New Release: Glen Scotia 25 Year Old Official Bottling 48.8%

Again, Scotia has become unclear. Glen Scotia GLENSCOTIA 25yo OB BOTTLED 2017 48.8% AMERICAN OAK BARRELS The aroma features heated apples, apricot jam, cinnamon and vanilla, alongside surprisingly refreshing minty herbs. On the palate, it offers a refined mouthfeel with the sweetness of apricot jam, freshness of young leaves, saltiness and acidity, with a light-bodied finish and clean aftertaste. [Good/Very Good] This is an official new release from Glen Scotia. The 2017 bottling date and 48.8% ABV suggest it is likely a small-batch cask strength release. Like Springbank from the same Cambuslang distillery, it may follow a pattern of releasing different recipes each year. Recent Scotias often exhibit distinctive creaminess, which surprised me with a recent distillery-exclusive bottling that had gin-like nuances. However, this 25-year-old is a different type. While the aroma carries notes of sweet, concentrated fruits from heating, it also has a fresh minty nuance, which felt similar in flavor. It combines refined sweetness with refreshing saltiness and acidity, resulting in a relatively light overall taste. Working backward, this suggests distillation occurred before 1992. The flavor profile clearly differs from recent releases. Has the distillery significantly changed its approach over the years? An intriguing bottle. I expect more releases like this from Scotia in the future and look forward to exploring them further.