05/04/2024 Glen Scotia

Glen Scotia d.2017 (57.8%, Cask Sample, 1st Fill Oloroso, Sherry Cask): an unreleased cask, hence the missing bottling year. This sample was taken from cask in 2024 nose: a strong slap of a hefty white wine, or an eau-de-vie, in fact. Grappa, Quetsch, Slivovice, young brandy. It has that ester-y fruitiness that white eaux-de-vie often have -- plum, unripe pear. A stainless-steel plate grows louder and louder, then crushed Douglas fir needles. This clears the nostrils alright! It takes a few sniffs for it to cough up some wood; patina-covered furniture and thick amber honey. It has oily rags too. The second nose transforms those oily rags into an oily nut spread on a Biscotte, yet it insists on having a steel plate go with it, and it comes close to (clean) engine parts. Mouth: thin and metallic, this is akin to licking a copper tray, for a moment. Slowly but surely, sweeter things rise up, namely dried apricots, raisins, dried cranberries (still tart), all alongside something woody: log stools, honey toasts served on a wooden tray, and some ginger, even. The second sip is still metallic, and more stripping: it attacks the gums and polishes the teeth, readying them for a coat of honey and walnut spread that, once the stripping effect fades out, is as good as it is welcome. Finish: quite a kick in the throat this assails with powdered ginger, before delivering dried fruits: sultanas, dried dates, and dried apricot slices, splashed with a dash of varnish or lacquer. It is a long, warming finish that pinches the sides of the tongue. The second gulp has candied greengages, golden sultanas, and stem ginger drenched in syrup. That syrup could easily pass as a pine-flavoured paste too, so fresh it is. This is still a bit young, but promising, One would struggle to guess an Oloroso-cask maturation, though. It is much sweeter than that suggests. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, DH)