Is this the best Glen Scotia? | Glen Scotia 18 REVIEW

[@maritimeus]

Geoff, really excellent job on these videos. Your humor and hysterical editing is top notch. Seriously, you’re operating at a level among the highest whisky tubers. Great work.

[@Gwhisky]

Damn, that's high praise! Appreciate it, Maritimeus. Glad you're enjoying the content! 🥃

[@distlledbrewedreviewed]

You did an excellent job describing this whisky my friend. Cheers!

[@Gwhisky]

Thabks so much. Cheers! 🥃

[@kylewipert11]

The funniest thing about this whisky is that the majority of whiskytube tends to crap on this one, but I bought it based on your review and have been pretty happy with it. I also believe this is a perfect bourbon lover’s scotch due to the oak impact. Although some of my fellow bourbon bros will probably scoff at the level of maltiness this gives off. So maybe not lol.

[@Nikolay_Nikolov]

A most welcome review, Geoff. I like your selection of whiskies to present. There are not too many recent reviews of Glen Scotia 18 yo. I've had the 15 yo and loved it. The 18 yo will have me part with at least ~128 euros I have the Victoriana 54.2 % in the stash, still haven't tasted it yet. Paid ~55 euros for it. So, if the 18 yo is not something way better or at least more interesting than Victoriana or the 15 yo, I'll pass on it, unless I see it on a special sale. Cheers!

[@Gwhisky]

Thanks! Yeah as a value proposition, this is only about €10 more than the Victoriana in my market, so I'm happy to pull the trigger. If it's well over double the price, that is, of course, not ideal. I definitely think €128 is way too much for this. Cheers! 🥃

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

Great conversation and comparisons at the end. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I have not had this release so now I'm thinking about it. Cheers!

[@Gwhisky]

Hope you can get your hands on this one at some point. I'd love to see you review it! Cheers! 🥃

[@WhiskyNeighbour]

@@Gwhisky Thanks. I found a bottle, but it was $200CND+ which is no longer "affordable" for me. I know for many that is great. However, that is hard for me to bring home. Maybe I will find it on sale! Cheers!

[@justwhisky]

Helpful info. Good work. Cheers 🥃

[@Gwhisky]

Thanks John! Appreciate it! 🥃

[@lightplays2181]

I teasted Glen Scotia 2010 heavy charred 56.8% abv and i liked ! Very good taste : tropical fruit , sweet fruit sirop , toffee .... Good review Geoff , like )

[@Gwhisky]

Thanks Light. Glen Scotia makes good stuff! 🥃

[@whiskyinsv]

Every episode, so good. love your content.

[@Gwhisky]

Hah very kind words. Thanks for watching! 🥃

[@TJO1913]

Hi Geoff, nice review. I hope that when you've finished with your 18 y.o. review series that you'll film a compare/contrast and ranking summary. Hopefully before the prices rise much further. Cheers.

[@Gwhisky]

Thanks Whisky N Wine. That's the plan! 🥃

[@welshtoro3256]

Great video Geoff and I completely agree with you about the future of 18 year old stuff. Talisker 18 has just been re-released and it's £175 a bottle. That's down the toilet for me now. I'm rather fond of the Glen Scotia 18 and it's a fair price right now. Ledaig 18 and a few others are still decent value. I just put in an online order for some medium aged stuff and it was all from independent single casks. I'm dropping out of the rip-off market just like Ralfy and yourself. As for this whisky, I completely agree with your notes and recommendation. WT

[@Gwhisky]

Glad we're on the same page. I'll still buy affordable 18s if and when I can, but I imagine that will happen pretty sparsely moving forward. You're right, Ledaig and Glen Scotia are among the best options right now as a value proposition. Cheers WT! 🥃

[@ItalNico]

Great review. I've had a hard enough time getting bottles the 15 and Victoriana here in the US but the 18 seems the hardest to find either online or in stores. I did recently try a cask strength 28 yr GS and all I can say is...WOW...I do hope to try more of their older whiskies someday.

[@Gwhisky]

I hear nothing but good things about their older stuff. Let me check my wallet....

