As Glen Scotia celebrates 10 years of our iconic, award-winning Victoriana single malt, there is no better person than Ashley, our Master Blender, to take us behind the scenes. Ashley will be hosting our ‘Decade of Victoriana’ tasting sessions at the Glen Scotia Malts Festival 2025. We caught up with Ashley to find out more about our legacy of Victoriana and the event itself.
Honouring Victoriana
We asked Ashley, “What inspired the creation of Victoriana, and how has it evolved over the last 10 years?”
Victoriana is an homage to the history of Glen Scotia and our interpretation of the whiskies that would have been coming out of the region during the Victorian age when Campbeltown was known as the 'Whisky Capital of the World'. During that time, Campbeltown was a very different place. There were up to 28 operational distilleries in the ‘Wee Toon’ at any one time, and as Glen Scotia is one of the prevailing distilleries from that era we wanted to celebrate not only our unique history but honour the importance of the region and how it shaped the whisky we know and love today.
A Modern Twist on a Victorian Technique?
Ashley was asked “What is one thing our guests may not know about Victoriana?”
For Victoriana, we have drawn from records at the time and use modern methods to recreate what we believe whisky coming out of Glen Scotia would have been like at the end of the 19th century, during Campbeltown's boom time. During that time, for example, the stills were direct fired. This would produce an uneven heat or 'hot spots' on the still, burning sugars in the wash and imparting burnt caramel notes. Although we do not have direct fired stills today, we do have our own Cooperage to repair, maintain and rechar casks, and what this rechar process does is break down sugars in the structure of the wood to replicate that wonderful, caramelised note.
“What makes Victoriana stand out from our other amazing Glen Scotia whiskies?”
Victoriana is one of our most complex recipes – I won't give too much away... secure your tickets to the session out find out more - but differentiated from most of our core range, Victoriana includes a proportion of our heavily peated spirit. Records from the late 19th century show that a combination of peat and blind coal were used for malting the barley. This imparted a dusty tar like smokiness and this heavily peated element replicates the Victorian-age style.
Three Simple Words
We then asked Ashley if she could describe Victoriana in just three words, what would they be?
Her response, "Bold, complex and rich".
Why not try it for yourself - Glen Scotia Victoriana - True Campbeltown Whisky | Buy Now
Looking Forward
As we toast to a decade of Victoriana, and look forward to our upcoming Malts Festival, we asked Ashley “What are you most looking forward to at the Glen Scotia Malts Festival?”
I am most looking forward to welcoming people to Glen Scotia, catching up with friends, old and new, over a dram in the courtyard and for the tasting I am hosting specifically 'Decade of Victoriana', really celebrating this iconic whisky and giving people an in-depth look 'behind the curtain' of what goes into making this wonderfully complex and delicious whisky.
A decade of Victoriana marks more than just a milestone – it’s a celebration or craft, heritage and tradition.Victoriana captures the spirit of Campbeltown in every drop.
You can participate in our ‘Decade of Victoriana’ tasting session at the Glen Scotia Malts Festival on 21st May 2025. We have limited tickets remaining, available to purchase here - Decade of Victoriana - Glen Scotia
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