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Campbeltown has always intrigued me — once the whisky capital of Scotland with 30-odd distilleries, now down to three. Glen Scotia is one of them, and the 15 wears its origins proudly: a maritime nose of sea air and brine, a gently saline, warming palate, and a long coastal finish laced with spice and oak. A proper Campbeltown dram — was it worth the wait?
GlenAllachie's 12 impressed me with Billy Walker's vision for the place — transformed since 2017 from quiet blend-fodder into a cult single malt. The 15 doubles down: an unashamedly sherried wave of raisins, dates, figs, caramel and dark chocolate, with cherry cordial and orange marmalade before a drier finish. Big, bold Speyside in the GlenDronach mould — does the extra age earn its keep?
Glenfiddich may well be the most famous name in single malt Scotch. Only The Glenlivet comes close on output, but Glenfiddich pairs its vast production with marketing and presentation that's often a cut above — whether that's to your taste or not. Just look at the stunning artwork on the presentation box for this 15 Year Old and you'll see what I mean.
GlenDronach has been on a rollercoaster — closures, reopenings, big-name distillers, lauded old stock giving way to new. The sherried 15, the 'Revival', carries a lot of expectation. It delivers: an intense, fresh fruitiness of orange and cherry, an oily palate layered with peppercorn, clove and nutmeg, and a long marmalade finish. A benchmark 'sherry bomb' — does it justify the hype?
From one of my favourite distilleries to visit comes this 15-year-old — the big brother to the quirky (and previously reviewed) Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold, but a far more straightforward dram. Where Winter's Gold has its gimmick of being served ice-cold from the freezer, the 15 is a regular, run-of-the-mill age statement. But is that a good thing? Let's find out.
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