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Scapa 16 Year Old

Average score from 15 reviews and 43 ratings 84

Scapa 16 Year Old

Product details

  • Brand: Scapa
  • Bottler: Distillery Bottling
  • ABV: 40.0%
  • Age: 16 year old

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@talexander
Scapa 16 Year Old

So it's 11:30am on Christmas Eve - miraculously, most of the presents are wrapped. Pam just finished a huge baking session and is napping. So I'm taking a minute to check this now-discontinued bottling from Scapa.

Scapa Distillery is located on the Orkney Islands, about a half mile south of Highland Park. It was founded in 1885, surprisingly staying in production for over a hundred years, finally shutting down in 1994. Three years later it was re-opened but only seasonally, using staff from Highland Park (it seems to never be able to come out from under their shadow). It was purchased by Allied Domecq in 2004, and is currently owned by Chivas Bros. This 16 Year Old used to be part of the core range (which before then, had been a 14 year old). However, it has been discontinued and replaced by the no-age-statement Skiren (which I've never tried).

It has a medium-straw colour. Sweet and malty on the nose, with light honey, lemon curd and a hint of heather (perhaps from that Orcadian peat?) Soft vanilla. Apples and bananas, both green. I like the brininess, but not so much the perfume notes, which thankfully are subtle. Don't bother adding water, it just dilutes everything. Very pleasant and drinkable, with a nice hint of heathery peat, but not terribly distinctive.

Smooth on the palate, and again the prickly peat is nice (note that it's not smoky - an important difference!) More fruitiness with green apple, a hint of guava and more lemon. Light vanilla. Very much in sync with the nose in every way - again, pleasant and very drinkable but not too exciting.

The creamy finish is fairly non-descript with light oak and lemon peel. This really needs more spice, more edge, more bite - and doesn't make me want to rush out and try the Skiren.

@Pierre_W

Scapa distillery is located at the head of Scapa bay, south-west of Kirkwall on the main island of the Orkney isles, and was established as a private company in 1885. Production was stopped between 1934 and 1936 after then owners Scapa Distillery Co. Ltd. had gone into liquidation, and the distillery was mothballed in 1994, although from 1997 on a team from Highland Park distillery came over each year to distill a little whisky. Full time production resumed in 2004 and in 2005 the distillery was acquired by Pernod Ricard. The 16-year old expression was first launched in 2008 when it replaced the former 14-year old bottling and has been Scapa’s standard expression ever since.

The nose is light and fruity with plenty of lemon flavours, followed by honey and oranges. There is also a quite intensely malty note, reminiscent of beer, and a touch of brine.

The palate is smooth and oily but also a bit thin. The orange flavours are back, together with notes of lemon and honey.

The finish is short but pleasantly warming. The orange flavours are there again, together with notes of caramel and a hint of brine at the very end.

This is a delicate and very drinkable single malt, without any rough edges. I was rather fond of the nose with its lovely interplay between fruity and briny (or “maritime”) flavours. The weak spot, in my view, is the palate that would greatly benefit from a higher ABV.

@pierre_w, @victor, for a standard expression I liked this one a lot as well, there is something beguiling about it. I agree it could be great at 46% or even CS. As @nozinan points out it will probably be a few years before the distillery has stock in sufficient quantity to stop dilluting. Kind of makes you wonder what a CS sample from the distillery would taste like. Scapa doesnt seem to have much more than the 16 and the 2015 NAS skiren, and they seem to have severly limited releases to IBs in recent years.

Thanks, @Victor. I guess it would be fun to travel to the Orkneys together someday. We could combine the trip with visits to the northern Highland distilleries: Wolfburn, Old Pulteney, and of course Clynelish/Brora. I have to say, though, that even for someone living in Continental Europe the Orkneys are quite far off.

