Scapa Distillery has launched a renewed core range featuring 10-, 16-, and 21-year-old single malts, marking its first permanent age-statement collection since 1885. Released in late 2024 under the Signature Range name, the series showcases Scapa’s fruity, unpeated style, with all three whiskies matured in first-fill American oak casks and bottled at 48% ABV or cask strength.
The new core range was accompanied by new packaging said to take inspiration from the calm coastal surroundings of Scapa Flow, using a soft maritime colour palette and redesigned bottle silhouettes. The launch coincides with updates to the distillery’s visitor centre, reflecting Pernod Ricard’s decision to at last revitalise Scapa, and bringing renewed attention to this long-overlooked Orkney distillery.
We’ll review all three of these new expressions, as well as the old 16-year-old, discontinued in 2016.
Scapa Distillery
Scapa Distillery stands on the southern edge of Kirkwall, looking out across the sheltered waters of Scapa Flow on Orkney’s mainland. Founded in 1885 by Macfarlane & Townsend, two Glasgow whisky blenders, the distillery has endured fires, wartime interruptions, and long periods of silence, yet remains one of Scotland’s most resilient island malt producers.
Unlike many northern distilleries, Scapa produces an unpeated, honeyed style of spirit known for its gentle maritime influence and notes of heather, orchard fruit, and soft vanilla. The distillery uses a long fermentation and a modified Lomond wash still – one of the only surviving examples in Scotland – resulting in a lush, creamy Highland-style profile despite its island location.
Scapa operated for much of the 20th century under Hiram Walker and later Allied Distillers, contributing malt to Ballantine’s and Teacher’s blends. After being mothballed in 1994, it was restored following a £2 million refurbishment completed in 2004, with full production resuming under Pernod Ricard in 2005.
Since 2015, the distillery has welcomed visitors to its modern brand home, offering guided tours and tastings overlooking Scapa Flow. Today, under the new Signature Range introduced in 2024 – with age statements at 10, 16, and 21 years. Simultaneously, the distillery has undertaken significant work to modernise its visitor facilities. Since 2024, Scapa has developed a new tasting room called the Scapa Noust, designed with nautical elements inspired by Orkney’s maritime heritage.
Scapa 10-Year-Old (2024) Review
We begin with the Scapa 10-year-old, a single malt fully matured in first-fill bourbon casks and bottled at 48%. The distillery adds colouring but avoids chill filtration. This expression is widely available, retailing for around £53 in the UK and €55 across Europe.
Colour:
Amber (but fake).
Nose:
Neat: The nose bursts with tropical fruit – passion fruit, mango, pineapple, and banana lead to an exuberant opening. A gentle coastal influence adds sea breeze, a trace of salt, and a hint of sea foam. Subtler notes of vanilla and honey emerge behind the fruit, joined by dried apricots, herbs, and a touch of toasted wood.
Palate:
Neat: The palate follows through with ripe tropical fruit – mango, passion fruit, orange, and pineapple – supported by a smooth, chocolatey oiliness that gives the whisky both texture and more depth. The casks show their influence without overpowering the spirit, balancing sweet wood spice, coffee, cocoa, and a light thread of salt. A playful banana confection note lingers underneath it all.
Finish:
The finish stays warm and slightly drying, carrying flavours of chocolate, banana confection, pineapple, dark honey, and a faint suggestion of lychee.
Comments:
This Scapa 10-year-old shows how well balance and flavour can come together at 48% ABV. The bottling strength feels spot on, giving enough weight for a satisfying mouthfeel while keeping the spirit bright and expressive. It’s a lively, flavour-forward dram – easy to enjoy, rich in fruit character, not perfect, but definitely very good.
Rating: 7.5/10
Scapa 16-Year-Old (2016) Review
Before tasting the new Scapa 16-year-old from the revamped core range, it’s worth revisiting the discontinued version – the one that came in the tall bottle. This earlier 16-year-old matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks and came bottled at 40% ABV, with chill filtration and added colouring. Scapa halted its production in 2016, and only a few retailers still have bottles available, often at a premium of around €200. You’ll likely find better prices on the secondary market, but availability remains limited.
Colour:
Amber (fake)
Nose:
Neat: The nose opens with acacia honey and orange, followed by bright notes of vanilla and tangy fruit. Granny Smith apples, pears, slightly unripe plums, and light grapes create a crisp, tart profile. A touch of pineapple and ginger. Despite the low ABV, the aromas display good intensity, making for a very pleasant introduction.
