Here's a new chapter in my search for the perfect whisky, the one I'm sure exists, just waiting to be found. You know, the true "water of life", the stuff that only the select few ivory-tower whisky-snobs know about and secretly drink, laughing at the poor slobs like us making do with the mediocre stuff.

Ok... about this being a "new chapter" for me... maybe that's an overstatement. Perhaps this is more of a new page,um... or a paragraph... or a footnote rather.

*sigh*

This sure isn't the thing I was looking for.

That rather plain looking Scapa box that shelters the Scapa bottle appealed to me from its shelf of the spirits store today. As I really couldn't afford to add to my whisky selection right now, I was just browsing there, getting depressed by the measly selection of single malts available, and quite aware that I would still end up buying a bottle. It was just a matter of which bottle. I've looked at the Scapa box before, and been intrigued by the fact that the stuff comes from Orkney, the northernmost island along the coast of Scotland that produces whisky.

And it was not only the novelty value brought on by the location of this remote island, it was the fact that Scapa is the only other whisky produced on the island in addition to Highland Park. And Highland Park is one of my favourite whiskies. It's such agreeable stuff that it tends to be one of everybody's favourites - everyone who's ever had a pleasure of tasting it. That was enough enticement for me, and now I'm the proud owner of a bottle of 10 yo Scapa.

A Proud, slightly disillusioned owner.


The compulsory how-to-taste bit

The straight and simple whisky glass is fine with the cheep stuff at a bar, but if you want to really enjoy good scotch, you use a brandy glass or a tulip glass. There are three reasons for this:

a) the thin glass will allow the heat to seep through from your hands to warm the liquid. (Did I hear someone think "what about the ICE"? I sure hope not...)
b) the shape of the glass will gather the aroma for your nose.
c) it makes you look much cooler. (The importance of the third point is hotly debated among whisky connoisseurs.)

It's also recommended that you add a drop of water before tasting, just a drop, not splash or dash or… whatever-other-other-words-you-can-think-of signifying more than a drop. Only if the whisky is cask strength should you add more than a drop. The drop works usually to "open up" the whisky, and to bring out new aromas and flavours.

That's the basics then, ready to go on with the tasting? Here we go...


Aroma

straight: A "stuffy" feel in the aroma, sort of like a dusty old library. On top of the "literature", there are sweet floral notes and a hint of apple. Very sweet.

With a drop of water: Surprisingly little change, no new fragrances to be detected. A little less sting (of which there was very little to begin with). Perhaps, if possible, the sweetness stands out even more, while the other scents are toned down.


Flavour

Fairly light taste overall. A bit spicy start, followed by floral sweetness and a bit of raisin. Very smooth oak flavour. Overall a balanced whisky. I didn't detect any peat, and there's very, very little smoke. Feels a bit watery. There's also a brief moment of faint saltiness there.

The sweetness is somewhat reminiscent of MacAllan, maybe even sweeter, though in quality Scapa does not quite reach the same heights. This might be the introductory single-malt for sherry-lovers wanting to experiment with scotch. "MacAllan lite". The aftertaste is annoyingly sweet.


Conclusion

My palate tends to prefer peaty, smoky, grab-you-by-your-tonsils sea splash whisky, the kind of stuff you imagine scruffy pirates with a wooden leg and an eye-patch drinking when they're not having rum (Arrr!). For people like me Scapa is not a very good choice. For me, it turned out to be a stubbornly opinion-resistant whisky: I had a really tough time (and a refill) deciding whether to recommend it or not. After all, it does have some nice flavours going for it, and although a bit watery, its not without character - it might impress some people who shy away from the "harshness" they associate with whiskies.

After the sweetness got to me to the extent that I didn't really feel like finishing my second glass, I lent a bit more to the "no" side. Still, take this non-recommendation with a grain of salt - you could still do a lot worse than Scapa. Taste it in a bar before deciding whether you want a whole bottle of it.

Recommended: No