@Victor

My thanks to @newreverie for the reviewed sample

Nose: sweet, with gentle malt, pleasant used wood aromas, very mild peat, and well-integrated brine. The malt smells nicely of a hybrid of cereal and grass flavours. This is mild and comforting, but sufficient in intensity to satisfy. Very good nose. Score: 22.5/25

Taste: tart citrus is added to the briny mix in the mouth. This is zippier on the delivery than is the nose, with the balance moved away from sweet and towards the tart-sour and brine. The 'island maritime' nature of this malt is revealed here in spades, with sourness present in the mouth which was not evident in the nose. Enjoyable, but not as harmonious as is the nose. Score: 21.5/25

Finish: medium-long, staying briny and sour. Score: 20.5/25

Balance: excellent balance in the nose, good balance thereafter. Score: 21/25

Water? I usually don't want to add water to 40% ABV whisky, but in this case, adding water: 1) muffled and bundled the flavours in the nose, emphasising the wood, and 2) did the same thing to the flavours in the mouth, while also bringing out some additional sweetness

Total Sequential Score: 85.5 points

Strength: very adequate strength of flavours, even at 40% ABV. Score: 22/25

Quality: the malt is appealing, the peat gently pleasantly understated, the brine and wood also taste good. Score: 22/25

Variety: very good in the nose, more narrow variety in the mouth. Score: 21.5/25

Harmony: lovely harmony in the nose, satisfactory harmony in the mouth. Score: 21/25

Total Non-Sequential Score: 86.5 points

Comment: I went for a lot of years without having ever tasted Scapa 16 yo. I had had one sample of Scapa 14 yo IB in the past which did not impress me, so I didn't push the matter. This sampling of Scapa 16 was more enjoyable than that 14 yo IB had been, but does very much confirm the overall mixed and somewhat tepid reviews that Scapa 16 gets. If you want a simple malt and brine whisky, then Scapa 16 delivers. In style this distillery seems to me closest to Pulteney, Oban, and Springbank

Many thanks, @Victor, for your lovely review of this delicate and very drinkable single malt. Coincidentally, I was just about to review Scapa 16yo after having passed it for many years. I am quite fond of the nose and would most probably like it even better if it came with a higher ABV than just 40%.

@Pierre_W, thank you for your kind comments. I look forward to reading your review of Scapa 16 yo. As you probably noted, like you I am a fan of the nose of Scapa 16.

@BARutledge

This scotch may always be overlooked and under-appreciated. I am not sure if it's rare or not, but it seems to be under-reviewed too...

If you see the bottle on the shelf, don't pass it up. This scotch is very pleasant and consistent no matter the receptacle. It needs only a small splash of water, but a little extra time to open up. So admire its golden-amber color and swirl it around a bit.

The nose is unique. I find it difficult to not swirl it around again for another whiff. The body is sweet and syrupy, almost like a bowl of fruit that's been tossed in simple syrup. Despite its lower alcohol content, this whisky has a very nice finish if you give it a chance to develop and pay attention. Let the Scapa 16yr intrigue your senses...

From tumbler, small splash of water, lots of time to breathe Overall-92

Nose-24: pewter, grape taffy, apples, wildflowers, honey, dry-grass

Palate-23: sugary fruit; peach, mango, pear, banana, bing cherry, marble... toffee, honey, crispy-shortbread-cookie

Finish-22: warm, prickly, mouthfeel with a taste of cherry wood at first... a wave of sea salt and seaweed roll through, and leaves behind sweet remnants of honey, oak, and potent floral notes

Balance-23: lots of character with smooth transitions from one flavor to the next.

@SimeonSanchez

I can't get over the impression of artificial grape when I nose this one, not bad artificial grape necessarily. It's like a grape lollipop, the kind with a loop stick, really sticky and tempting. There's also an impression of wax or fat, maybe pork fat. A creamy maltiness is also there, with honey and red fruit.

For taste, it is really a fine whisky and well worth delving over. In the mouth, it is lusciously sweet, like some kind of gooey candy. Grassy sweetness, honey, caramelized fruit, and a slight brininess wash over the tongue. This would be mind-blowing at cask strength.

I've always thought Scapa 16 was underrated on this site. I get more musty leaves in it, but in a good way. Maybe that's the "grassiness" you mention. I like your review

@PMessinger

Warm slow fruity arrival develops a smooth thick long evenly balanced fruity / vegetable / ashy finish.

I like this one even though it's not a stand-out. What a delicious understated whisky. It's hard for me to express why I like it. I can't rate it terribly high either but I have a definite soft spot for it. I really must try the younger offerings of Scapa. I'm very curious to see what else is out there. . . .

@conorrob

Saved for moving into my first home I have been saving this for quite some time. Probably the first whisky I ever fell in love with and the true reason my obsession began.

