Glen Scotia Campbeltown Malts Festival 2025
54.3% ABV (108.6 proof) | 700mL | 9 years old, heavily peated | 5-month Ribera del Duero red wine cask finish | Cask strength, non-chill filtered | Glen Scotia Distillery, Campbeltown, Scotland — Glen Scotia's annual Campbeltown Malts Festival bottling for 2025 is a 9-year-old heavily peated single malt — peated spirit is distilled at Glen Scotia only a few weeks each year — first matured in first-fill bourbon barrels, then finished five months in Spanish Ribera del Duero red wine casks, and bottled at cask strength, non-chill filtered, natural colour. Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
Each year's festival bottling is a one-off experiment, and 2025 pairs two unlikely partners: Campbeltown peat smoke and Ribera del Duero — Spain's powerhouse Tempranillo region. The wine casks stain the whisky with blackberry and red-fruit depth while the peat keeps its coastal edge. Among Scotch whiskies, heavily peated Campbeltown malt finished in Spanish red wine is a combination almost nobody else bottles.
Tasting notes
Nose: swirling peat smoke, coastal salinity, creamy vanilla. Palate: vibrant juicy blackberries and red fruits with luscious oils. Finish: soft smoke, velvety mouthfeel, hints of liquorice.
Why buy it from Del Mesa Liquor
- 54.3% ABV cask strength — non-chill filtered, natural colour
- 9-year-old heavily peated Campbeltown single malt
- 5-month finish in Ribera del Duero Spanish red wine casks over first-fill bourbon
- Annual festival bottling — 2025 edition, limited release
- Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor
How to serve it
Neat in a Glencairn — cask strength rewards a few drops of water, which pull the blackberry fruit forward through the smoke. A festival pour for peat lovers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Campbeltown Malts Festival?
An annual celebration of Campbeltown's whisky heritage each May; Glen Scotia releases a limited-edition festival bottling every year.
Is the 2025 Glen Scotia festival bottling peated?
Yes — heavily peated, unlike the 2024 edition (a 10-year-old unpeated whisky with a Médoc Bordeaux finish). Each year is a different recipe.
What does the Ribera del Duero finish add?
Five months in Spanish red wine casks layer blackberry and red-fruit richness over the bourbon-cask vanilla and Campbeltown peat smoke.