Glen Scotia: The Quiet Force Behind Campbeltown’s Whisky Revival
ELEMENTS OF CAMPBELTOWN RELEASE NO.1 AIR
The flight from Glasgow to Campbeltown takes around 45 minutes, on a clear day at least. The aircraft is a Twin Otter, a rugged, propeller-driven plane with one seat on either side of the aisle and not a single overhead locker in sight. The First Officer gives the safety briefing, and the in-flight service is limited to views over Scotland’s west coast. These aircraft are built for storms and short runways, used in the Arctic and trusted to land in conditions that would ground most commercial jets. It is a fitting introduction to Campbeltown, a town that is stubborn, proud, and a place whisky lovers must visit at least once.
Campbeltown once held the title of Scotland’s whisky capital. In the 1800s, it was home to more than 30 distilleries, and its name carried weight well beyond the Kintyre Peninsula. But by the 1980s, just two remained. The whisky world had moved on, and Campbeltown, maritime, remote, and stubborn, was on the brink of being forgotten.
That it wasn’t is due, in no small part, to Glen Scotia.
Founded in 1832, Glen Scotia is one of just three remaining distilleries in Campbeltown, and one of the few in Scotland that still operates with much of its original layout intact. The stillroom and dunnage warehouse both date to the 1830s, offering a rare physical link to a time when Campbeltown whisky was among the most sought-after in the world. Today, Glen Scotia is helping put the town back on the map, not by chasing trends or leaning on nostalgia, but by staying true to its identity. It continues to produce distinctive, balanced single malts that speak of sea air, tradition, and quiet resilience.
There is no modern visitor centre, just a perfectly adequate, nicely appointed shop and tasting room, staffed by locals with passion. I got the impression the town draws those born here back for good, having seen the “outside” world. This was certainly the case with one of the team, who had come back and married her childhood sweetheart. I love stories like this.
Much of the equipment in the distillery is original or carefully refurbished to be functional. The whisky is still made using time-honoured methods. Fermentations are long. Distillation is monitored by hand. The pace is unhurried. You get the sense that things here are done the right way, not the easy way. I had the opportunity to taste the new make spirit coming off the stills and found it hard to drink - in a good way. The smell was so wonderful I wanted to nose it all day. In fact, I would use it as a cologne, I liked it so much. I wish new make like this was bottled and made available for purchase - it is delicious.
Whilst there are any number of distilleries in Scotland that have been in operation for over 50 years, it is very rare to see whiskies released with a 50plus year old age statement. In fact I believe there have only ever been 7.
Therefore, the release of Glen Scotia’s 50-Year-Old marks not just a milestone for the distillery, but a moment of quiet reverence in the world of fine whisky. This is the oldest expression ever bottled by Glen Scotia, distilled in 1973, at a time when Campbeltown was still recovering from the industry’s steep decline. Over five decades, it has endured economic shifts, changing fashions, and whisky’s own renaissance, quietly maturing in the shadow of the sea.
Whiskies of this age are exceptionally rare. The vast majority of casks laid down never reach the half-century mark. Most are bottled earlier, whether for reasons of flavour development, wood influence, or commercial viability. Those that survive to fifty years often teeter on the edge of exhaustion, their spirit overwhelmed by time and oak. But Glen Scotia’s 50-Year-Old has emerged with poise, retaining vitality, elegance, and a sense of place.
Matured exclusively in a single refill American oak hogshead to preserve the integrity of the distillery character, the whisky bears the hallmark of Campbeltown’s coastal setting. It carries subtle salinity interwoven with baked orchard fruits, soft tropical notes, and a maritime complexity. On the nose, it opens with flaked almonds, vanilla fudge and salt crystals, followed by sweet edible seaweed and glazed apple tart. The palate reveals a creamy texture with both sweet and savoury tones, powdered ginger, white pepper, and a lingering coconut finish.
Only 100 individually numbered decanters exist, each presented in a bespoke cabinet as striking as the whisky it holds. Designed as the first chapter in the distillery’s new Elements of Campbeltown collection, this inaugural release is named Air. The series draws inspiration from the Celtic five-fold knot, where air, water, fire, and earth encircle a fifth element at the centre - spirit. Future bottlings will explore the influence of each force, but Air begins the journey with a focus on the sea breezes and vapours that have shaped the whisky over half a century in Glen Scotia’s historic dunnage warehouse.