Got it for £50 but that was with a discount for quite a thorough whisky tasting session in Cambridge. Not a bad price if you ask me. Though the guy told us that the distillery was closed and only reopened on weekends to release a small amount of bottles from its left over casks. Which since then I have realised was false information. No matter

Nose: Apples galore. Summer fruits, pears, apples and a whiff of peach. Very fruity this. No real punch of smoke. I can smell the Ocean, salt and a cool ocean breeze. Caramel becomes noticeable after around twenty minutes in the glass and strengthens with time. The longer its left the more apples that present themselves.

Palate: Again summer fruits shout at me. Apples, peaches and pears are the main components of this dram. Sea salt and flowers. Sunflowers come to mind, though Lilies and dandelions may also have a small part to play. 23

Finish: Gentle smoke on the finish as my tongue tingles. Long, warming and full of flavour. A finish I could find myself appreciating forever. 24

Was it worth the wait? Hell yes. I love this whisky, haven't tasted anything like it. In fact everyone who I've seen try it have enjoyed it both whisky novices and experts. Even my partner enjoys the stuff and that is really saying something! A dram everyone should try at least once. Quite hard to find in my experience but well worth the search.

If you want my humble opinion, this light, smooth dram is definitely best saved for those warm summer months and saving the sherry casks and peat monsters for the chilling embrace of winter. Try immediately after pouring ... and sip for the next half an hour to really appreciate the effect of time on this dram!!!!!

I agree with everything said. The Scapa is very nice and elegant in an understated way. I think the price is too steep here in the USA by about ten or fifteen bucks, but I am still quite liable to pick up a bottle soon. Actually, last month, I took back a bottle of Scapa 16 and two other bottles to afford a bottle of Glenfarclas 40 year. It ended up being the most stormy day of the year and I was driving down the Interstate about 1.5 hours south and back again in high winds that were blowing everyone around on the road, especially trucks and RVs. It was kind of an adventure. The power went out in half of Portland and as I drove south there was power again in the stores. I couldn't have breakfast in Portland before I left because of the power outages in restaurants and I didn't know anything about it when I left my house, or I would have eaten at home.

As for the steep price of the Glenfarclas 40, which was about $450, I probably couldn't have brought myself to buy it without the boost from returning three other bottles I had bought about a year ago. I kind of regret returning the Scapa 16, but I don't regret returning the Auch Three Wood and the Balvenie 15. Auch Three has really let me down lately as my palate grows more sophisticated. The cloying mouthfeel just is not working out, and the high amount of fake coloring/flavoring just doesn't sit well with me. I won't be drinking that one any time soon. As for the Balvenie 15, it's great but it just doesn't grab me like it used to a few years ago.

Meanwhile . . . Scapa is growing on me. There's a restaurant near my house that has it and I've gone over there a few times just to order it. Nice dram.

I can see where you are going by calling it a nice summer dram, but I think it reminds me of autumn leaves--the palate has qualities that reminds me of the smell of leaves on the ground. It seems like a great autumn dram as well.

Anyhow, great review, Conor. Hope your new house is working out.

@rigmorole thats a great story! In my head I'm hoping your drove all that way in pursuit of the Glenfarclas 40 ! Its top of my hit list that one! Bad choice returning the Scapa I'd say ! But then there will be more opportunities to reacquire a bottle I'm sure.

Tax in England is killer on alcohol too but thankfully it doesn't have to cross an ocean to get to us in London ;-D I know I got ripped off but the tasting session was grand and the whisky divine so I can't complain too much.

It's my favourite whisky to date... yet I'm not entirely sure why.

The house is working out great got a few months of working on it but all moved in and got the shower and heating working so thats always a plus !! haha

Finally the autumn thing definitely makes sense. Its just the lack of sherry and or smoke that lessens its appeal come the cold months of winter.

R

I think Scapa 16 is underrated. It is a nice craft-oriented dram that really hit the spot after I gave a lecture yesterday and needed a respite.

It does have a strange tincture mixed in with biscuit, short bread, toffee, autumn leaves on the forest loam after a loam, moss, and nougat--probably due to peat in the water used to make it(?), but I even enjoyed that somewhat odd flavor, as well, which I connote as "wet leaves/forest loam" and "moss." There is also a cinnamon note along with the loamy note in there, as well.

No, the Scapa is not "big" anything. It is an understated gentleman, and fills that niche quite handily, I must say.

This is not your typical whisky by a long shot. My wife also liked it, and that's saying something. She is not a whisky person, and prefers wine, and not all that much wine, actually.