Palate:
Neat: The palate centres on apples – green, red, and even a refreshing apple sorbet character. A hint of woody bitterness contrasts with a light sugary sweetness, while the mouthfeel stays quite thin, showing the limits of the lower strength. Dried herbs and toffee appear in the background.
Finish:
The finish brings a shift from wood bitterness toward cardboard notes, with apple juice and a touch of chocolate lingering for a medium length.
Comments:
The nose of this old Scapa 16-year-old held real promise despite its low strength, but the palate and finish fail to live up to it. The wood quickly dominates the spirit, and it feels, as the finish develops, that the casks were not of the highest quality. The thin mouthfeel doesn’t help to lift this Scapa either. It’s a pity – the nose showed genuine appeal, but the rest falls short of expectations.
Rating: 5.5/10
Scapa 16-Year-Old (2024) Review
Back to the new core range with the current Scapa 16-year-old. Like the earlier version, it matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, but this release comes bottled at a much-improved 48% ABV. Scapa avoids chill filtration yet still adds colour. In the UK, bottles sell for about £95, while prices in Europe start around €105.
Colour:
Deep gold (fake)
Nose:
Neat: The nose feels fruity and fresh, opening on the aromas of yeast, salt, and gentle oak. Vanilla, custard, and caramel deliver a nice sweetness, while tropical fruits – lychee, mango, and pineapple – mingle with green apples and pears. Cinnamon rolls, black pepper, and a hint of salt appear later. Compared with the 10-year-old, it comes across as richer and less overtly coastal.
Palate:
Neat: Tropical fruits take the lead once again, with maracuja, lychee, banana, and pineapple giving a lush, exotic feel. Layers of salted caramel, cherry cola, and chocolate bring some warmth and indulgence. The texture remains buttery, with notes of malted toast, black pepper, and a touch of sea salt. The oak is present but lighter than in the younger expression, keeping balance across the palate.
Finish:
The finish maintains gentle warmth, combining light spice, chocolate infused with orange and lemon, honey, and tropical fruit for a medium length that fades softly.
Comments:
The 16-year-old shares the same DNA as the 10, but the character shifts noticeably. It feels less tropical and more composed, showing greater maturity and roundness. Yet, by losing some of the 10-year-old’s lively energy and brightness, it doesn’t quite reach the same level of vibrancy – a fine whisky, but the younger release remains more captivating. And half the price.
Rating: 7/10
Scapa 21-Year-Old (2024) Review
We conclude this review with the oldest expression in the new Signature Range – the Scapa 21-year-old. The whisky matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks and comes bottled at cask strength, 52.9% ABV here for this 2024 release (the 2025 release is bottled at 50.7% ABV). Scapa avoids chill filtration but still adds colour. Retail prices sit around £250 in the UK and €300 across Europe.
Colour:
Burnished (fake)
Nose:
Neat: The nose opens on juicy apricots and thick apricot jam, with ripe mango, pineapple, and maracuja bringing a lush tropical depth. Subtle coastal notes return: iodine and a fresh sea breeze mingle with warm, toasty oak, nutmeg, and gentle spice.
With water: Adding water brings out more wood, some sharpness, and layers of dusty leather, milk chocolate, and grated vanilla pods.
Palate:
Neat: The palate echoes the nose in its rich fruitiness, but the higher ABV asserts itself with a solid but balanced heat. Tropical elements shine – apricot, mango, and pineapple, supported by more pronounced wood and spice than the younger expressions.
With water: A light herbal bitterness, like aromatic wood, appears with water, together with a slightly sour tang reminiscent of an IPA.
Finish:
Apricot jam and vibrant spices linger through the finish, with spicy and bitter oak followed by a refreshing touch of eucalyptus. The finish sits at a medium length, with a clean, herbal freshness.
Comments:
This Scapa 21-year-old really impresses after time in the glass, and trying it several times over a year. The oak influence stands out more than in the 10- or 16-year-old, but the whisky finds depth in its layers of tropical fruit and rich apricot jam. With more maturity, the flavours feel deeper and more intricate, and repeated tastings reveal its charm – matching the vibrant appeal of the younger bottlings in a wholly different way. Still, the price is notably higher, and while the quality has risen, it’s no secret that the age premium puts it out of reach for many. Age pushes whisky prices well beyond the factor of years, but for fans of complexity and richness, this release rewards the investment.
Rating: 7.5/10
Thanks Aurélien! Disclaimer: Scapa is owned by Pernod Ricard, for whom I’ve subcontracted (but for Aberlour, another distillery owned by PRF) three times since September 2024. However, this doesn’t change the fact that I write what I really think, regardless of contracts or gifted samples, and this review is 100% sincere.