New Release: Scapa 2003-2015 12 Year Old Official Distillery Limited Edition #9-12,14-16 58.5%

This is a recent release with a vibrant bourbon-style aroma. Scapa SCAPA 2003-2015 12yo OB 'THE DISTILLERY Reserve Collection' #9-12,14-16 58.5%, one of 2148 bottles The aroma expands with a vibrant orange, green apple candy, pear, vanilla, light honey, fresh grain, and slightly woody notes. When tasted, it gradually expands with green apple, orange, strong vanilla, a moderate grainy note, light honey sweetness, and woody bitterness. [Good/Very Good] This limited edition bottle, only available at Scapa Distillery, was purchased by a malt friend who joined me halfway through my Scottish trip. There were two options: the 2003 vintage with a 12-year aging and another with a darker sherry character from the 23-year vintage. This 12-year-old, although not labeled, has a vibrant bourbon cask aroma with citrus notes, green apple, and slightly pear-like fruitiness. The vanilla is also well-presented. Personally, I noticed a slight virgin oak-like woody bitterness and tannin, but the fruitiness and honey sweetness were nice. It was matured in a cask that allows good expression of its components and was well-watted, giving a solid finish. I believe that further aging would only enhance the bitterness, but for 12 years, it's well-matured. #Scapa (SCAPA)