Normally a Lomond still had three adjustable rectifier plates that could be adjusted to create different styles of whisky, making it the lovechild of a pot and a Coffey still. The Lomond still of Scapa however had these plates removed somewhere in the 80's, so it is in fact no longer a real Lomond still, but a pot still with an unconventional shape. The only distilleries that still use the Lomond still as it should be used are the Loch Lomond distillery and Bruichladdich (from the old Interleven distillery and I guess they didn't modify it), but the latter use it only for their gin production.

To me, Scapa mixed characteristics of a young scotch (malty cereal quality) without the harshness. It feels in the mouth like an older scotch but there are qualities of youth mixed in. I'm not saying there is some below-16 scotch mixed in, merely that the taste reminds me of some of the qualities of a young scotch. I bought an indie bottling (Signatory) of an Edradour at it had the similar barley-rich note that seemed "unfinished" in a way. I didn't care for that bottling of Edradour. It's not as good as the Scapa 16. IT had a vegetative note that just wasn't appetizing to me. Almost like yellow beets and celery mixed with brown sugar.

L

The Scapa, is a single malt which has eluded me for a long time being a youthfull whisky amateur, although the location can wake the attention out of anyone who has a keen interest in military and especially naval history. The location in question is the Scapa flow, which is renowned for being the England's most important naval base during the course of the first&second World Wars. It is also notorious for having very violent streams, which is one of the main reasons why it was reputed for it's safety and thus chosen as a safehaven for the brittish naval fleet during those troublesome times. These reasons alongside the fact it is rather remote and isolated, being the islands of orkney.

Scapa distillery is, thus, the southern brother to the well famous Highland Park, Orkney's other distillery and most famous. This malt, having lived for some time under the shadow of it's more famous northern brother, is often overlooked, which is a shame.

Nose: The nose suggests meadow honey and even creamier honey, or honey mixed with cream? Also salt, salty seashores/ seabreeze. It soothes rather than racket your senses, a strong contradiction to the reputed strength of the Scapa flow. Some vanilla and complex malt accompany the ensemble.

Palate: More fo the same but bigger with one great addition for my part: The honey is, sure enough, the first to arrive but instead of going meadow honey and honey-cream it introduces the malt and salinty with a winning combo of sea-salted butter on fresh toast with meadow honey on top, this helps to crack the mystery of the understated creamy-honeyed nose.

The malt and honey takes over from the delicious salty-honey toast. They become even more complex with water as the honey note becomes more bitter towards manuka honey, and the malt shows of some grainy complexity alongside some added vanilla mixed with the honey.

The finnish makes a swift encore of the sweet/creamy honey this time riding on a malt&toffe bed finnish off with a honey-malt and a type of berry that seems familiar to me, as a northern swede, could it be cloudberry? Seems like it!

After many mixed, with some dreadfull, reviews (Jim Murray included) i must say that i don't see what all the fuss is about. Sure.. it is not the most complex and BIG whisky there is, but that wasn't what i was expecting anyway, what i found was a decent, complex and very satisfying alternative to the Dalwhinnie 15 as my favourite standard honey-malt. Maybe it is because, as a child in sweden, where salted butter is standard. I grew very fond of the salty butter with honey on toast in the morning. Some childhood delicatess's stay there while being knocked off by some more adult&mature acquired tastes. But some define your palate for life, and who you are, and that taste is one of those for me.

If this was bottled at higher strength, with more care in the presentation and a more composed/ longer finish this would be among my favourites. My dear Dad was the one who offered me to sample this, and he also happen to have a single cask from this distillery, makes me intrigued.

Decent whisky, unjustly treated in my opinion, i will knock a couple of marks of as i want to be pragmatic about my reviews and consider the fact that their is a flavour in this malt that is close to custom-made for me. It still remains an untapped little prize, that deserves it's time in the light soon enough.

@MisterDigger

After sampling and responding with my impressions, the bar maid got a hang of what I liked and did not like. I asked about this and she told me that I would not like it. I came back on another evening and ordered it anyway from a different bartender. My notes were that it was just too plain for my tastes and I won't order it again. I should have listened in the first place.

You have GOT to be kidding! I was walking around a crowded bar to sample this one, and it flunked my initial screening. When I sample at the bar, I have one goal in mind, "Is this one worth buying a whole bottle to bring home?". Granted, I have submitted quite a few reviews that flunked my initial screening, but those that did not and got a bottle purchased merited closer looks and higher ratings. Laphroaig 10 at least merited a second sample at the bar and is the only one to have fared worse. On the other hand, Talisker 10 fared much, much better on the second try. Two others merit a second chance at the bar, Sprinbank 10 and Lagavulin 16. On the second time around, my question will be, "Did I miss something on the first try?" I also plan to sample Laphroaig 18 for the first time.

