Single Malt
Scotland
Port Finish
It's time for another Campbeltown Malts Festival bottling! The annual limited-edition whiskies from Glen Scotia are always a welcome addition to our Glencairn glasses, and 2026 is no different. It's medium peated, aged initially in first-fill bourbon barrels and then finished in ruby Port casks for six months. The casks were selected to pay homage to historic trading routes.
A total of seven years ageing and a bottling strength of 53.9% ABV (with no chill-filtration or additional colour) means this one does not hold back. Expect all that rich, smoky maritime Campbeltown character plus a healthy dose of red fruit and cinnamon Port sweetness.
Opens with sweet peat, ripe red cherry and creamy vanilla fudge.
Bursting with juicy mandarin before indulgent blackcurrant jam and layers of rich smoky embers.
Warming cinnamon and clove spice, coastal salinity and lingering peat smoke.
This a a "medium" peat, matured in bourbon casks and finished for 6 months in ruby port casks. First for peat lovers this in not a "smokey" peat and does not compare well to Glen Scotia's previous peat outings. It does however deliver a nice blend of raw peat [minus the smoke] and port. The nose, if you know it's a peat whisky you can maybe find hints of smoke, but going in blind it's doubtful you will find any. The nose is somewhat muted, a sweet whisky but not to the extent of a sherry or wine finish, with faint ethanol undertones. Let it breath a while and the ethanol passes and the sweet hints standout more. The palate, the port is distinctly present, as is a smokeless peat. Hints of oranges and dark chocolate. On first pour the enthanol is absent from the palate, but if let it sit after a while it slowly comes back. It also has an aggressive bite going down, it is a very nice bite, but definitely not smooth. The bite also mellows after sitting for a while, not that I minded it at all. The finish. A lovely lingering warmth, again that smokeless peat with hints of port, the ethanol returns but very subdued. This does not benefit well when adding water, and sitting in ice too long is also detrimental. A bit of ice if drunk quick is nice, but letting the ice melt not so much. While you get more nuanced flavours the ethanol becomes stronger and detracts from the overall enjoyment. Definitely better neat. Overall it's a pleasant nice whisky. Its not amazing, and it's not a strong peat, nor is there any smoke to speak of. So for a nice whisky buy it, but if you are after a smokey whisky give this one a miss.
Was: £57.90Now: £56.90
