Water of Life

Scapa Glansa and Morris Whisky

Founded in 1885 and being located only a few hundred metres away from Highland Park, Scapa distillery is one of Scotland’s most northern distilleries. 

My first and so far only exposure to Scapa was through a dram of their rare16 year old expression at a Breitling event not too long ago, which instantaneously coloured me intrigued by the flavour profile.

Needless to say, when I learned about Scapa having a peated expression on its portfolio paired with the fact that its name, i.e. “Glansa”, roughly translates to the equivalent of “shining storm-ridden skies”, it set me on a mission to see how the small manually operated Orcadian Distillery channelled its alchemy in maturing its signature malt in American oak to then further refine it cask that previously harboured peaty whisky.

Clocking in at a relatively tame 40 % ABV, the stylish and visually appealing presentation of the box and labelling sets the scene for what is meant to demonstrate the contrasts of the highlands.

What tickles the nostrils on approach are aromas of grassy freshness and exceptionally lush fruity notes, contrasted by nuances of ashy peat, a distinct vanilla oakiness and cigar smoke.

On the palate, the medium-bodied amber coloured drop unfolds its complexity via zesty citrus, ripe peachy and breakfast cereal notes, which are married with a delicate oaky spiciness and maritime salty notes set against a backdrop of an interesting peaty smoke variant – interesting in that it is mild, subtle and much more subdued than what one is used from Islay whiskies where the smoke is derived from smoked barley. 

A spicy kick constitutes a climax before things are rounded out by returning to a Haribo-esque sweetness.

The nicely calibrated elongated finish is dominated by the peat taking over yet not remotely in an overwhelming manner: It rather serves as a stage on which the sweeter highlights dance with spices, before a markedly charred fruitiness reverberates and leaves one lusting for another dram.

I quite like the complexity and the journey across the mainland of Orkney this little number takes one on, starting in fruity territory, moving things to the seaside and taking the DNA of Scapa’s core expression to the next level by adding a level of depth via the subtle smoke component – just at the right level to not eclipse what the distillery stands for.

Summa summarum, a fantastic and accessible gateway to the wonderland of peated whiskies and testament to what Scapa is capable of when branching out while staying true to its delicate characteristic malt profile. 

I can only imagine the lofty heights Glansa could be catapulted into if it was bottled at cask strength.

One can only hope that Glansa is merely the beginning of new offerings from a great, often overlooked distillery.

Morris Whisky

Claiming that there are a lot of interesting developments within the confines of the Australian distilling landscape, would be an understatement par excellence. The sheer number of new distilleries with their distilled emissions pushing of what is considered possible is staggering.

Needless to say, I was colored intrigued when I learned about award decorated Morris of Rutherglen, an estate traditionally known for its fortified wines, venturing into the realm of single malt whisky with two debut releases, i.e. their Signature and Australian Single Malt Muscat Barrel Whiskies. 

All the more so given that word around the campfire had that former master distillers from such reputable entities like Balvenie, Laphroaig, Springbank and Kilchoman had been consulted to help finetune Morris’ technical approach to their distilling process. 
The fact that price-wise both expressions are situated on the modest end of the scale in the highly taxed and smaller scale environment that is Australia, where normally a 500ml bottle would set you back in excess of $200, also bode well for Morris’ debut to make a bit of a splash on the scene.

With barley being locally sourced, water from the snowy Mountains, a unique American and French oak barrel maturation program to boot and a finish in in-house coopered premium barrels which previously held fortified wines, paired with the fact that the Rutherglen region is known its distinct climate with hot days and cold nights, expectations were high in terms of big and complex flavours.
Aged for a minimum of three years and bottled at a standard 40% ABV, Morris’ deep golden Signature expression tickles the nostrils with grainy, grassy, apple and blueberry fruity highlights that dance with citrussy, marzipan and zesty notes against a backdrop of delicate leather andearthy aromas that are further nuanced with cherry characteristics.

On the top of the mouth, the allure of the fortified wine barrels unveil their magic via a melange of honeyed dark chocolate, plums, burnt toffee and dried cranberries in the relatively light bodied drop with a juicy and refreshing mouthfeel. The elongated finish reverberates with nougat, oak and brown sugary caramel flavours.

A well-rounded beautifully composed, multi-layered, sessionable and competitively priced introduction that is bound to make waves.
Matured in shaved and toasted ex-wine casks before finished in soaked ex-muscat casks, Morris’ Muscat Finish clocks in at 46% and greets one with rich, dark molassy sweet and indulgent aromas carrying distinct fig notes.

On the palate, there is a honey-like sweetness with subtle hints of berries and shades of chocolate cookie dough, contrasted by distinctly tannic mouth-coating notes, which culminate in a crescendo of cocoa and cinnamon spice.

The long, full-bodied finish is dominated by charred oaky notes with hints of dried fruits, coffee and nut chocolate making it a dangerously more-ish drop that makes me hope that Morris will continue their journey by branching out with cask strength and peated expressions.

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images from company websites