Review | Glen Scotia Icons of Campbeltown Release No.3

This single malt is the third in the multi award-winning Icons of Campbeltown series from Glen Scotia. This bottling is one of a five-part annual series which pays tribute to the town of Campbeltown and its rich Scottish folklore. Release No.3 depicts the Wulver, a mythical creature with a wolf’s head, man’s body and a thick coat of brown hair. All the whiskies in the series take inspiration from the various saints and beasts depicted on Campbeltown’s medieval market cross.

Release No.3 follows the first two releases in the Icons of Campbeltown series, which were inspired by the Mermaid and the Dragon featured on the cross. The whisky features Glen Scotia’s rare unpeated spirit. This was initially matured in ex-bourbon barrels before being transferred to ex-Tawny Port casks for a nine-month finished. These were sourced from the Douro Valley in Portugal.

Glen Scotia was founded in 1832 by the Galbraith and Stewart families. It is one of only three distilleries remaining in Campbeltown – the others are Glengyle and Springbank. However, others have been given planning permission in the town and surrounding area. The distillery was originally known simply as Scotia, only becoming Glen Scotia in 1939. Glen Scotia is currently owned by The Loch Lomond Distillery Co. It is relatively small and very traditional with an annual production capacity of 800,000 litres.

The Glen Scotia Icons of Campbeltown Release No.3 is bottled at 51.7% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. The packaging features artwork by celebrated artist John Holtzman, who will collaborate on the entire series. It is now available from the Glen Scotia website, at the distillery’s visitor centre in Campbeltown, and exclusively at Fortnum & Mason. A bottle will cost £80.

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Our Tasting Notes

The colour is bright gold with a faint pinkish tint and the nose is malt, sweet and robust. Aromas of biscuity cereals lead the way with some heather honey and golden syrup following. Red apple and a hint of bramble fruit also come through nicely, along with some buttery shortbread and fruity flapjack. Hints of cocoa powder and hazelnut praline sit in the background.

On the palate this whisky is rich, robust and biscuity. The bittersweet malted cereal characteristic from the nose dominates early proceedings and adds great depth and structure to the whisky. There is a hint of dusty earthiness to this. The malt is quickly joined by a delicious sweetness in the form of golden syrup and runny honey. That crisp red apple from the nose is also evident, as are hints of bitter orange oil and bramble compote.

There is a distinct milk chocolate-like note that evolves towards the second half of the palate. This accentuates a developing nutty character – think of that hazelnut again, plus brazils and toasted walnut. This nuttiness leads to some oak tannin and warming spices, especially nutmeg and mace. Maybe a hint of liquorice too? These have the effect of drying out the mouth nicely right at the end.

The finish is of decent length and begins with all the fruit, malt and sweetness before turning drier, woodier and more peppery. The apple goes first, then the brambles, followed by the chocolate and golden syrup/honey. The bittersweet earthy malt remains throughout. The tannins, spices and an increasing nutty element drag the finish out.

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What’s the Verdict?

This third release into the Icons of Campbeltown series is delicious and is a good example of an ex-Port cask finish. It adds fruitiness and some chocolate/cocoa but without being too dominant. We are fans of what Glen Scotia do and this series has seen them experiment with different cask finishes to their core range. Tawny Port is rarely seen – it is Ruby Port that is more commonly used in the Scotch industry – so we enjoyed this very much. The whole series has been a delight and we cannot wait to see what the final two bottlings will be.