Hey Everyone, welcome back. Today we are travelling to the very north of Scotland, to the beautiful Orkney, where only three whisky distilleries reside. Highland Park: one of my absolute favourite, Scapa: which I also really like and The Orkney Distillery. 

We will take a look at Scapa, a very overlooked distillery even though I think they produce great whisky. I will review the full old core range: Skiren, Glansa and 16 yo and also the new core range consisting of the 10-16 and 21 yo expressions. Strap in, this will be a long one.

About the distillery

Scapa distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery on The Mainland of Orkney, Scotland on the shore of Scapa Flow near the town of Kirkwall. Scapa is the third-northernmost whisky distillery in Scotland, 1⁄2 mile (800 metres) south of the Highland Park Distillery.

Macfarlane & Townsend founded Scapa distillery in 1885, with the operation being headed up by John Townsend. John Townsend was the general manager of the operation until 1919, when the Scapa Distillery Company Ltd. was founded. However, it went into voluntary liquidation in 1934. 

Production resumed again in 1936, when the Bloch Brothers took over the distillery.

In 1954, the distillery was acquired by Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd (now part of Pernod Ricard) and rebuilt, they installed a Lomond still. The distillery was again refurbished in 1978. 

The site was mothballed in 1994 but in 1997, production began to be slowly re-introduced, with staff from Highland Park working on the site for a few months every year.

Ownership of the distillery had passed to Allied distillers when they bought Hiram Walker in 1987 and in 2004, when facing definitive closure, the company decided to rebuild and restore the distillery at a cost of £2.1 million. In 2005, ownership passed to Pernod Ricard and full production recommenced in October 2005.

In 2015, a visitor centre opened at the distillery.

Scapa Distillery has one wash still and one spirit still. The capacity of the wash still stands at 13,500 liters, and that of the spirit still stands at 13,563 liters. The wash still is a Lomond still with the recognizable bulb shaped bottom of a standard pot still, but instead of a tapering neck, it has a wide, thick neck, which rises straight out of the spherical lid. 

The distillery had its own malting floors until 1966, with barley being brought in from Speyside. The site now buys in all of its malt from an industrial source on the mainland.

Scapa has three racked warehouses on site, and the distillery uses exclusively uses Bourbon casks in which to mature its Single Malt. The warehouses at the distillery are incredibly close to the sea, which has lead to the management closely monitoring the impact of the salt in the air on the Whisky. Interestingly, the distillery has not tracked any marked impact of the salt on the flavor of the Single Malt, nor the barrels in which it is held.

Scapa Skiren - Natural Color (?), Chill filtered, 40%

"A 2015 addition to the Scapa range, the Skiren is a handsomely honey'd single malt Scotch whisky which has been distilled in the Scotch whisky industry's only remaining working Lomond Still! It was matured in first fill American oak casks, bringing plenty of vanilla and honey notes to the table. The name comes from the Old Norse word for "glittering bright skies"..."

Nose: Very intense nose. Very bright and fruity. Mostly orchard fruits such as apples, pears and apricots. The first-fill bourbon barrels add vanilla and caramel. A hint of wood and a nice malty base. Truly a lovely nose.

Taste: Quite watery at first. It starts to develop slowly. Warm and rich. Lots of fruits again in the form of apples and apricots. Malt, biscuits and a lot of honey. Lemon peel. A touch of oak with vanilla and milk chocolate. Great.

Finish: Short to medium, a bit more abv. would have helped a lot. Sweet and oaky. 

Overall a great sipping whisky. The nose is extremely good, sadly the taste is a bit disappointing after that lovely nose but it is still good. This would be an absolute belter at 46% abv. in my opinion. I will rate this whisky 7.3/10.

Scapa 16 yo old bottling - Natural Color (?), Chill filtered, 40%

"This 16-year-old single malt from Orkney's Scapa was originally launched in 2008, and later discontinued in 2015. A great find for fans of this hard-to-find gem."

Nose: Again very intense and similar to the Skiren. However it is much more full and rounded. Apples, pears and apricots. There is some marzipan, white chocolate and yeast. Very malty, biscuity and buttery. Honey. Cinnamon rolls and black pepper.

Taste: Wow. Ok. Oily, even at 40% abv. Developing nicely to a fruit bomb. Lychee, pineapple, green apples and apricots. Bananas and cinnamon rolls. White chocolate and black pepper. A wee bit of oak and a leathery component. Great.

Finish: Medium finish with a nice amount of oak, honey and spices. Dry and sweet at the same time.

Overall this is a good whisky, however the price of this bottle close to 200-300 euros is a joke. This bottle is worth around 70 euroes at max. And as I said before I will say again, this would be a belter at 46% abv. or more. I rate this whisky 8/10.

Scapa 10 yo - Natural Color (?), Non-chill filtered , 48%

"Scapa 10-year-old release is sophisticated, with subtle notes of fresh tropical fruits, a true expression of the character of Scapa Single Malts.

Matured in ex-American oak barrels, in warehouses in Orkney this liquid is crafted by our makers, capturing the soul of Orkney is every drop."

Nose: Ah, interesting. This is very similar but also very different. A little bit more yeasty, salty. Spicy. The smell is less sweet than the older releases. Tropical frutis such as mango and pineapple. A hint of oak. Vanilla and caramel.

Taste: The taste is completely different. Much fuller, much stronger, much spicier. Green apple, pear compote, apricot. Vanilla, caramel and spices. Black pepper and cinnamon. A faint nutty, hazelnutty line can also be found. A little spicy compared to its predecessors. You can feel that this is already 48% abv.

Finish: Long finish, very spicy, dry but also sweet. Not bad.

Overall this whisky is a much stronger one than the predecessors. However is that better? In my opinion this is a bit too young, bit too spicy. I think this should have been left in the casks for a bit longer. I rate this whisky 6.6/10.

Scapa 16 yo - Natural Color (?), Non-chill filtered , 48%

"Scapa 16-year-old release is at the heart of Scapa single malts collection, where notes of warm spices complement the fruit notes like a symphony.

Crafted in the Scapa distillery, overlooking the historic Scapa Flow, every drop is a marriage of our Orkney spirit and American oak barrels from Scapa's manually operated distillery in Orkney."

Nose: Intense, fruity, fresh. Yeasty, salty, oaky aroma. The vanilla, caramel sweetness completely disappears. Spicy. Very similar to the 10 year old. The aroma is rounder, more mature. Lots of tropical fruits such as lychee, mango and pineapple accompanied by green apples and pears from the orchard. Cinnamon rolls and black pepper.

Taste: The taste does not disappoint either. Better than the 10, you can feel the extra 6 years. Tropical fruits, mainly lychee, banana and pineapple. Salted caramel and marzipan. A little cherry and apricot appears too. Buttery toast and malt. Black pepper, cinnamon. Very pleasant.

Finish: Long and dry. Complex and fruity. Tropical fruits, cinnamon and honey. A nice oaky touch at the end.

Overall I like this a lot. I would buy this over and over again if the price would be a bit lower. Currently it is selling for more than 100 euros where I live. It is complex, mature and smooth. Just as it should be. I am rating this whisky a whopping 8.2/10.

Scapa 21 yo - Natural Color (?), Non-chill filtered , Cask Strength, 52.9%

"This Orkney Islands single malt has aged for 21 years in first-fill American oak barrels housed in warehouses in Orkney.

A single batch whisky, our makers have let the long maturation add depth to the tropical fruits yet maintaining a balance between the distillery style and the influence of the American oak, with a fruity yet complex tropical flavour. Each release is produced once a year, non chill-filtered and released at cask strength."

Nose: At the first sniff it is very similar to the 16 year old. After a little aeration however, it's completely different. It smells much more yeasty. Salty, buttery, biscuity, malty. Very green apple-y. To me, it smells sweeter. Lots of tropical fruits and a truckload of vanilla.

Taste: The taste is even better than the nose. Apple, pear, peach. Vanilla, nutmeg, cherry. Very malty, buttery, biscuity. Lychee, pineapple and banana. The higher alcohol content is not noticeable, very round, smooth. 21 years is 21 years. Christmas spices can also be found in it. How lovely.

Finish: The finish is particularly long, pleasant. Dry, spicy, peppery and a little oaky. Very nice.

Overall this is my favourite of the bunch. It is full of flavour and it is very round and smooth. Sadly the asking price is extremely high, around 300 euros. If you have the chance to try it, you should. It is a gem. I rate this 9/10.

Scapa Glansa - Natural Color (?), Chill filtered, 40%

"American oak cask matured Scapa single malt Scotch whisky finished in casks that previously held smoky, peated whisky! Scapa describe Glansa as a gentle introduction to the world of peated whisky."

Nose: I left it for last place because this release has a peaty cask finish, so it will probably have a little smoke in it. Fresh, fruity with a faint farmhouse scent. Vanilla, caramel and salt. Very faint smoke in it.

Taste: The taste is a little watery. Hay, malt, horse manure, orchard fruits. Green apples, pears and peaches again. Not a big bang this one. The peat is barely noticeable.

Finish: The finish is short, dry, spicy and a little smoky.

Overall this is a weak expression in my opinion. Does not have much going for it. It is too watery, and it is not as intense or frutiy or anything as the previous whiskies. I rate this 5/10.

Conclusion

None of the drams were bad. If I had to rank them, this is what it would look like for me.

1. Scapa 21 yo - Natural Color (?), Non-chill filtered , Cask Strength, 52.9% - 9 points

2. Scapa 16 yo - Natural Color (?), Non-chill filtered , 48% - 8.2 points

3. Scapa 16 yo old bottling - Natural Color (?), Chill filtered, 40% - 8 points

4. Scapa Skiren - Natural Color (?), Chill filtered, 40% - 7.3 points

5. Scapa 10 yo - Natural Color (?), Non-chill filtered , 48% - 6.6 points

6. Scapa Glansa - Natural Color (?), Chill filtered, 40% - 5 points

Why is the 10 year old so far back? I think it's too young, too alcoholic. Skiren is much smoother, much rounder, much lighter.

The new core range is good, although I didn't have a problem with the old one either. Maybe the 10 sticks out a bit, I don't like it that much. The 16 and 21 are excellent, I recommend them. I might buy more of the 16. The 21 is unfortunately too expensive at 300 euros. Buy them, try them. Drink responsibly.

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Check out the points on all the whiskies I've rated and ranked head-to-head over HERE.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. To many more. Sláinte.