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.
I have always been a big fan of Scapa whether it be a distillery bottling or the fantastic G&Ms. All of these have been a minimum of 10 year old and more recently 16. Scapa Skiren is a NAS and it really shows. This whisky is a poor relation. The nose offers hope but the taste is immature and the finish is hard to define really. If this is a new marketing ploy it has failed. Come on Scapa do what you do best PLEASE!
Getting tired of the whisky industry's no age statement money grab. Another bottle I won't buy.
Why is there no age statement. Far too many malts are not telling us. like this.
A big fan of Scapa so decided to try this - the nose intrigues, the palate Delights and the finish is honey. A very nice addition to my collection of Scapa!
Scents of vanilla and especially leather appear to prevail initially. This may be appealing to some folk but I'm not too keen on the leather scent as I find it rather harsh(but this is just personal preference). As for the taste, there is a commingle of various tastes, most of which are rather confusing. For example, one can identify tastes of heather, a bit of honey, wood, leather, apple, pear, citrus, etc.. All of which don't really bond together; instead of a harmony of tastes, there appears to be a 'cacophony' and not 'polyphony' of tastes. I really can't figure out the 'identity' of this one. I could have got something far better for this price-40£. This is the first and definitely the last time I purchase an undefined-year single malt. I have tried of few of them at social events and the common denominator is this 'cacophony' of tastes depriving these newfangled single malts from a specific and, above all, unique distinguishable identity. I'll keep the rating 3-stars (albeit tempted to rate this single malt 2-stars) because the finish is a bit better, with an appealing spicy(somewhat pepper-cinnamon)lasting.