[@Rohit_M]

Glad you were able to get the 18yr old for review Geoff. I have a Victoriana and just purchased the 15. I've seen your reviews for those two so excited to compare notes. Cheers Geoff!

[@Gwhisky]

Great! Hope you enjoy them, buddy! 🥃

[@davidowen2834]

Hi Geoff, just popped my Glen scotia 18 last week so am still exploring. Do get nice caramel chocolate toffee notes and the finish is a little bitter but it make it interesting. Bought my bottle earlier last year and it cost me €65 , now the price has REALLY jumped up. Older single malts are now really out of my price range, but there are still good junger malts at decent prices. Slàinte Geoff, enjoyed this video.

[@Gwhisky]

Hi David. Like you I picked mine up a while ago, and it's since gone up in price. But it's still reasonable compared to other 18s here, although that might depend on your definition of "reasonable." I found that this one opened up nicely. I wasn't a huge fan of it when I first popped it, but it did improve with time. Cheers, hope you enjoy your exploring! 🥃

[@FerNightwalker]

Thanks for the review, it is one of the G.S. that I didn't try yet and I hope to do it soon.... Interesting description you give us. I hope they haven't raised the price so much here where I am. Cheers 🥃🥃

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah it's still relatively affordable online, so hopefully you can get it at a good price. It's a good one! Cheers Fer Nando! 🥃

[@TheReal_DeanD]

Well I’m happy I got this for $100. Sounds very nuanced and quite the character. I have the 10 year and the Victoriana so my Glenn Scotia line is now complete.

[@Gwhisky]

It's a good line. Sure you'll enjoy! 🥃

[@Balkonwhisky]

Hello Geoff, I like Glen Scotia very much, and the 18,15 and 10yo peated in special. Its not a sweet forward Whisky but its always well balanced and fair priced. Even the Single Cask Releases. I would like to see more Glen Scotias reviewed by you. Thanks for your Thoughts and Opinion. Greets from Germany

[@Gwhisky]

Thanks Balkonwhisky. I'll be re-reviewing the Victoriana soon. I sampled the new 8 year old peated release, which I though was excellent, but it's quite overpriced here in Taiwan. But yes, I'd be happy to look at more Glen Scotias. They make excellent whisky! 🥃

[@Balkonwhisky]

@@GwhiskyI only heard good Things about the Campbeltown Malt Festival Release 2022 and im looking forward to open it Someday. Until that Day i try to reduce the Amount of Open Bottles in my Stash.😅 Have a nice Day. Greets

[@utoobia]

If you two are referring to the 8 year old Festival (56.5%, peated PX cask finish) it is a beauty.

[@utoobia]

Aaaand now I see Geoff reviewed that one too.

[@Johnny__Silver]

Real curious about this one but at 100euro I’m going to wait until I can get a nice discount on it somewhere. It’s just above my pricerange.

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah 18 year olds have shot up across the board. It's a good whisky... let's hope you can find a good deal on it. Cheers! 🥃

[@ronjuliana3720]

I rarely write comments... But if it happened that there was only one distillery left in the whole world - I would not mind if it was Glen Scotia! I admire the courage of Ukraine and the love of freedom of Taiwan! Shalom from Israel 👋🏻

[@Gwhisky]

Glen Scotia makes good stuff, and this is up there among my favourites. The 18 is definitely one worth checking out if you get the chance. Thanks Ron, appreciate the words of support. Cheers to democracy! 🥃

[@ronjuliana3720]

@@Gwhisky The Glen Scotia line in Israel is represented quite widely. So 18 will probably be my next one... Thank you!

[@langtoun8235]

On fire one e again Geoff, excellent stuff. I don’t think the GS 18 is natural colour but it’s decent stuff none the less. Seriously, the industry couldn’t have picked a worse year to hike the price on older releases, that has to impact on sales but perhaps not on income overall. Saw the new Talisker 18 the other day at £175 🤣🤣🤣

[@Gwhisky]

Hah yeah the prices hikes are brutal this year. The Talisker 18 is now a ridiculous price. You can expect a review of that within the next two weeks. Cheers Lang!🥃

[@carlmartinlinder]

For me on an average day my order would be 15-y, Victoriana (batch#3), 18-y but then again On some days Victoriana can be the winner and on some days on last place. I have tried these three side but side several times. Nice video Geoff!

