Whisky Friends From Queensland Part 1
Whisky: Glen Scotia 1992 Gordon and Macphail bottled 2009
Distiller:
Glen ScotiaBottle:
1992 GM bottled 2009
Region:
Campbeltown
Region:
Campbeltown
ABV:
43%Colour:
Review:
A friend and fellow reviewer from Queensland
and I have decided to start sending one another whisky samples. It's a
cheap way to experience a wide range of the whisky world with quite a
bit less risk of buying a bottle that you sit there and go "That's
NASTY!" and helps you find the bottles and distillers that make you go
"That's YUM!"
A week or so ago the samples that he sent to me arrived and made me happily giggle!
New whisky is ALWAYS fun to taste and try!
In his little care pack he'd sent me a Glen Scotia distilled in 1992 and bottled in 2009 by Gordon & Macphail, Dalmore 12 yr old, Suntory Hibbiki 17 yr old, Aberlour Abunadh batch 17 and a special mystery malt that very few people have ever got to try.
This is going to be a fun series of tastings!
Huzzah!
The first whisky up was going to be the Glen Scotia by Gordon and Macphail.
Now I've read my friend systemdown's review which can be viewed here (http://www.connosr.com/reviews/glen-scotia/1992-gm-bottled-2009/dusty-seaside-solvent-factory/) and when I first read it months ago I kinda went not sure if this is going to be my cup of tea.
But I was eager to try it! I had to look it up in my handy dandy whisky bible because I'd never really heard much about this distillery, but this distillery is from Campbeltown.
For those of you who are new to whisky this is one of the whisky regions in Scotland which can roughly be divided into the following sections.
Speyside, Highlands, Lowlands, Islands, Islay, and Campbeltown.
Campbeltown is the smallest region, once home to more then 30 distilleries, now sadly home to just three. Springbank, Glen Gyle and Glen Scotia which is not open to the public.
For the record I'd like to send out a hearty thank you to the internet in general and Google specifically for this information.
My wife and I sit down for dinner and I crack open the Glen Scotia. I'm excited to try it because I've never had a Campbeltown before.
We're watching Masterchef and I decide to start nosing the glencairn and I'm surprised and not!
This is the first time I've ever smelled acetone on a whisky before. I knew it was coming, but it's still a shock.
On top of the acetone odors I get peat smoke, brine, some honey, a bit of fruit, but nothing I can identify. Sadly the strongest odor is the chemical smell of the acetone.
I decide to give the whisky a taste, not quite sure whether I'll like it or not.
Here goes nothing!
I take a sip and it's bitter. Lots of bitterness and quite a bit of pepper. It tastes dusty with the acetone shouting at me. And on the very end of the taste is a hint of fruit. It tastes/feels a wee bit like pear to me.
The finish is of medium length with the bitterness and peppers shouting out at me and at the very back of the finish is a soft sweetness that tastes like pears.
When my wife tastes this whisky she puckers up her mouth and just goes "I don't like this at all. It tastes like chemicals."
This isn't an awful whisky to be fair. It's just not a very good whisky. This is actually one of those whiskies that are the reason you have whisky buddies. So you can share good and bad whiskies with and try not to pick up bottles that aren't in your preferred flavor profile.
Not sure how much this bottle runs as I've never seen it before. I do know that I'm still interested in Campbeltown whiskies, but I think it'll be a while before I'd pay for a bottle from this distiller, unless I'd tried it before hand.
Next on the list is Dalmore 12 yr old!
Nose: 18/25
Taste: 18/25
Finish: 21/25
Balance: 18/25
Overall: 75/100
A week or so ago the samples that he sent to me arrived and made me happily giggle!
New whisky is ALWAYS fun to taste and try!
In his little care pack he'd sent me a Glen Scotia distilled in 1992 and bottled in 2009 by Gordon & Macphail, Dalmore 12 yr old, Suntory Hibbiki 17 yr old, Aberlour Abunadh batch 17 and a special mystery malt that very few people have ever got to try.
This is going to be a fun series of tastings!
Huzzah!
The first whisky up was going to be the Glen Scotia by Gordon and Macphail.
Now I've read my friend systemdown's review which can be viewed here (http://www.connosr.com/reviews/glen-scotia/1992-gm-bottled-2009/dusty-seaside-solvent-factory/) and when I first read it months ago I kinda went not sure if this is going to be my cup of tea.
But I was eager to try it! I had to look it up in my handy dandy whisky bible because I'd never really heard much about this distillery, but this distillery is from Campbeltown.
For those of you who are new to whisky this is one of the whisky regions in Scotland which can roughly be divided into the following sections.
Speyside, Highlands, Lowlands, Islands, Islay, and Campbeltown.
Campbeltown is the smallest region, once home to more then 30 distilleries, now sadly home to just three. Springbank, Glen Gyle and Glen Scotia which is not open to the public.
For the record I'd like to send out a hearty thank you to the internet in general and Google specifically for this information.
My wife and I sit down for dinner and I crack open the Glen Scotia. I'm excited to try it because I've never had a Campbeltown before.
We're watching Masterchef and I decide to start nosing the glencairn and I'm surprised and not!
This is the first time I've ever smelled acetone on a whisky before. I knew it was coming, but it's still a shock.
On top of the acetone odors I get peat smoke, brine, some honey, a bit of fruit, but nothing I can identify. Sadly the strongest odor is the chemical smell of the acetone.
I decide to give the whisky a taste, not quite sure whether I'll like it or not.
Here goes nothing!
I take a sip and it's bitter. Lots of bitterness and quite a bit of pepper. It tastes dusty with the acetone shouting at me. And on the very end of the taste is a hint of fruit. It tastes/feels a wee bit like pear to me.
The finish is of medium length with the bitterness and peppers shouting out at me and at the very back of the finish is a soft sweetness that tastes like pears.
When my wife tastes this whisky she puckers up her mouth and just goes "I don't like this at all. It tastes like chemicals."
This isn't an awful whisky to be fair. It's just not a very good whisky. This is actually one of those whiskies that are the reason you have whisky buddies. So you can share good and bad whiskies with and try not to pick up bottles that aren't in your preferred flavor profile.
Not sure how much this bottle runs as I've never seen it before. I do know that I'm still interested in Campbeltown whiskies, but I think it'll be a while before I'd pay for a bottle from this distiller, unless I'd tried it before hand.
Next on the list is Dalmore 12 yr old!
Nose: 18/25
Taste: 18/25
Finish: 21/25
Balance: 18/25
Overall: 75/100
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