To mark the occasion, Glen Scotia collaborated with acclaimed UK artist Gina Parr, whose coastal abstract work channels the sensory experience of place. After visiting the distillery, Parr created an original oil painting inspired by the atmosphere of the warehouse - the interplay of salty sea air, spirit vapour, and silence. Her painting adorns the cabinet doors, turning each case into a gallery piece in its own right.
The cabinet itself is constructed from solid ash and birch, its form reminiscent of an artist’s easel. Deep coastal tones and amber hues on the exterior echo the whisky’s origins, while inside, a bespoke Glencairn crystal decanter rests in a luxurious white leather setting. Around its base runs a fine band representing air, and the heavy brass stopper is crowned with a Celtic knot. Each set is accompanied by a hardback book that tells the story of the whisky, the artwork, and the natural forces that shaped both.
I was fortunate to taste Glen Scotia’s 50-Year-Old recently at the Connaught Hotel, alongside its sister distillery Loch Lomond’s own 50-Year-Old release. The Loch Lomond, which had been released a little earlier, was instantly appealing—evocative of Jaffa cakes and ginger, with an impressively oily texture and remarkable length.
The Glen Scotia, by contrast, was a slow reveal. Over the course of 30 minutes, it evolved gracefully in the glass. It began with bright tropical notes—ripe pineapple and mango on the nose—before shifting into a more citrus-led profile, particularly tangerine. As it settled, aromas of baked apple and warming spice came to the fore, all underpinned by a delicate thread of maritime salinity. The whisky was deeply complex, with flavours that lingered seemingly without end and a texture that was both elegant and satisfying. A truly contemplative dram.
Priced at £35,000, this release is aimed squarely at collectors. Yet it is not made for display alone. It is the result of patience, restraint, and belief of distillery workers who chose, again and again, to let the cask rest a little longer, trusting that one day its moment would come.
For those not familiar with Glen Scotia, in 2021, Glen Scotia’s 25-Year-Old was named Best in Show Whisky at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, topping more than 3,800 entries from across the globe. This alone demonstrates its pedigree.
Just seven months later, the distillery was named Scottish Distillery of the Year at the Scottish Whisky Awards. These accolades matter, but more importantly, they reflect how much attention Glen Scotia is now attracting. After decades in the shadows, the whisky world is looking at Campbeltown again.
One of the aspects I like most about Glen Scotia is the size of the team. Unlike the slick operations of larger distilleries, Glen Scotia runs with a small, close-knit crew. Everyone does a bit of everything. There is a strong sense of ownership, not just of the whisky, but of the distillery’s future.
The team continues a tradition passed down through generations. Decisions are made with a mix of instinct and experience. I witnessed this first hand through conversations with the team here - I could feel their passion and pride.
Glen Scotia makes both peated and unpeated whiskies, though the core character remains unmistakably Campbeltown. There is always a subtle coastal influence, a whiff of brine, a touch of seaweed, sometimes even a mineral or chalky edge, that anchors the fruit and spice.
Glen Scotia’s range includes both peated and unpeated expressions, each offering a different perspective on the house style. The unpeated whiskies tend to be oily and fruity, with a gentle salinity and soft spice. The peated versions are not as heavy like Islay’s more aggressive offerings. Instead, the smoke is restrained and coastal, like the scent of driftwood smoke on a sea breeze. You still get stone fruit, vanilla, and caramel, but they sit alongside bonfire and maritime salt.
The Victoriana, a firm favourite of mine, offers a rich, robust style inspired by 19th-century Campbeltown whiskies, while the Double Cask brings together American oak and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks for a softer, more rounded finish.
Glen Scotia seems in many ways to be part of Campbeltown’s soul. Its fortunes have mirrored the town’s, and its recent success is helping to lift the whole region. For whisky lovers searching for provenance, character, and a story that cannot be faked, Campbeltown is once again where wise drinkers are heading.
The geography matters. Campbeltown is not easy to get to. It is a peninsula off a peninsula. But this isolation has helped preserve a certain way of doing things. The whiskies reflect that rugged independence.
In a world full of noise, Glen Scotia continues to speak quietly - and the whisky world is listening.