Glen Scotia Victoriana

Glen Scotia victoriana : Nose: Alcoholic, apple fruity, hints of citrus, salty and spicy, caramel, light smoky note, burnt wood, vanilla. Taste: Dry fruity, burnt caramel, burnt wood, astringent, bitter, some bitter coffee, some citrus zest and lemon and orange. Finish: long, warming, bitter and peppery. Clearly citrus, grapefruit, grapefruit peel, lots of wood.

aroma: delicate, alcoholic, berries, dried fruit, vanilla, chocolate taste: full, dense, chocolate, vanilla, raisins, citrus, honey Excellent, great balanced whisky

Wow, really delicious. So much awesome coastal character, mixed with lovely fresh fruit and barley sweetness. The best part for me though, is the hugely oily, rich, mouth-coating texture. It’s so drinkable, so sippable, but still with loads of complexity and character. This was really fun to compare side-by-side the 15, as there were both distinct differences and a clear common thread of character present in both drams. Victoriana definitely won the day, though. An excellent dram. Nose: Loads of coastal notes up front, along with a sort of buttery richness. Sea salt, wet rocks, bonito flake… lobster? Clayey mud, musty basement, and salted peanuts as well. There’s sweetness too, but brighter than in the 15. Pineapple, strawberries, citrus pith, and white chocolate. Brown sugar and malted barley emerged after another few minutes in the glass. A drop of water added a distinct note of fresh celery(!). Palate: Extremely oily, thick texture. Bright fruit and salt up front: nectarine, yellow plums, a hint of lychee, as well as some juniper. The coastal notes come in bright and fresh as seashore and crushed rocks. There’s barley sugar next, starting fairly green, and becoming more caramelized as it develops. Black pepper spice, with caramel, pecans, milk tea, then cinnamon a hit of nutmeg. Finish: Long and salty-sweet. Much fresher than the 15, with that oily texture still coating the mouth. There’s a tiny hint of ashy coastal peat here. Plenty more of that nutmeg, as well as lemon, pear, beach grass, and salty sand.

Sample tested, but wondering if I drank the same whisky as other reviewers here. Nose was very much on the almond side, with clear pistachio notes, spices and maybe a bit of green fruit. In mouth much more spicier, nutty and with a dirty side reminiscent of Ledaig or Springbank (something like sweat, or maybe farm-ish...). Salty and a little dry too, which surprises me considering other reviews here. It is good, but nothing really special. Makes me confident that Glen Scotia can do nice things, but also that I won't buy a bottle of Victoriana. I'll revisit it with some more air. 6/10 so far

Strong dram, with a great value for money!

1807) Glen Scotia, Victoriana, Cask Strength (Bottled 2019) Post-2018, pre-2021 releases, while most distilleries are "busy" reducing their standard bottling strength to increase volume. GS upped the power to 54.2% for this range since 2019. I have not tried their older 51.5% releases, so wasn't sure how it compared to this, but more strength is always a good gesture. Can the % remain the same for various batches? Sure, someone is 'polishing' the hydrometers in the vatting room, so long not water added for dilution, it can be done with the meticulous alteration from casks of various strengths.

that batch is better, charred casks make it bourbon like but the hint of smole makes it better

Lovely dram. Creamy and oily with a a good bit of funk.

A very highly rated nas. Unpeated. Admittedly this is a very nice one. Nose somewhat subdued but really nice. Can use some time to explore. Taste all the more explosive (in contrast to the nose), high proof certainly helping carry the punch. Very nice. Curious to know the composition of this dram.

The nose is still a little weak, but the taste is very full-bodied, lots of umami. It really tastes old school. I wouldn't recommend water.