I'm by no means a "scotch snob", but I feel many here would agree with me when it comes down to sampling a scotch, or whiskey...

I prefer not to be in a crowded establishment with noise, and boisterous patrons for I feel it dulls the senses...

I also believe in the use of either a Glencairn glass, or my personal favorite - the "Canadian Glencairn" when sampling/enjoying a new whisky/whiskey, and NOT a tumbler, or whatever is collecting dust behind the bar...

And finally - I'm always a bit suspicious of the contents of said whisky/whiskey bottle...Has it been open for 6 days, 6 months, or 3 years?..Some of the "top shelf" spirits may sit for some time before it is fully consumed which may very well have an effect on the overall experience.

I'm not judging for how anyone interprets a spirit - however I do feel there could be variables in any tasting session that could possibly alter ones outcome.

@whiskyjourney

Hailing from the Northern Scotland Island of Orkney, it is usually compared up against the most successful distillery from that region, Highland Park. In fact, Scapa would be the northernmost distillery in all of Scotland, but HP has that distinction by only a few hundred yards! (Thanks Ralfy!)

The Scapa 16 replaces the old Scapa 14, and this one is a bit smoother (and arguably better). Another versatile dram from this island, the Scapa has the ability to combine some of the sweet Speyside flavors with the sea side notes that are normally attributed to the Islay malts.

Tasting Notes:

Appearance: Amber -1

Nose: Floral, Vanilla, Seaweed and Honey, Citrus

Palate: Medium Bodied, more honey/caramel, Brine & Ocean, creamy nougat

Finish: Buttery spices, additional maltiness, drying

Overall:

One of the coolest parts of Scapa has more to do what they do not do. They do not use special cask finishes, and keep things incredibly straightforward. They age in 100% ex-bourbon first-fill casks (as vanilla as it gets…pun intended). They do not use their local peat to dry their barley. This is basically as simple and unadulterated as a malt can get, and they do it well. I would avoid water with this one. At only 40% ABV it is already as low as it can go, and I think it lost a bit of that fun saltwater-taffy vibe even with only a few drops of water. Just like when they create it, I prefer this one simple and straightforward…pair it with a glass.

Brilliant review

@MaltActivist

Normally kept for post-dinner drams, my Scapa 16 was pulled out of the bar for an early evening taste. A good choice!

The Islander has quite a colorful nose - aromatic purple flowers like lavender sit in a fruit basket of papaya and apricots as citrus infused honey is drizzled quite liberally over the bouquet. All the while sitting next to a bowl of cereal and kneaded dough. A pleasant nose to awaken all your senses.

The medium bodied oily palate starts off white peppery spicy followed by the pleasant sweetness of honey and toffee.

A decent finish brings you rock melon and papaya. The papaya! It's so strong in this one.

All in all a very decent dram - something to be had quite regularly.

I find your review intriguing. Thinking of springing for a bottle. Will taste a dram first at the pub. Thanks for your excellent tasting notes, Razvi!

@SquidgyAsh

My wife recently bought me the coolest calender ever made for me for Christmas.

A whisky calender!

24 different samples bottled by Master of Malt, covering a variety of styles, ages, strengths and countries.

When I saw it in my email I knew THAT'S what I wanted for Christmas so I sent my wife that email as a very subtle hint to her and she, being insanely observant and deep picked up on that hint.

Each calender is different, containing different samples in each of them. The only constant in each of calenders was a 50 year old Speyside whisky that Master of Malt had bottled.

I'd gone through Islays, Highlands, Lowlands, and Irish whiskies so far in my calender and today I was going to be tasting an Island whisky.

Even cooler it was an Island distillery that I'd never tried before.

Scapa!

Now this is the second furthest North distillery in Scotland, being just half a mile South of Highland Park. Another one of my favorite distilleries!

This was the 16 year old, so not quite entry level considering that they also produce a 14 year old.

Relaxing as I cook dinner I crack open the sample bottle and pour it's contents into the glencairn.

First off let's nose!

First thing that comes through is honeyed toffee, then it goes salty with hints of peat and fruit.

It's a nice nose, nothing super special, but not bad and it does make me eager to take a taste.