[@Gwhisky]

Hah yeah that's the fun of side-by-sides. They don't always come out the same way. Cheers Martin! 🥃

[@carlmartinlinder]

@@Gwhisky 100% agree on that Geoff. Enjoy the weekend

[@Gwhisky]

@@carlmartinlinder Thanks. Off to Turkey for a week! 🥃

[@rosscraton2235]

Viva Victoriana! but u haven’t had the 18 lol! i appreciate this review because now i know i can safely try this 18. thanks again geoff

[@Gwhisky]

It's a good one! I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Cheers Ross! 🥃

[@WhiskeyStraightAl]

Not had this one yet, but I’ve loved every Glen Scotia I’ve had so far, so I’d imagine this would fall into that category too. Cheers G🥃

[@Gwhisky]

It's a beauty, and a nice departure from much of their younger core range. I'm sure you'd enjoy it. Cheers! 🥃

[@johnnyjustice9988]

How was their?

[@xXChronoTriggerXx13]

Yea the prices for anything 18 and older is going up in Canada as well. I've been stocking up on most of my go to 18 year olds when I find a decent price, which is usually in Calgary Alberta. Cheers from Canada.

[@Gwhisky]

It's happening across the board, but with Canadian prices being what they are I'm sure it hurts there even more.

[@Dan-hn1lx]

Glen Scotia anything yes and the 18 hell yes!!!

[@Gwhisky]

Hell yeah! 🥃

[@Bowman1999]

Just opened a Bottle of the 18yr Glen Scotia and like it very much, it wasn't what I expected but still I like it. I have heard a lot of people prefer the 15yr but I haven't had that yet. Cheers!

[@Gwhisky]

I heard that, too. Personally I think this is a big step up from the 15, but maybe that's just me. Cheers Rob! 🥃

[@Bowman1999]

@@Gwhisky the more I let that 18 open up the better it got

[@johnnyjustice9988]

@@Bowman1999 I’ve got an 18 nearby for $85.99. Dusty old box, clearance. There’s a 15, also.

[@canal-do-guga-namura]

Just came back from the US and this was one of my purchases. pretty cheap at 114 + tax. Still wrapping my head around it... it's good but it didn't blow my mind or anything. Still, I know how the perception of a whisky can drastically change with time so I still have hopes for this one. Regarding the sweetness on the nose, I was having a glass of it and then I also poured a Laphroaig 10 Sherry Oak... Incredible how nosing the GlenScotia right after the Laphroaig completely changed it... it became soooooo much sweeter... I thought that was very interesting. On another note, I was also having a dram of the Edradour 10 (40% :/) and nosing it after the Laphroaig made it 100% smell like Yogurt... I came back to it several times to be sure... freaking Yogurt. I'm not sure I like it but I liked the fat that it changed so much... I think I want to taste every whisky I have against a Laphroaig to see what happens. lol One whisky that I brought back with me that actually blew my mind was the Highland Park (16y) Twisted Tattoo. Not sure if you have reviewed this one already, but if you didn't I highly recommend it, it's just lovely.

[@Gwhisky]

Yeah it's funny how certain whiskies can set up your next dram, for better or worse. They can really change the experience, especially the first few times you nose/sip it before you adapt to the flavours. Sounds like an interesting session! As for the Twisted Tattoo, I had it and I liked it, but it was only a sample bottle, so I never got the chance to review it. Good stuff, though. 🥃

[@johnnyjustice9988]

@@GwhiskyI saw an old, old GS 18 in a dark, dusty box, for $90.00. There was an old 15, too. What should I do? Which is better?

