Night with Campbeltown Scotch

One sip of the whisky, and I knew it was a Scotch night. After a lot of interesting bourbons and other new whiskies, sometimes it’s nice to whiff the kind familiarity of a Scotch and think “hello.”
 
I chose to go for some Campbeltown whiskies since I wanted the friendlier side of Scotch, not necessarily the briny, sit-and-contemplate-a-storm, but the mild spice and vanilla and nostalgia that can come with Scotch.
 
I found such a nice connection with the whisky that even at a crowded bar with several conversations around me in a city with millions of people around me, I feel like a found a bit of my own space and solitude. That I shared with the whisky – but gladly. 

---

Campbeltown interests me as a place in general. It is considered its own Scotch region and used to have over 30 distilleries, but now just three remain. I can’t help but think that will change with the sprouting of so many new distilleries and popularity of whisky worldwide.
 
But for now, there are three distilleries and I took a sip out of 2 of them – Springbank and Glen Scotia. The other is Glengyle.
 
Springbank Hazelburn
What I knew: 8 years old, single malt, 92 proof, triple distilled
What I discovered: Smelled sweet and had a nice caramel green apple taste to it. It reminded me of a fruitcake, but as it sat, it took on more vanilla.
 
As compared to…
 
Glen Scotia Signatory Vintage
What I knew: 14 years old, 86 proof, from used bourbon barrels
What I discovered: This one smelled more mossy and tasted clean like stainless steel. It also had some peaty aftertones. It did taste vintage – there was a nostalgia feel to it. Like sitting on an attic floor drinking whisky.

---