Nose: overripe apples, bananas, a hint of smoke/burnt wood, a lot of vanilla, wet earth, sherry. Tongue: full, oily, vanilla, caramel, dark chocolate, baked/caramelized apples, bananas, honey, sherry red fruits, pleasant subdued pepperiness at the finish, lemongrass in the background. Finish: medium long, vanilla, apples, cinnamon, lemongrass, dried dark fruits, roasted nuts, toast with butter. 85.5

Appears to be a young whisky ‘blasted’ with wood. Water improves the nose, with more fruitiness, and less wood. But it weakens the taste by emphasizing the active wood, and with hardly any finish left. Better use no water, or very little. The Victoriana ís better than many other NAS. A bit too much wood towards the finish. And too expensive for what it is. But I do understand the enthusiasm for this whisky. It is something different. After living with the bottle for some time it became a little boring. It is a one trick pony. Still 80 points for this trick, with nice packaging and admirable bottling strength.

Super oily. If someone asked me for the oiliest scotch I could think of, this would be it. I get a lot of fruit in this, particularly banana and some tropical bitter flavours. There is a bit of brine/smoke to this. It’s certainly interesting and unique, as those oils and esters really hang around for a while in the finish. I’m not one for this flavour profile (I tend to prefer young peaters or old sherry) so if you are into fruitier profiles, you could easily score this 3 or 4 points higher than me.

Just a nice quality whisky. well composed, fruity, no bite, full in taste. Love it!

I ordered a sample collection of three Glen Scotia whiskies: the double cask, the 15-year-old, and this one. I expected the most from the 15-year-old and the least from this one; it was the other way around. This one may taste a bit young, but as a whole, it's the best in my opinion, but unfortunately, it's also the most expensive.

At first very astringent, with a little water and time the Scotia opens up more and more. Wood tart and very spicy! Orange peel, pear peel, peach, unripe bananas, but all the more spicy with bourbon vanilla, laurel and above all strawberry mint, fresh oak that goes bitter into almonds, cocoa, green cuttings, cut flowers and old leather. The malt comes out strong and full on the tongue, the spice pushes out the back very strongly. Very peppery. In addition to the previous notes, I still have distinct liquorice and dark nut flavors (Brazil nuts, walnuts) and an overripe apple on the tongue. The aftertaste is medium long. Unfortunately not the best Glen Scotia, unfortunately dominated by wood, despite everything a very competent whisky.

The new bottling Victoriana comes in cask strength and only contains selected casks.

I really enjoyed this, sort of on the funky fruity side with not that much smoke. More lively than the 15 year peated rum, much better than the unfunky 18. Sad about the missing age statement, worried about batch inconsistencies, but I would consider buying more of this (which is rare, I usually just like to move on).

Very spicy, this is what is dominant on nose and taste. But in a nice way, you are surrounded by spices when you nose it and they warm your mouth up when you taste it. There is some smoke behind the spices especially in the finish when it is settling down. Looong and pleasant finish, by the way. Being quite oily helps the finish, the mouth stays coated for long time. You can see it on the glass also that is oily - it sticks up for minutes. Very good value for the price of this bottle - a success for Glen Scotia!

I bought this one in a sample set together with the 15 year old and Victoriana. Bottled at 54.2% abv. without information regarding the first maturation. The finish happened in heavily charred casks. It is priced at 65 Euros, but I rather see this one at 35 to 40 Euros. As with the other Glen Scotia whiskys, I think that this one is overpriced. For the same price, the Benrinnes 15 year old from the Flora & Fauna series is much better.

an explosion with strong scents and marked with peppery spices, toasted wood and orangey yellow fruits a little cooked. The mouth is softer, more intense also in scents with cooked fruit, butterscotch 100%, it is sweet and confectioner at the same time, the wood comes back with spices softer too. The finish is quite long, a little spicy, well caramelized (well cooked!) And woody.

Tasty whisky that is perfect for a colder day in spring or autumn.

Prior to opening my own bottle, I only had a sample of the Victoriana at a festival. There, it stood out, and it had been on my wishlist ever since. I remembered my dram at the festival as a very characterful unique balanced dram, with plenty of complexity and some fresh aromatic minty notes. So over half a year later, I finally have a bottle and over the last three weeks I’ve taken the time to properly sit down with a dram three times. The conclusion so far: It’s a really good dram, and I’m still disappointed.