[@allanwhittle3041]

Mr G Broken record I know , but the GS 16 year Ltr ( travel only in Uk ) is the absolute best of the GS range , better than Vic and the 18 ..if ya see it and your paupers budget will allow 😂..it’s brilliant whisky long long creamy caramel finish 👍🥃

[@Gwhisky]

Hah don't worry Allan! It's not forgotten. I'll be grabbing a bottle within the next month or so. I've been convinced! 🥃

[@Alex-pr6zv]

Given the skyrocketing prices of Scotch whisky, especially from Campbeltown, the GS 18 is one of Scotland's best kept secrets, so shhhhh 🙂

[@Gwhisky]

😬😬😬

[@eviltrain24]

This 18 has been on my radar for awhile now. I've heard through other reviewers that both the 15 and especially the 18 exhibit an 'old school' character, reminiscent of the kinds of bottles found back to the 70's and 80's. Not sure if you can comment on that but thoughts?

[@Gwhisky]

I get zero "old school" character from the 15, which, as I mentioned in the video, tastes very modern and engineered to me. I can see how the 18 could be described as old school, especially when compared to the rest of the affordable range. But yeah, on the whole I find the Glen Scotia style to be quite modern. Cheers! 🥃

[@welshtoro3256]

This one is well worth a buy, especially if it's a contender for a price increase.

[@peatbull3426]

Soft side isnt my favourite but 18 is Goeff's lucky number so must be goood. Lets see 😁🥃🤟

[@Gwhisky]

Hope you enjoy! Btw... great name! 😉

[@peatbull3426]

@@Gwhisky yes, i enjoyed as always. Good stuff, whenever its my cup of tea or not. My nick is now more common to whisky, especialy peated ones. 😁🥃🤟

[@diegoservin4880]

Hi! Is this a 2021 release? I see several reviews of the 2018

[@Gwhisky]

This was from 2019. 🥃

[@andypike1234]

Love the music. You went for something different for sometime now.

[@Gwhisky]

Glad you're enjoying it Andrej! Thanks for watching!

[@silverfox108]

Cannot get in in my area of the world. It was difficult to obtain a 15 yr old

[@Gwhisky]

That's a shame. Glen Scotia should have pretty wide availability...

[@benjamintreitz1647]

What do you mean by you don't drink Cola? How do you drink your Jack Daniels? ???

[@johnnyjustice9988]

I saw a really olfGS 18 covered in dust for under $100.00.

[@Gwhisky]

Great price! Did you grab it?

[@johnnyjustice9988]

@ not yet, there’s a 15 also. The 18 is$85.99, but I saw a great rally review of the 15. Which do you prefer? I’ve been exploring the Killkerran 16-is the GS 18 too similar?

[@Gwhisky]

@johnnyjustice9988 I prefere the 18 to the 15 by a good measure. It's fantastic and it's not comparable to the Kilkerran 16 at all imo.

[@johnnyjustice9988]

@@Gwhisky terrific, thanks! I grabbed a Glen Grant 16 from same shop, old dusty box, last one, yesterday for a whopping $62.99. It’s nostalgic for me because GG is where I started 20 years ago. Now, the 16 is discontinued . Yes, it’s 83 and cf but delicious light style fruity complex dram for Texas summers. Ok, so I guess I’ll grab the GS 18 and probably 15, too. Is the GS 18 better than KK 16? How do they differ, please? Thank you!

[@Leconte112]

I assume this one is created by an somehow ancient philosophy. which is tend to give the drinker the flavour and exprience at most. So people wont see the bourbon, clean, distillery charater stuff in a few expression. instead, we get huge complexity and Glen Scotia's believes. This is the style, like Dalwhinnie, I suppose ( uh Dalwhinnie is not as good as...), from the last decade. Hope we see it some time.

[@Gwhisky]

It's a beauty. It's got some oloroso sherry in here, but it's a subtle influence, so it doesn't overwhelm the spirit or the bourbon flavours. Nice complexity for sure. Cheers! 🥃

[@jackthepickledhound]

Didn't pull the trigger on this when I saw it a few years ago and now I expect it'll be $150. I really dig the 15 but the good price is half the pleasure. The victoriana rocks but you can't really compare it to a 46%. I know what you mean about engineered but if you leave a dram in the glass long enough it eventually shows it's true nature. 18s @46% are aged enough to pick up that wood or rounded down to a boring level. That's why I'm agreeing that there's not a single one that needs to be re-bought at a new and improved, higher price. It seems like the Victoriana is even at the expensive range of the NAS Cask Strength genre. Why don't they realize we'd pay 10% for and age statement? I guess that's the deal, there's enough good 12 year sipping whisky at 46% that doubling or tripling the investment just doesn't make sense I hope precrime is reading this caus I'm gonna rob a bank and buy a 25 year old something someday.

