Scotch

Glen Scotia 50 Year Old ‘Air’ 50 Review

OVERALL RATING

9
Like Conversation

Tasting Notes

About:

Limited to just 100 crystal decanters across the world, here we have Glen Scotia\’s first release in the Elements of Campbeltown range. What will be the first of what we assume to be a five part series, the first expression has custom art work from Gina Parr
Appearance:
Honey
Nose:
Dunnage warehouse, lemon tart, tart green apple, watermelon candies, salted caramel, nutmeg, beeswax, sherbert, toffee, some winter and summer berry notes. The whole thing is this mix of delicate fruity notes and older, darker aromas.
Palate:
So oily and loaded with fresh fruit! Peach, pineapple, green apple – sour apple sweets, a gentle savoury hit of salt, camomile, bergamot, Angostura bitters, dark chocolate, nutmeg and gentle orange bitterness, like Campari orange.

Every time you revolve this around the palate, it transforms across those sweet fruits, hitting the palate with some salt, and then those fruity bitter notes. You expect it to ger more bitter, but it doesn\’t, it just maintains this lovely balance of sweet and bitter fruitiness.
Finish:
So biscuity and grassy! Drying with more classic Campbeltown saltiness, dried peach and fruit leather with some much fresh grain and malty warmth to it. Quite remarkable to have grain notes popping through with this much age and complexity. Even long after the liquid has disappeared, you still have this raspberry and dark chocolate note lingering around.
Comments:

Quite a delicate and balanced fifty year old liquid. I was expecting loads of oak and wood intensity, but there’s none of that. It is a precision, complex showcase of how excellent Glen Scotia liquid is at an extreme level of ageing.

We all know and love how varied and wonderful Glen Scotia can be across their regular bottlings. This is just showing off, in the best way possible, about how beautiful and balanced old Scotch whisky really can be.


Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Phil Dwyer

Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant. With a decade of experience in whisky retail and nearly as long running Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, Phil is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with fellow whisky lovers. His goal is to make whisky accessible and enjoyable, dispelling the jargon and complexity that can sometimes surround the spirit. In addition to his online presence, Phil managed The Whisky Shop Manchester, where he curated an impressive selection of some of the finest drams available.

All Posts

Latest On The Whiskey Wash