Scapa Skiren 40%
Batch SK01/ First Fill American Oak
Tasted: Nov 2015
The nose is very full and very, very oaky. Hints of green fruit and almost ‘toshan-like boiled sweets and no shortage of pepper, nutmeg, heather and, yes, more oak in its fragrant vanilla and buttery vanilla form.
The palate is like the nose, a veritable oak fest with toasty vanilla, toffee, lightly honey’d fruit, heather, rose petals, but damn, it’s oaky! Hints of green fruit and salt come through on the finish but the oak lingers. Lightly tannic (not a surprise!) after-taste with milk chocolate and bitter coffee. Apparently Skiren is Old Norse for glittering, bright skies, maybe it should have been called Skogr, which is Old Norse for wood!
Scapa Skiren 40%
Batch: SK19/ Tasted: Feb 2021
The nose is exceedingly sweet and oaky, more so than I remember! Loads of vanilla, wood spice and hints of malt and barley. It’s a real oak monster!
The palate is also sweet and oaky with loads of toffee and vanilla. Hints of barley, spice estery fruit, youthful, rose petal marc spirit, (which is also quite sweet in a sort of ‘toshan-like manner) on the middle but the oak is very dominant. Good length with lingering oak (surprise!), light spice and honey.
Scapa Glansa 40%
Batch GL01/ First Fill Bourbon/ Finished in ex-peated casks
Btl: Aug 2016/ Tasted: Sept 2016
A pleasantly soft nose with plenty of toffee’d and toasted oak. Hints of ‘toshan-like boiled sweets and rose petals mingle with a gentle whiff of peat smoke. With time a touch of burnt herbal notes appear along with some wood spices.
The palate opens with the soft, toffee’d oak. Again there is that rose petal-like note along with barley and spice. The oak really kicks in on the middle and is surprisingly lacking any bitter elements. A touch of herbal/ heather honey appears along with sweet, slightly woody peat smoke. Medium length with lingering oak and smoke.
Scapa ‘Chivas Brothers Cask Strength Edition’ 2000 (12 year old) 55.1%
First Fill American Oak/ Batch No SC 12 006
Dist: 2000 Btl: 2012/ Tasted: Mar 2013
The nose begins by displaying quite a fresh and herbal character with a touch of sweet American oak before the tropical fruit wades in! A real fruit monster now with apricot, honey, toasted banana and a touch of pineapple. Those aromas become extremely sweet, so if add in that huge alcohol presence it’s quite an intimidating nose. As expected there’s no coastal notes to offset the tropical sweet madness, although that alcohol tries to add a semblance of freshness!
The palate is an oily, tropical morass of apricot, banana and pineapple. Imagine Arran turned up a notch or two! Quite a heavy mouthfeel with some oily caramel and a touch of earth/ loam. Even that earthy note is quite sweet. A huge mouthful of intense alcohol cleans the palate and allows the creamy oak through on the finish trailing just a smidge of bitterness.
A drop of water makes the nose even oilier, with hints of linseed. Less exuberant and a lot less fresh now due to that increase in the oils and a diminishing of the alcohol. Maybe a little furry and dusty with more dusty spices. The palate has become softer, fatter and flabbier. The taming of the alcohol has removed any element of freshness and it’s all a bit homogenous and wobbly!
Scapa ‘Chivas Brothers Cask Strength Edition’ 1992 (14 year old) 60.6%
Batch SC 14 001/ Dist: 1992 Btl: 2006/ Tasted: Mar 2007
Softaromas of demarara coated banana crepes with a side serving of honey and tropical fruit. Finally a late hint of salt (what has happened to that windswept briny character of yore?)
The palate is soft, which is surprising for the high abv and sooty with only a hint of salinity. Good length with blood orange, toffee cookies and butter fudge. Extremely fruity for a Scapa that would have the purists, like me wailing and gnashing ones teeth!!
Scapa 16 year old 40%
Tasted: Oct 2009
The nose is a bit flat to be honest with honey, caramel and a touch of vanillins. A fleeting hint of salinity passes followed by menthol, heather and bracken notes. Charming but hardly windswept and coastal. The palate is much the same, quite honeyed with a rather large amount of caramel/ toffee. The saline note is makes a brief acquaintance with the tongue and it’s a bit short.
Scapa 16 Years Old 40%
Re-Tasted: Feb 2012
A deep and honeyed nose. Quite herbal and woody with hints of salty spice and liquorice. The fruit is slightly tropical in character, hinting at some age and there is no shortage of beautiful, sweet oak. Good complexity with hints of coffee malt and the spices becoming quite grainy with time.
The palate is lighter than the nose would suggest with a very faint musty note. Quite firm as well with just a touch of light honey and fish oils. Good length, rather confected and sugary with hints ofparmaviolets. Conclusion: A lovely, deep nose, it’s a pity the palate couldn’t quite live up to it.
Scapa 16 year old 40%
Code: LKRC3938/ Btl: 2011
Tasted: Jan 2013
A stunning depth of liquid orange fruit and chocolaty oak. Lovely maturity with hints of fresh lime, guava and pineapple and sawdusty oak. With time it becomes exceedingly fruity and luscious tropical banana skin and creamy melon. A beautiful nose!
The palate is soft and very oaked. Caramel, burnt butter and toffee shortbread notes dominate the lightly tropical fruit. Surprisingly the natural caramel flattens the palate, which us a shame. Moderate length, again very caramelised. In conclusion: A stunning nose./ Wonderfully complex and tropical, however the palate is crushed under the oak jack boots!
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 