1770 Glasgow 2018/2022 Red Wine & Ruby Port Cask 4 years old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 57.5%

Two whiskies from the same distillery that were never meant to meet. One peated and finished in Bordeaux red wine casks. The other triple distilled and finished in Ruby Port. Somebody opened both and poured them together, and what came out makes more sense than it should.

The Expert's Description

1770 Glasgow 2018/2022 Red Wine & Ruby Port Cask 4 Years Old is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky finished in Bordeaux red wine casks and Ruby Port casks, bottled at 57.5%. It brings together two different malt whiskies, both made at Glasgow Distillery, released in the distillery’s Small Batch Series at 1,925 bottles.

The first part is peated and took its finish in casks from Bordeaux, which lays dark berries and a drier tannic edge into the smoke. The second is triple distilled and unpeated, finished in Ruby Port, giving red fruit, sweetness and a fuller texture. Because every drop comes from the one distillery, the whisky is still a Single Malt.

The water comes from Loch Katrine, the mash ferments for more than 72 hours, and distillation runs slowly in copper pot stills. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dark berries first, blackberry and preserved cherry, and behind them a dry earthy smoke closer to cold ash than a bonfire. There is vinous sweetness too and a streak of liquorice. The smoke is clear but it does not fill the whole glass.

Palate

Sweet and full to start: raspberry, redcurrant and a little dark chocolate. Then the smoke arrives from the side along with black pepper and a drier tannin from the red wine wood. At 57.5% the body is generous, and a pleasant tension between sweet and smoky runs the whole way through.

Finish

Long and in two halves. The fruit lingers first, then a drier note of ash and pepper takes over and releases slowly.

Specifications

Name: 1770 Glasgow 2018/2022 Red Wine & Ruby Port Cask 4 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 57.5%
Distillery: Glasgow Distillery
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 4 years
ABV: 57.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Finished in Bordeaux red wine casks and Ruby Port casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Traditional and triple distillation in copper pot stills
Distilled: 2018
Bottled: 2022
Number of bottles: 1,925
Edition: Small Batch Series
EAN no.: 5714772002074

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Fruity · Vinous · Spiced · Cask Strength · Full Bodied

Did You Know?

Glasgow Distillery runs peated, unpeated and triple distilled production within the same year. Most Scottish malt distilleries stick to one style, but here the recipe is deliberately switched so there is something different to build with when the casks are brought together. This bottle is a direct result of working that way.

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Frequently Asked Questions about 1770 Glasgow 2018/2022 Red Wine & Ruby Port Cask 4 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 57.5%

How can the whisky be both peated and triple distilled?

Because it is put together from two different productions at the same distillery. One is peated malt distilled twice, the other unpeated malt distilled three times. As all the spirit comes from Glasgow Distillery, the result is still Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

How smoky is it?

Moderately. The smoke sits as a dry earthy undercarriage rather than a dominant peat bomb, and the fruit from the wine casks takes a good share of the attention. If you are used to heavy Islay smoke, this will read as restrained.

What does a Ruby Port cask do to whisky?

Ruby Port is the fresh fruity style of port, and the cask leaves red fruit, raspberry, cherry and currant, along with sweetness and a slightly thicker texture. It pulls the whisky rounder than a red wine cask, which is drier and more tannic.

Does it work with food?

It sits surprisingly well beside dark chocolate or a mature hard cheese, where the sweetness and smoke get something to push against. To try other Scottish styles in the same exercise, browse our range of Scotch Whisky.

What is the Small Batch Series?

Glasgow Distillery’s line for smaller releases, where they work with particular cask types or combinations outside the core range. Outturns are larger than single cask bottlings but still limited, here 1,925 bottles.

Is four years enough for a whisky like this?

For this style, yes. The wine casks work quickly, and the smoke from the peated portion does not need decades to make itself known. What you do not get is the soft rounded character long maturation brings. This is a whisky with edges, and that is the point.