Average score from 3 reviews and 26 ratings 78
The other Orkney malt... Never been convinced by malts from this distillery, they always seem a little bland, especially compared to Highland Park. This bottle starts well but goes downhill towards the finish, would probably benefit from being bottled at a higher alcohol content.
Nose: Sweet with hints of liquorish, vanilla and sultanas.
Taste: Sweet salty appetising. Notes of cinnamon, vanilla and honey. Finish: Short and weak, a bit watery.
When we think about Orkney, it is Highland Park that immediately comes to mind. But of course, Orkney has a second distillery. Unfortunately Scapa is not open to the public and they do not bottle a lot of whisky. Maybe that explains why I have only tasted one thus far. Time to do something about it. Let me start with an older bottling, the 14 Year Old from 2007, by now replaced with the 16 Year Old in a new packaging.
The nose is very fresh and floral with a tropical touch. I am reminded of freshly mown grass and lavender on a bed of pineapple and white peach. Very fitting with the sound of chirping birds in my garden.
Oily mouth feel with some sherry influences in the shape of juicy fruit: pineapple again, but also melon and quince. Like I said, very fresh. Midpalate I also get some tobacco and a whiff of smoke. It remains fresh and soft.
The finish is quite fruity still, with some nuts at the death.
I seem to have been mistaken in keeping my expectations low, for this was rather good. Typical aperitif dram.
Nose is of fine, tight grained oak and floral almost rosey bouquet. Very clear, light golden in colour. Flavours start salty and oceanic with a short finish.
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Given that the 14yo expression was phased out in 2008, you might want to check out if you can find the bottling date somewhere. It could have been one of the later batches before the distillery was mothballed in 1994. But apparently the 14yo was better than the current 16yo