Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseur's Choice Glen Scotia 25 Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky

VITALS:

- $200

- 110 Proof

- 25 Years

- Batch 18/015

- Campbeltown

This is certainly not something that I went out actively looking for.  But, when I saw this sitting behind the glass at Woodman's, I was immediately intrigued. This checks all sorts of great boxes. It's 25 years old.  It's bottled at cask strength. It's aged in a first-fill bourbon barrel.  It's a very limited bottling at only 157 bottles. And most importantly, it's a Campbeltown single malt!  

Of course, it's pricey, but that kind of comes with the territory of such well-aged whiskey, and with all of those boxes checked, it's just the kind of whisky that will loosen up those purse strings.  Plus, it's one of those bottles that even the most avid of whisky drinkers will not have had a chance to try.  So, onto my shelf, and eventually into my belly, it went.

The nose was bright and light, with notes of strawberry and hay. It had a light smokiness to it as well, along with a touch of salinity. There was a natural sweetness to it, kind of like a honey note, as well as a light cracker note, all of which came across almost like Honeycombs cereal.

The flavor was incredible. While this wasn't aged in wine barrels, it was still bright fruit-forward, with a delicious raspberry note coming in strong up front. I also got a sweet and spicy cinnamon note to go with. There was also a sort of a funky, musty note. I know that sounds bad, but it had that kind of Saisson flavor to it, which actually balanced really well with the raspberry.

The finish is where this whisky really stood out!  It had a lingering spicy finish, with a nice mix of cinnamon and black pepper spices. There was also a bit of that salinity I got from the nose, and the bright fruit notes that I got up front seemed to reappear even stronger. I got great flavors of raspberry and currant, and behind that was a great, smooth butterscotch flavor that coated the back of my throat. I found myself just enjoying that butterscotch note for as long as I could.

As I mentioned, this was pricey, but I certainly don't feel as if it weren't worth the price. This was incredibly complex and, most of all, delicious!

Grade: A