This still is a very well made dram with strong well balanced flavours, and character. However, I don’t get the really interesting fresh/aromatic notes I got the first time, nor any mineral notes. This bottle might very well benefit a lot from a few months worth of oxidation, and I’m still looking forward to how this bottle evolves. But in the meantime I’ll be on the lookout for samples from other batches to see if I remember correctly how good this bottling can be. EDIT: Well, 3,5 months of oxidation did wonders. I do indeed get some of those fresh herbal notes, and the depth and roundedness overall improved very noticably. Also the finish now just seems to linger a lot longer. Bumping my score from 86 to 89, I think it's that much better now!

Expressive, maritime, simply good. Update on October 19, 2026: It keeps getting better. Spicy notes of leather, pepper aromas, and slightly sour notes make it even more interesting.

I’ve read not overly enthusiastic reviews of the initial batches of this Glen Scotia, but this cask strength 2019 batch is a pretty solid dram for a very reasonable price. It’s full of flavour and easy to sip (I had to pour some more twice while writing this post!)

For the first edition (51.5%) Nose: crème brulée/crema catalana/sweet burnt caramel. Some grapes (Muscat) and a hint of floral note Palate: Smooth and well balanced. Barely any burnt. The youthness is also well hidden. It tastes as it smells, the sweet/burnt caramel is stronger on the palate and very enjoyable. Finish: Not too powerful but last long enough, again sweet caramel dominates the notes If you drink it in a cold environment, you need to warm it up to properly enjoy it or you will miss out on the sweetness

Info from Roy Aquavitae: 70% 10yo first fill bourbon 10% 12yo first fill bourbon 20% 16-18yo refill American and European These are vatted and filled into 30% first fill PX hogsheads /butts and 70% heavily charred American for another 12 months. Then vatted again (!) and put into "inert" 3rd or 4th refill barrels to let it "marry for a bit longer". There is a lot of manual work in this whisky and I consider it a masterpiece. 1.) Do you have to take on this work? 2.) You have to be willing to try a blending until it works 3.) sell it at a great price. Manual work must and may cost something. Currently available for less than 70 euros - A snapper - Go for it - I don't know how long Glen Scotia can maintain this quality after winning the OSWA Awards. Demand will explode. The old cask/bottle effect increases significantly after the bottle has been stored at 2/3 full for 3 or even better 6 months. How do they manage that? The profile reminds me of great earlier bottlings - e.g. WID: 17291 and 69 Bravo!

Nose: Apples and starfruits rushing to the face, random strong alcohol, seamless charcoal and smoke, and of course a lot of wood, very dry, sharp, not so easy to approach. I picked up the flame gun and roasted the bottom of the cup (I don’t know why I did it), and I really found different aromas, batamwood, salty nuts, cream, pancakes, croissants, although I I won't be scared off by this kind of whisky, but I really don't appreciate this sharp beauty. Drink: The wine is strong, fierce, and continues to ignite your mouth. The aroma is mainly apple, wood, salty nuts, and it is somewhat bitter. Overall: This bottle of wine gives me the feeling that it is very reluctant. The level and complexity of the aroma, the body and the sense of alcohol are controlled. I may not actively want to drink this bottle of wine. By the way, I drink a 30ml sharing bottle. Thank you Benson for sharing. I hope you won't see this note.

needed a drop of water (CROTCH bottle split 2021)

Old books, wet leaves, custard apple (sitaphal), crisp apples, rich tobacco, creamy vanilla, chocolate wafers, orange and ginger juice, whiff of peat. Slightly industrial. Super complex whisky.

Orchard fruits, canned fruits, creamy, vanilla, a little Campbeltown funk, slighty burnt cable insulation, butterscotch and peppers. Reminds me of several Springbanks though a little less bold.

A cask strength Campbeltown Expression for little money.

Very solid and sippable juice despite being nas and bottled at higher abv (quite certainly not cask strength though). Highly recommended @65-70 EUR max.

Now that’s the disco vibe Glen Scotia I’m expecting, all types of flavours taking turns to show up in a single bottle. Used to be a bargain when it was at £60ish. Colour: Eiswein 07. Darkest among the core range. Light legs. 86-90 - A to-share bottle