Which is the very thing that I shall do!

Starts sweet then it jumps to sea salt covered bananas.

Lots of bananas. Actually salty bananas are the strongest flavors that come through on this whisky. It tastes good, but sadly it's boring.

Finish is of a nice length with more and more bananas coming through, with just a hint of salt at the end.

Not a bad little whisky, however while it's not bad, it's boring, non complex.

And odds are I'm going to guess that a bottle of this would normally run around $120 AUS which is way too much for a nice, but boring 16 yr old whisky.

If you get a chance to taste it, go for it. I don't think you'll be upset, but spending more then $60-$70 AUS and you're sadly paying too much.

This one is $90 in Oregon. I'm curious. Will taste before I buy. You make some good points about why I should not buy. I have made some big mistakes in the past few months. The biggest: Highland Park 18 and Dalmore 15. Together, they cost about $200 USD. Both were putrid, bitter, and tasted worse than their 12 year counterparts. At any rate, thanks again for the tips about Scapa. I more cautious about what I buy now, although I must say that I've tasted some very good HP18 before. I got a dud of a bottle that really tastes like junk. As for the Dalmore, it seems overpowered by the fake caramel flavoring. I taste artificial sweetner/colorer more than the actual whisky.

Ouch! $90!? Holy crap! I'd be hard pressed to pay $70 for it....I mean Talisker 10 yr old is $65 over here, Ardbeg 10 is $90, Macallan 12 is $85. Funny that you mention the Highland Park 18. Had it at our last whisky tasting, wasn't bad, but nothing I'd throw down $150 for, figured it was just an oxidized bottle, but maybe it wasn't. Sounds like they have got some batch variation going on there. Dalmore for me tends to be boring.

Anyway I hope that you continue to find the reviews helpful my friend! Should have some sexy Kavalan Taiwanese whisky reviews on Connosr over the next week.

@Alanjp

As a regular visitor to Whisky Live festivals, you wouldn’t be surprised to know that this whisky was sampled at this years show, and it prompted me to buy a bottle to enjoy in my own time! Scapa is The Orcadian, product of the Orkney Islands, with a colour of light, golden yellow.

On the nose there is the hint of sea air, with a saltiness running through it. It’s light though, and has almost a medicinal tinge to it. To taste, the salty sea air is there but its not a heavy taste, it doesn’t put you off the dram at all. I also managed to get a soft smell of bananas, and those savoury snacks you seem to only ever see around Christmas.

It’s a tangy finish, lingering with that “day at the seaside” feel. To me, it’s a great little whisky, one that stood out on the day of sampling and still leaves me with a smile on my face after tasting. Easy to drink, and very enjoyable.

For a lighter flavoured whisky - the Scapa 16 yr is tough to beat...It's been one of my favorite drams so far this unusually hot summer...My only knock against this whisky is the price ($75 in the greater metro Milwaukee area) - however I purchased a few for $64 a piece (price including shipping).

Thanks for the comments, i have to agree with you on the price too as when i did purchase it I was taken aback by the rather hefty cost (paid just over £50 for it).

@Alex

When I got a bottle of 16-year-old malt for Christmas, at first I was excited. But when I looked more closely at the bottle I was presented with, I couldn't subdue a hint of disappointment. It was a bottle distilled by Scapa, 'the Orcadian', but for me it might as well have been another namesake's designer polo shirt.

Hard feelings quickly disappeared when I tasted the malt in good company. It appeared to be a very smooth and sweet malt, but this might have been due to the good company I was in.

When I gave it a second try though, my appraisal of the whisky was quickly put in perspective. Although it was still as smooth, it had far less different tastes than I could remember from the party.

John

I am not sure I would be quite so hard on S16 - I understand maybe not quite as complex or as intense - perhaps a bit ladylike - but very, very pleasant and smooth and so far quite consistent - certainly very drinkable with dinner (inc. salmon). I sort of liken to Pyramid Hef - always consistent, rich enough without being overpowering and good with food - sort of a go to basic if I don't recognize any other tap I am interested in.

So S16 - quite safe and a great scotch to introduce to a newby - esp. a lady I think.

Mark: 82 (at present)

Is the 16 year old that different from the 14? A review by ralfy from ralfy.com describe the 14yo as quite complex. www.youtube.com/watch He does mention that he liked the 14 better than the 16, but it's hard to believe that the goodness of the 14 is all lost in 2 extra years of maturation.

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