A 2015 addition to the Scapa range, the Skiren is a handsomely honey'd single malt Scotch whisky which has been distilled in the Scotch whisky industry's only remaining working Lomond Still! It was matured in first fill American oak casks, bringing plenty of vanilla and honey notes to the table. The name comes from the Old Norse word for "glittering bright skies"...
Runny honey and fresh cream. Hints of apple and a touch of anise. Maybe some crushed nuts, too...
Continued honey warmth and richness. Sparks of juicy pear and lemon peel. Touches of oak develop further on, bringing some balancing spice.
Medium length and a bit sweet, with oak lasting too.
Didn't like it and mad about how it was represented. Loved Scapa 14, never will buy another Scapa
Forgot to add in my star rating for my review above;
Firstly I don't normally slate whiskys just beacuse I don't like them . But this one of the worst I have every tried I'm sorry to say. So I feel obliged to warn off perspective buyers from being drawn in by the well marketed and presented label / bottle. I agree with other reviewers about lack of balance, and some efforts of the heather honey trying to break through. By way of background; I have tried hundreds of different malts. I think nothing or spending £100+ on a bottle but equally I still try out aldis own offering too. so not a whisky snob before u draw that conclusion. I actually cannot drink this stuff, a first for me and whisky! I have tried on 2 different occasions to drink it, in case my palet was unduly influence prior to initial sampling. Same result both times! it's too bitter (slight initial chemical taste?) too mellow and too floral for me. I enjoy almost all malt regions, with the exception of a few lowland distillers. The closes thing I can marry this taste wise to is 10y glenkinchie, and that's being unfair to them! Iusedto hear such good this about scapa of yesteryear, this is my first and probably last bottle from that distillery even despite the good reviews of their 16y variant. I Bought mine from large sainsburys on sale for £30, down from £40- should have guest why. At least it's not a a lot of cash- for this amount its worth a blind punt on the unknown. But Never again on scapa! One to avoid like the clap! Sorry scapa but first impressions ....
Was excited to see this in the shop as a big fan of the 16. Nothing like the 16. I'm not against NAS in principle, very much like the Talisker variants, but this is a huge jump down in taste for not that much less coin. Shame.
Young whisky isn't inevitably bad (Benromach 5, many Kilchomans etc are fine) and I accept that when demand so outstrips production capacity then it's not viable to maintain an entry level 10 or 12 year old. However, NAS is generally a deceit (though not Glenfarclas 105 and others) and a catchy name intended to disguise the sleight of hand in fact highlights it (Talisker Skye, Storm, Glenlivet Founders Reserve). Distillers, just be honest and tell us its age - there seems to be a growing number of punters who won't buy new NAS's on principle, good!
