), certainly more like that than whisky. It's a little less sweet and more complex than the usual Lisbon bar fare though.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS 11.30 (Tomatin 17 yo 1990/2008)

SMWS 11.30 (Tomatin 17 yo 1990/2008)

2008, SMWS
Single malt - Speyside
Pale gold
58.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Plums, lemons, chocolate, molasses, black pepper, hints of orange peel.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, syrupy, hot .
Tasting: Sweet sour. Lemons, blue cheese, plums, raisins, chocolate, molasses, hints of orange peel.
Finish: Long. Blue cheese, potato chips, molasses, plums.

Comments:

Very drinkable despite the high strength. No water required here, just enjoy the burn. Sweet fruit, a strong coating of molasses, with a little savoury bite of Stilton in the finish. Unusual, and delicious. Something to have instead of dinner.

Verdict:

I like this.

Midleton Very Rare 2006

Midleton Very Rare 2006

Official bottling
Single malt - Southern Ireland
Bronze
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Nail polish, oak, walnuts, lemon zest, cedar, pears, hints of vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Light body, volatile, warm, evaporates quickly.
Tasting: Sour. Pears, oak, walnuts, lemons, peaches, vanilla, hints of limes.
Finish: Short. Peaches, pears, lemon zest, starfruit.

Comments:

Smells strange at first, like a cleaning cupboard. Then once on the tongue, it explodes into sweet, fruity flavours. There is a lot of flavour in this whisky (despite being Irish). Apparently there are some 50 yo aged casks blended in. Each annual release differs slightly.

Verdict:

I like this.