It has been a while since I sat down and properly reviewed a whisky. With all the deep dives and industry explorations I have been doing lately, some of you have started to wonder if I even drink the stuff anymore.
The truth is, there are so many brilliant reviewers on this platform that I have wanted to carve out a different lane. But I still love whisky, and when a bottle arrives that demands to be talked about, the reviewing itch comes back with a vengeance.
So, I am diving back in with the Glen Scotia Malt Festival 2026, a seven-year-old medium peated single malt finished in ruby port casks, and I am stacking it up against every festival release from the last six years.
First, full transparency. This bottle was given to me to review, but not by the distillery and not in any official capacity as Jeff Whiskey. As far as I know, Glen Scotia has no idea it ended up in my tiny hands. I have put serious research into this one, though, as you can see from the fill level.
Everything that follows is entirely my own take, full of my own dreadful and whimsical tasting notes. If that arrangement bothers you, fair enough, but I can promise you honesty.
On paper, this release is my absolute jam. Matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks with a six-month finish in first-fill ruby port casks, bottled at a punchy 53.9% ABV.
On the nose, it delivers sour cherry jam, salted butter, and a gentle charcoal woodfire smoke. There is a sweet, tangy funkiness to it, something almost cider-like, with a faint metallic licorice note hovering around the edges.
On the palate, the first hit is distinctly ashy. Think strawberries that have fallen through the slats of a barbecue and ended up dusted in charcoal. Burnt toast slathered with jam. The texture is creamy and oily, and despite the ABV, it drinks dangerously easy, closer to 46% if you were tasting blind.
Where it falters slightly is the finish, which runs a bit short, leaving behind an herbaceous whisper and a lingering ashy note. I would also say the peat lands lighter than “medium” suggests, and the port influence, while present, sits on the gentler side.
At £58, this is actually cheaper than some previous festival releases, and I think it represents fair value.
If you enjoy the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban or really any Glen Scotia, this is worth grabbing. It is, as I like to say, pretty slappable. Score-wise, I would land it around a six or seven out of ten. Solid, enjoyable, and well-priced, but not quite reaching the heights of its predecessors.
In my personal ranking of every Malt Festival release since 2020, it slots in at number four. The top spot still belongs to that majestic 2020 fourteen-year-old tawny port finish, a whisky that holds a perfect ten for me and carries some personal magic from a backup honeymoon during a rather chaotic time. The 2021 unpeated red wine finish and the 2022 heavily peated PX round out the podium, with 2025’s heavily peated red wine close behind.
The Glen Scotia Malt Festival releases continue to be one of the most exciting annual traditions in Campbeltown, and this 2026 edition holds its own in strong company. Have you tried this one yet, or are you planning to pick up a bottle? I would love to hear how your ranking compares to mine.
To see my full review, and hear the reasoning behind my Glen Scotia Festival bottle rankings, watch my YouTube video.
Read the full article at Ranking 6 Years of Glen Scotia Festival Bottles – 2026 Isn’t No.1
