Today’s review centres on a whisky that breaks this blog’s usual mould: the brand new Glen Scotia 12-Year-Old Tropical Fruit and Coastal Spray. Imagine that: it is recent, available and inexpensive. Added to the Campbeltown distillery’s core range in 2025, it boasts a clear age statement, a good 46% ABV, and commits to purity with no chill filtration or artificial colouring – all at a very accessible price point. Those features alone make it a compelling choice for whisky drinkers. But the inclusion of ’tropical fruit’ in the name caught my attention immediately, prompting a swift order and eager tasting well before writing this review. The combination of quality, transparency, and vibrant flavour promise makes this whisky well worth exploring, so let’s see it keeps its promises.
Glen Scotia Distillery
Glen Scotia distillery, founded in 1832 in Campbeltown by James Stewart and the Galbraith family, remains one of Scotland’s most resilient whisky producers. Originally named Scotia, Stewart, Galbraith & Co managed the distillery until 1895. During Campbeltown’s heyday as the ’’’Victorian Whisky Capital of the World’, the distillery contributed to the town’s reputation as a whisky powerhouse. However, global events such as U.S. Prohibition and the Great Depression drastically impacted the industry, reducing dozens of distilleries to only a few survivors.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Glen Scotia experienced frequent ownership changes. Duncan MacCallum acquired the distillery in 1924, rescuing it during difficult times. Although tragedy struck with MacCallum’s death in 1930, the Bloch Brothers purchased and renamed the site Glen Scotia in 1933, helping it regain stability. Despite periods of dormancy, including a closure in the 1980s, the distillery preserved its historic buildings and traditions, resuming production at critical moments.
Today, Glen Scotia operates as one of just three distilleries remaining in Campbeltown, embodying the region’s rich whisky heritage and enduring spirit. Its story reflects nearly two centuries of hardship, recovery, and steadfast dedication to Scotch whisky craft.
Technically, Glen Scotia employs a single traditional mash tun fed by water from Crosshill Loch, completing about 13 mashes per week, each lasting approximately eight and a half hours. Fermentation occurs in six stainless steel washbacks of around 17,000 litres capacity each, with fermentation duration varying to shape flavour profiles. The distillery runs one wash still (16,000 litres) and one spirit still (12,000 litres), producing unpeated, medium-peated, and heavily peated malts using malted barley sourced from Greencore Maltings. With an annual capacity near 800,000 litres, Glen Scotia remains a significant, though comparatively small, player in Scotland’s whisky scene.
Since 2014, ownership has rested with the Loch Lomond Group, which invested substantially in Glen Scotia’s restoration and growth. For several years, Master Blender Michael Henry has brought his chemistry and brewing expertise to enhance quality, while Ashley Smith recently took over Master Blender duties at Glen Scotia specifically. Meanwhile, Iain McAlister has managed distillery operations and quality control as Master Distiller for over a decade, maintaining Glen Scotia’s distinctive Campbeltown character.
Glen Scotia 12-Year-Old Tropical Fruit & Coastal Spray (2025) Review
Glen Scotia 12-year-old Tropical Fruit & Coastal Spray is a Campbeltown single malt matured exclusively in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, added this year to Glen Scotia’s core range. It is bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill filtered, and presented with natural colour. It is widely available, priced at around £45 in the UK, and €45 in Europe.
Colour:
Burnished.
Nose:
Neat: The nose reveals a variety of fruits including tropical notes like pineapple and mango, though these remain subtle rather than pronounced. Stewed apples and pears come through alongside vanilla and a faint hint of exhaust fumes. There are also clear suggestions of sea spray, crystallised honey, and a creamy custard-like vanilla character.
Palate:
Neat: The palate opens with a burst of spices and fruity sweetness. Pepper and gentle wood bitterness lead into flavours of tinned pineapple, caramel, and vanilla. Following this, notes of gaze and antiseptic emerge, accompanied by a pinch of salt, olive brine, and toasted oak. The peppery sensation returns, and a delicate hint of cigar smoke is also noticeable.
Finish:
The finish is warm and long, with lingering pepperiness from the palate. Toasted oak, apricot almonds, coffee, and traces of pineapple juice appear. Over time, saltiness returns alongside astringency, as the mouth gradually loses moisture.
Comments:
This Glen Scotia 12-Year-Old hits every mark: it’s genuinely very good, bears a clear age statement, and carries an ideal 46% ABV. The whisky skips chill filtration, delivering a satisfying mouthfeel, and contains no added colour. Best of all, it offers exceptional value at roughly €45 a bottle. These qualities alone would spark interest, but combined, they make this an outstanding purchase. Initially, I rated it a 7, but due to its excellent value, I’m raising the score to 7.5/10. I’ve already bought a backup bottle, as this could easily become my benchmark dram for unpeated whisky reviews.