Glasgow 1770 – 2021 Summerton Whisky Club Exclusive
From the Summerton Club website:
For this year’s 2021 Summerton Exclusive Release The Glasgow Distillery have vatted half peated single malt whisky and half unpeated single malt whisky. The spirit was distilled in 2016 and initially casked into 200 litre Ex-bourbon barrels.
In 2019 the spirit was filled into virgin hogshead casks, these have been medium toasted and heavily charred. Bottled at the end of November 2021, this exclusive release boasts notes of sweet smoke, toffee apples and vanilla with a long finish of pepper spice. Natural in colour and non-chill filtered, this release is limited to 1890 bottles which have been bottled at 52.2% ABV.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Amber gold, viscous, forms a broad line before falling as slow, thick legs.
Nose: Sweet floral heather smoke, baked apples, caramel toffee and a hint of vanilla.
Palate: An initial burst of sweet smoke which slowly decreases to reveal caramel apple crumble with vanilla custard, hints of fresh mango and cooked stone fruit, all accompanied by peppery heat and tannic oak astringency. A few drops of water transform the pepperiness to a ginger warmth and bring out butter pastry notes.
Finish: That sweet smoke lingers on the palate for a while before becoming more savoury, peppery heat, drying from the oak is in evidence, more so with a little water. Finally you’re left with gentle notes of coffee and black liquorice which fade to leave a trace of cooling menthol.
Summary: This is my first bottle from Summerton, and also my first foray into the Glasgow Distillery whisky range. The whisky itself is rather commendable, far too easy to drink and leaves me keen to explore the range further. Being non chill filtered means the mouthfeel is oily, viscous and really coats the palate beautifully. Although peated to around 50ppm, the 50:50 mix with unpeated spirit has produced a well balanced whisky which is far from being a one trick pony. The smoke is definitely there, but it’s sweet and floral, gently adding layers rather than overshadowing the rest of the spirit character. Bottled at 52.2% abv, this is a whisky which is extremely drinkable neat but also opens up with a little water to reveal softer notes.
The only niggle is that this is a 50cl bottle, in keeping with the rest of the Glasgow 1770 range and something which is well signposted on the packaging and the website. Whilst I understand the distillery wanting to make their whiskies more accessible by keeping the price below £50, it does somewhat hide the fact that this would be close to £70 for a full size bottle. Whether it’s worth that price tag depends on the potential customer, but when placed in that price bracket it’s up against some very stiff competition. They’re a young distillery with exciting ideas and a need to generate revenue quickly to succeed, my only hope is that they don’t price themselves out of the market.
If you would like more information on this whisky, the Glasgow Distillery and the Summerton Club, follow the link to the company website.
