Nose: wow, this reeks of freshly picked green apples. Apple crumble, grapefruits and a dash of pinot grigio. Very juicy nose. With air and a few drops of water, it gets saltier and more maritime. Mint, bay leaves, marzipan, salted and roasted cashew nuts and shoe polish. Maybe a few soapy off notes in the background, that remind me of hair shampoo. Nothing too extreme, rather interesting and characterful.

Taste: pink grapefruits sprinkled with seasalt. Dry and mineral white wine. Crushed green garden herbs. Mint. Drops of soysauce. A nice, subtle bitterness that adds depth and maturity. Its not overly complex, but super delicious.

Finish: Herbal and minty with a nice lingering bitterness.

Very impressed. What a characterful bottling from this underrated and understated campelltown destillery. /89

https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/62940

I also found this very decent last year [85]. You have to admire Glen Scotia for bottling at cask strength – a commitment to ‘craft’ no doubt. Ian tells us that next year, the abv for the Victoriana will be even higher at over 54%.

C: I want to dilute but water doesn’t help it, which is awkward. Despite a decent enough charred US barrel-led sweet vanilla assembly on the nose and palate, the finish after the spiciness is nothing less than 12 months of oloroso – which resulting quashes my interest. Maybe PX casks would have suited this as well as they did for the Double Cask?Scores a D[+]