I wish I could say I was a more mature person. Doesn't everyone think that though? I kind of feel that the only people who don't think so are the ones who really need to rethink that statement.

How do I know I'm immature? So when roving around Singapore's The Malt Affair whisky festival trawling for good drams - it is the one time of year folks various distributors around the little island bring out their stash - I zoned in on this bottling from the good guys behind distributor, Friends With Drams. A pretty good name, I know. It's literally FWD.

I was eager to try this because it was bottled for Milroy's of Soho, a real establishment in the UK whisky community. It's a bar and retail shop that's been around for more than 50 years and are known for really good whiskies. FWD has been carrying some of Milroy's bottlings and they've been popular to say the least.

A definite must visit when in London. (Image Source: Milroy's)

Now, on top of that, this was a Glen Scotia, a Scotch that I find highly underrated as it has the, shall we say, fortune of sharing the smallest Scotch whisky region with one of the biggest names, Springbank. Glen Scotia does put out good work though - some really well-textured, complex and fruity whiskies. I'll say it here first, Glen Scotia is going to be big in a year or so. It's well on it's way if you can spot the signs.

So with that, I beelined my way to FWD's booth to pick this expression up from independent bottler Highland Laird. Now, this is where the immaturity shows - I spent at least the next 4 hours giggling to myself over the word "Laird". "You Laird!" I exerted at my fellow writer Han, barely making the words past the raucous laughter. Thankfully it was a whisky festival and such childish behavior was tolerable under the guise of inebriation.

How inexplicable, I had mistakenly conferred too much respect unto my fellow Bamboo writer. He is certainly nowhere the fashionista this fine Adonis of a man pictured above is. (Image Source: Difference Between)

So what exactly is a Laird? It turns out a Laird is an old Scottish term for a landowner, ranking just below a baron. Damn it! I exclaimed at the Wikipedia page, for I had just mistakenly exalted my fellow writer. Now he's going to think his reviews are words akin to the burning bush spoken unto Moses. They are okay, pretty good at best.

Anyway, for some context, Highland Laird is a line of single cask, cask strength, single malt bottlings from family-owned Bartels Whisky, which has several other lines and distributions. The name apparently comes from a sort of connection to their Scottish family business.

This 28 Year Old Glen Scotia was aged in a Bourbon barrel and bottled at 43.3% ABV. 

Glen Scotia 28 Year Old, Highland Laird, 1992, 43.3% ABV, Bottled for Milroy's of Soho - Review

Aroma: Soft malty richness, almost reminiscent of tipsy cake, a sort of dessert sponge cake soaked in honey and fortified wines - it's bready, rich and sweet. More on clotted cream and icing sugar, gentle green fruits of melon, honeydew, light touches of golden apples, it's softly fruity and sweet. Very approachable and alluring. There's a light zestiness of grapefruit and lemons, a little bit of oyster brine and a touch of minerality. Finally, a farmhouse grassiness.

Taste: Creamy, a little syrupy with some weight to it. Very smooth, much like maltose candy. A confectionary flaky buttery and filo pastry note with a side of cracked black pepper. Reminds me of McDonald's apple pie. The textures here really shouldn't be looked past - it is quite the sensation, really smooth, rich, buttery. Nutmeg and clove pushes through, and then again with just a touch of concrete, minerals, oyster brine.

Finish: Short but clean, the sweet maltiness comes through again with a nice glowing warmth and wow! A nice final burst of ripe peach! Reminds me of peach Hi-Chew candy. Nice!

My Thoughts

This was quite the classic Glen Scotia - soft green fruits, light zest and minerality, altogether very buttery and malty. This isn't one of those slap-you-in-the-face Scotchs. It's alot more gentle, more nuanced and requires you to slow things down and enjoy it.

You can see why it is that it's all too easy to overlook Glen Scotia as the world heads ever deeper into flavor overloaded whiskies. There's an oft saying in the spirits community that you start with Sherry matured whiskies and later on you have the wisdom to look for Bourbon matured whiskies. There's some truth to it, looking at my own experiences. When you start out, nuanced, gentle flavors can be tricky. You tend to go for something that is far too easy to find, flavors and notes are served on a silver platter. But as your palate develops and sharpens, you soon realise that a gentler profile holds much promise - they show more balance, complexity and are simply so enjoyable. This is one of them.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot