Scapa 10 & Scapa 18 Casks 194, 211, 212, 214, 217

Scapa 10

Region: Highlands

ABV: 48%

Price: £52.95

Back in November last year, Scapa unveiled a new series of single malts. This 10-year-old was released alongside a new 16-year-old and 21-year-old expression. You can read our review of the 16-year-old here:

Scapa 16 Signature Range – 2024 Release

Like the 16-year-old, the 10-year-old was matured in ex-American oak casks.

Nose

The nose opens with light pineapple aromas, a mixture of tinned rings in syrup and fizzy artificial pineapple juice. There's also Chantilly cream, brown butter, a bit of ethanol, and Scottish tablet. Very sweet, tropical, with milk bottle sweeties and foam bananas. The alcohol isn’t mild, with a touch of white pepper spice as you get deeper into the glass. Going back, we’re finding some artificial melon and kiwi flesh. 

Palate

The palate opens with banana ice cream, brown sugar, fizzy apple sweeties, whole milk and some pineapple as it develops. We’re left with a finish that sticks around for a medium length, and reminds us of an old school confectionery shop. Going back, we’re getting tangerines, melon, lemon pith and fudge. It mirrors the nose quite closely, with lots of sweet, fruity flavours. The mouthfeel is reasonable, it's a little watery but that doesn't seem to have impacted the flavour too much. There's a hint of alcohol kicking around on the latter part of the palate reminding us of the age.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose brings a little sherbet and green apple, but we're still firmly within an old confectionery shop. It feels slightly lighter, with a bit more creamy vanilla coming through. Reduction hasn't made the nose worse, but it hasn't made it noticeably better either.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate has more upfront creaminess and vanilla, simple white sugar, fondant icing, a little peppery spice, and we're feeling like some of the fruits have been pushed quite far into the background. The mouthfeel and finish remain broadly the same. Still tasty, but it's not particularly benefited from water.

Conclusion

We're quite impressed with this dram, as have we been with the other new core range releases from Scapa. It's well put together, tasty, and eminently drinkable. It's not the most complex dram out there, but for a 10yo distillery release, it's a very good whisky.

Score: 7/10

Value

It would’ve been nice to see this priced a little lower, but we appreciate that it’s been bottled at 48% ABV — higher than most 10-year-old releases from its competitors.

Scapa 18 Casks 194, 211, 212, 214, 217

Region: Highlands

ABV: 52.5%

Price: £140.00 (50cl, Auction)

This small batch release is a vatting of casks distilled on March 8th, 2000, and bottled on July 26th, 2018. A total of 1,512 bottles were released.

Nose

The nose opens with juicy pineapple, freshly cut, Midori melon liqueur, sherbet, double cream, freshly zested oranges, alongside some white flowers in the background. There's a real body to the nose of this dram, it's jumping out of the glass at us. Going back, we're getting fresh sponge cake, a little whipped vanilla cream, and a hint of apricot jam too. There's a bit of alcohol on the nose but it's not detracting from our enjoyment of the whisky. We're also getting chunks of fudge and freshly chopped apple slices.

Palate

The palate opens with a fruit bowl of flavours, apples, pears, pineapple, banana, orange, all mixing together under the sweetness of caster sugar and vanilla bon bons. There's a nice texture on the whisky, reduced sugar syrup, and we're getting some freshly zested lime as the palate develops. The finish lingers for a medium length with a touch of ginger spice, lemon peel and coconut shavings. Going back, the fruit gets even juicier, and pineapple takes front and centre stage.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose brings more bourbon notes forward, slightly woodier, more vanilla, still lots of creaminess, and there's still fruit appearing albeit a little harder to find. The balance remains good and it becomes a real sugar-forward dram.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate maintains the syrupy texture on the tongue, and we're getting a nice mixture of cask sweetness, pineapple juice, lots of vanilla again, and the alcohol feels a bit more integrated. Water can help this whisky, but it also transforms it into a more cask-driven experience.

Conclusion

This is one of those drams that makes you realise how a little bit higher ABV really helps to carry flavours and aromas. Trying it side by side with the new 10yo, this has much more body, heft and texture, with only 4ish percent higher alcohol (although it is 8 years older...). Cracking whisky, lots to love, we just wish there was more cask strength aged Scapa kicking around.

Score: 8/10

Value

It’s on the pricey side, but that reflects the scarcity and quality of the liquid.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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