[@Gwhisky]

I mean it's not like Single malts weren't pushing it when it comes to affordability even prior to the price hikes. The price hikes have been slow but steady for the past decade. Obviously things got crazy this year and the jump was "felt" a lot more, but the prices have always been going up. Some of the prices I used to pay 10-12 years ago would make my head spin today. So yeah... New price hikes for 18 year olds... I'm going to start becoming a hell of a lot more picky with my well-aged stuff moving forward. Or maybe I'll just join you on your bank heist! 😉

[@jackthepickledhound]

@@Gwhisky there's also a availability problem. I was just driving around the big money suburbs of NYC in New Jersey today and out of 5 shops there was nothing I wanted to buy, at any price. The prices were a little high but the only interesting bottle was GlenAllachie batch 6. I was in England last month, on the south coast and most liquor stores here have the same selection as supermarkets there. I'm lucky to have found some decent shops by where I live, which is 60 miles north of the Big 🍎. The New York City elites either buy the Lalique Macallan or if they give two shits about what they're doing they must have some special arrangements.

[@DileepB]

Retails for about $150 here, compared to $80 for the 15 year old, and $90 for Victoriana.

[@Gwhisky]

That's a pretty big jump. In that case the Victoriana would be my go-to.

[@SaltyCuban]

If you had to pick 25 top brands bottles of either 15 or 18 yr olds. I don’t think you’d be missing out on much if you chose the 15 yr olds. I’d say over a long list of brand choices ,you’d likely have more consistency in enjoyment in the 15s than the older you go. While there are of course many gems, 18 yr olds are certainly not an automatic better experience than their 15 yr old counterparts. Just an opinion of course.

[@Gwhisky]

Hard to say. I think on the whole the 18 yr old category might be a bit stronger, but there are plenty of examples of 15 yr olds outperforming their older siblings. And for the hit your bank account would take, it wouldn't be worth it for what could arguably be a minimal bump in quality. Just my opinion, of course. Cheers Salty! 🥃

[@SaltyCuban]

@@Gwhisky a lot of those great 18s come from lines that skip core 15s too. (Not counting discontinued or differently matured like macallan 15 oak.) Ledaig, macallan, Glengoyne , Bunnahabhain, Talisker, CaolIla, Arran, etc. On the other hand do you feel there’s better 18s than 21s? Age line comparisons seem like a great idea for future videos in any case!

[@Gwhisky]

@@SaltyCuban There are probably a few, but I don't drink enough 21s to know. Heh. But yeah... that would be a fun video!

[@SaltyCuban]

@@Gwhisky if you had to spend $200 on one bottle. What would it be?

[@Gwhisky]

@SaltyCuban Bunna 18 maybe...

[@ouwe04]

I think for the price you are better of with the 15.

[@finallydone8640]

What annoys me is the aged whiskies have already had their investment costs factored in,in 18 years time the whiskies then can say they cost more but not anything already bottled. Sorry rant over

[@Gwhisky]

Can't argue with perfect logic! 👍

[@edwinchan09876]

Agreed but we all can’t avoid it. Had to buy before the price goes up higher…

[@CharlesOffdensen]

Yes, look at the old Armagnacs. A 30 year Armagnac costs as much as an 18 year old whisky. And south of France is a lot warmer, so the angles share is higher, the stuff is not made of barley, but grapes, the casks used for Armagnac are new, and so on. If you factor all of that 18 year old whiskies should be 5 times cheaper, and 21 year old should be 10 times as cheap!

[@cookieMonsterSincho]

Didn't like it at all, it's an ok whiskey but to spicy in a bad way, but the 15 is a bomb