Don’t Miss Out On the Final Stock of A Must-Have, Aged Single-Malt
2003 Glen Scotia “Malts Festival 2019 Limited Edition” Rum Cask Finish Peated Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $100) ($69.99)
“I fell in love with this whiskey… It’s the perfect sweet peater.”
– Andrew Whiteley, K&L NorCal Spirits Buyer
Pretty much anything from Campbeltown is by default a niche whisky, considering the region is home to just three distilleries nowadays. So, what does that make Glen Scotia’s 2003 limited-edition, peated single-malt aged for 15 years in American bourbon casks and finished in demerara rum barrels? For starters, it’s about as niche as collectible whisky gets. Furthermore, it’s just flat-out delicious. To make a simple point: we believe in this whisky, so much so that we just had their U.S. importer gather up every last bit of stock they had in the country and ship it to us. When we sampled it, there was no question that we had to get this to as many of our clients as possible. We’ll lead with the bad news—once this stock is gone, there is no more on the way. This is your last shot. The good news? We’re offering this one-of-a-kind dram for under $70, while the rest of the market hovers in the vicinity of $100. Bottled at cask strength specifically for the 2019 Malts Festival, it was nonchillfiltered to capture the epitome of the “sweet peat” style. As Scotch whisky profiles go, the 2003 Glen Scotia Campbeltown Single Malt Rum Cask-Finish is as unique as it gets. As incredible bargains go, this stunning limited-edition might just take the cake.
2003 Glen Scotia “Malts Festival 2019 Limited Edition” Rum Cask Finish Peated Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $100) ($69.99)
93 points Whisky Advocate: “The nose has sweet smoke and more prominent aromas of banana, vanilla, guava, papaya, jasmine, hibiscus, and citrus oil, with some salinity and chalky minerality. The palate is consistent: intense tropical fruit—guava, mango, coconut—plus hazelnut, smoked almonds, milk chocolate, and salty kelp. It finishes with smoked nuts, toasted tobacco, chalky minerality, dry oak, and persistent fruitiness. Lots to unpack here, and it develops beautifully with water—take your time. (SSB, Fall 2019)”
K&L Notes: Once hailed as the whisky capital of the world, Campbeltown has seen its number of distilleries reduced to just three. All three make peated and unpeated whisky in a unique style that gives credence to Campbeltown’s designation as a unique whisky producing region in Scotland. This 2019 limited release for Campbeltown’s Malts Festival spent 15 years in American oak hogsheads and then an additional eight months in demerara Guyana rum barrels. The results are stupendous—sweet peat jives with malty goodness loaded with orange peel and sweet baking spices. The mellow smoke goes perfectly with the caramel and brown sugar notes of the American hoggies. Bottled at cask strength and unchillfiltered with no coloration, this is a pure celebration of Campbeltown from Glen Scotia.
Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: October 11, 2019
I fell in love with this whiskey months ago when I tasted a preview sample. Now that’s it’s here I simply cannot get enough of it. It’s the perfect sweet peater, in fact it should be the definition of “easy peat.” There is just enough smoke to frame the presentation of the other aromatics and to bolster the intensity of the wonderful citrus and tropical fruit that takes over the nose. Sweet baking spices and molasses coat your palate. There is a bit of salinity, particularly on the finish, that leaves you satisfied and yet going back for sip after sip. While most other places are selling this at $110 bucks, we backed up the truck and are able to offer it at just $69.99! I suggest you do the same since this limited Malts Festival release won’t be around for long.
Alex Schroeder | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: October 12, 2019
This is the most expressive, balanced peated single malt I’ve tasted in a while. Aromas of bright tropical fruits like pineapple and mango mixed with honeycomb, wet gravel, toasted wheat, and scorched earth, with a rich mouthfeel and super-smooth profile. What a pleasure to sip!
Neal Fischer | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: October 11, 2019
Bountiful butterscotch and wisps of earthy smoke characterize this tasty Scotch. Glen Scotia is one of only three operational distilleries in the Campbeltown region, and I’m very happy they’re carrying on the tradition and keeping distillation alive in this historically important area in Scotland. Of course, none of that history matters much if the whisky isn’t good, and thankfully this bottling is great. The peat is very moderate (unlikely to scare away too many folks) and exquisitely proportioned with the influence of the rum cask finishing. Tropical aromas of freshly-opened vanilla bean morphs into salted caramel that then becomes rich butterscotch. Scents of buttery dessert biscuits topped with pepper-peach jelly make my mouth water. The palate has more dessert flavors without becoming cloying at all. Then that peat comes in, yet it always stays in check and never dominates the other flavors. It’s earthy, robust, and leathery with just a little medicinality. The rum and peat continue to roll over each other again and again on the palate, and it seems like there’s just no stopping this Scotch. There’s not really a finish in a sense because the whisky just melts into the tongue and stays with you.
