Background: a true unicorn. No review by the usual suspects, no rating on Whiskybase. Emmanuel Dron of The Auld Alliance called it “probably the best Scapa ever bottled”. Some reputation there. This is my maiden Scapa experience, so it would definitely be my “best Scapa ever”. But how would it stack up against my favourites from other distilleries?

Nose: wow, how is this scotch? My first association is mezcal, due to that fat, juicy, leafy note; then wood resins and incense and wax, particularly on camphor and balsam; there are also medicinal and industrial tinges; Tiger balm; dit da jow; cooking gas; petrol; metal grease; shoe polish; after some time, it unfurls into a kaleidoscopic display of floral aromatics; there are the usual suspects of lavender and heather and rose, plus a myriad of other scents that would not be out of place in a perfume or a hand soap or aromatherapy in general; with the flowers come the fruits, most of them candied; mandarin; apricot; apples; there is more than a hint of 1970s Clynelishes; the base notes of marzipan, toffee and chocolate helps anchor the more volatile components of the nose; running through all layers is an undercurrent of clean minerality that is almost salty, the kind one gets by sprinkling table salt on wet granite.

Palate: intense and waxy as hell; here, minerality takes centrestage – everything else is expressed through it, giving the overall palate an ethereal quality; all kinds of wet rocks and hard water, as if standing in a cave right behind a waterfall; an assortment of waxes, from candlewax to hexamine fuel tablet to petroleum jelly to pear skin; a light saltiness provides grip; minerals segue into metals; now the tongue is grappling with cold steel, copper coins, and a hot car engine; a sulphured sherry note marks an inflection point in terms of funk; accompanying the sherry are sulphur-adjacent notes like rust and tarnish; these are chased by a blend of spoilt milk and Fanta Grape, as things get increasingly baijiu-esque; overripe pineapple and strawberry; old parmesan; a hint of blue cheese mould; fermented beancurd and bean pastes; spices like anise and cumin; at this point it is reminiscent of Guojiao 1573 and the latter's sweet-savoury strong aroma glory; candied citrus and yellow fruits; the back-palate presents a mix of floral, woody and green notes; potpourri; essential oils; plant saps; wood resins; fresh almond and aloe vera; a grass field at the crack of dawn, enveloped in dew.

Finish: very long; a resurgence of minerality, this time with more obvious saltiness; table salt dissolved in alpine mineral water; remarkably, this has not a smidge of brine to accompany the salt, unlike the big old Islays I am more accustomed to; as on the palate, industrial accents are quick to follow; here they lean sharper; cooking gas; petrol; WD-40 on metals; bin bags; more flowers, some artificial fruit flavourings; eau-de-toilette-and-apple-flavoured bubblegum; cherry-flavoured cough syrup; a rawness and headiness evocative of eau de vies; I cannot help but think of Capovilla’s moscato rosa eau de vie de marc that is so pungently rosewater-forward; botanicals a la gin – similar associations are found in many a Rochelt distillate; ointments and embrocations of the mentholated variety; the aftertaste is dry, on waxes, plastics, exhaust fumes, herbal jellies, and fallen leaves and branches.

Conclusion: clean, cold, austere, cerebral. Perhaps the most uncompromisingly idiosyncratic of scotch whiskies. It may not match the best pre-Brora Clynelishes on a purely technical level, but when something is this unique and coherent, who cares?

Score (assuming a normal distribution with mean 50): 93/100

Image Courtesy of u/zoorado. 

u/zoorado