09-year-old Campbeltown Malts Festival 2025 9y

About

Glen Scotia has operated in Campbeltown since 1832, one of only three surviving distilleries in a town that once anchored Scotland's whisky industry. This ninth edition of their annual Campbeltown Malts Festival release marks a deliberate choice: young enough to preserve Glen Scotia's raw, peated character, yet mature enough to have developed structure and depth. The cask strategy reveals the intent. First-fill bourbon barrels establish a foundation of vanilla and sweet malt, but the real innovation lies in the Ribera del Duero finish—Spanish red wine casks that add dark fruit and richness without overstepping. At 54.3% ABV, the alcohol integrates rather than dominates, amplifying concentration instead. On the nose: waves of peat smoke, maritime salinity, and creamy vanilla. The palate unfolds in layers—ripe plums and juicy blackcurrants from the wine casks, then ginger and sesame oil that sharpen the smoke's edges. The finish turns dry, with a light menthol tingle and lingering raspberries that fade slowly. This is Glen Scotia uncompromised: heavily peated, coastal-salty, and anchored by a small distillery holding its ground in a town with a much larger whisky past.

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