2025 Small Batch Series | 59.3% ABV

Score: 6/10

**Good stuff.**
***TL;DR***
*Glasgow came close to a shunker here, but not because of bad whisky*

Getting on my Soapbox

The call came into the Dramface Writer’s Group for volunteers to assess the next Glasgow Distillery Small Batch Series release: a trio of unique wine cask finishes that I’ve certainly never heard of - Constantia? What is this, Gladiator?

At first, no-one stuck their digital hands up. As I sat thinking how nice it would be to have new whisky to try, I realised I’d been so lucky lately with whisky finding me that I also kept schtum. The request sat, and sat. Surprising really, given how good a streak Glasgow have been enjoying lately, but that word, which brings shivers to some spines, must’ve been enough.

Wine.

I’m far too thick to understand the complexities of wine and how it relates to whisky. All I know is what I smell and taste; but the mere mention of wine when it comes to whisky turns many people off, sight unseen. Same goes for Port.

Me, I don’t care - I want to try everything, yet the Glasgow request continued to sit, unactioned. The allocations happen backstage by DM, but we usually hear when the bottles offered have been snapped up. I wondered if the cask choice caused any reticence towards the offer.

I’d posted on Instahoot a day before some photos of a number of Tokaji casked Glen Garioch whiskies. Seb from Glasgow messaged to ask if I’d tried the Glasgow Tokaji releases, to which I replied I had tried their Tokaji Small Batch Release and enjoyed it. He said he’d send me some 30ml samples of the various Tokaji Glasgow stuff, and he’d throw in the latest wine cask releases too. Chuffed to bits, I thanked him very much.

The samples arrived and, in a rare show of restraint, decided to wait a wee bit to try them, whilst I tried to get some reviews done - Woven’s Homemade and this week’s Longrow 100 Proof.

In the sojourn that followed, Captain Macaulay messaged to say he’d redirected one of the Glasgow Small Batch bottles to the Crystal Shack, and it would arrive shortly. It seems the reason for the background redirection is that a duplicate had accidentally been sent out through one of Glasgow Distillery’s overseas agents. That meant the Syrah that had been offered, as of yet, didn’t have a home. And so, he chose ol’ Doog.

Fletch and Mason were sent the others and we hear that Wally the wine-cask-hater himself might have been baited into trying his whisky kryptonite too.

A 70cl bottle of the Syrah Cask Finish, and two generous 100ml samples of the Constantia Cask Finish and peated Pineau des Charentes cask finish turned up in the warm afternoon sunshine which, at that point, still blasted from the heavens.

The colour of the Syrah in sunlight is incredible - a rich vivid red which, in the rather attractive tall Glasgow fluted glass, casts shimmering amber refractions across whatever surface upon which it rests. Quite striking, and with the full disclosure of cask type, maturation times and natural presentation on the label, an enticing affair. This is surely another superb tick on Glasgow’s rising fame, right?

Or is it?

Review 1/2 - Dougie

Glasgow 1770 Small Batch, 2025 Release, Syrah Wine Cask, Casks 20/1379 + 20/1380 | 3y 2m Bourbon, 1y 10m Greek Syrah, 59.3% ABV
£59 still some available at time of writing

I opened the 30ml sample of Syrah first, decanted half and after a bit of time sitting in the glass I was nosing some really engaging flavours - cherry tarts and peppery toffees. So far, so Glasgow. Then the first sip. Soap monster.

Taken aback, I wondered if my glass was dirty, so I got a new glass out, washed it thoroughly, dried it with a bit of kitchen towel and made sure it was as clean as I could muster. Then tried again. Soap monster.

Oh boy. If this is what Syrah does to Glasgow you can count me out. It brought to mind the SMWS “Dark ‘n’ Stormy Crème Brûlée” that I reviewed in November 2023, where I wrote:

“Lovely dessert smells make me swoon. I do enjoy a creme brulee and my go-to dessert is typically sticky toffee pud, but I’m loving the aromas coming out of the glass. The big soapy entrance in the facehole smarts like a pickled dishcloth.
Blimey, that’s a real let down.”

I felt the same here. If this was the truth of Glasgow finished in Syrah, I’d have 70cl of trudge remaining before I could call it. Has Glasgow’s playful side and willingness to experiment caught them out this time?

Well, nothing else for it - the big bottle is popped and a generous pour sploshed into a clean glass. Slàinte. Here we go.

Nose

Wet dog. Outside. Big red fruits. Juicy. Wee bit soapy. Wooden peg. Red berries - raspberry and strawberries. Red peppers. Turmeric. Black pepper. Lovely nose. Sandy.

Palate

30ml sample: Huge soap box. :( Hairspray. Chemicals. Dish soap. Dishwasher residue. Yeasty dog face.

Big bottle: Cola cubes, no soap! Strawberry laces. Souring - blackcurrent cordial/concentrate (4x strength). Turmeric here too, or Garam Masala. Cherry soothers. Menthol. Sweeter side - caramels and toffee with raisins, but always souring, always a bit edgy. Pepper heat, but not acidic - more warming and flavourful. Not sure of the wine influence, but it might be that tart finish. Takes water well, bringing out the sweeter double-distilled Glasgow character. Nice texture - oily.

The Dregs

This is very interesting, informative and, in a way, concerning. The big bottle has been nothing short of lovely, every dram, every time. There’s no soap as present in the 30ml sample, that’s for damn certain, but there is a properly right-to-the-edge-of-acceptance tart note that, I suppose, is what Glasgow’s official blackberry note covers. It presents to me as something like an undiluted blackcurrant cordial. It’s not overt - just in the mix, very clear and souring at the death, but always stops short of soapy or negative.

I wonder if, somehow, the 30ml sample had this tart blackcurrant element ramped over the cliff? Or the bottle wasn’t cleaned right? Or something else, but I am relieved to find it’s not typical of the Syrah Small Batch Release. Instead it’s a smorgasbord of red things - cola cubes, strawberry laces, cherry soothers and even some interesting spices like turmeric.

It’s not a Manzanilla banger, but that was a unique release anyway, being unpeated technically yet spending time in an ex-Glasgow peated cask that made it peated by proxy, and as a result a lovely “dirty” experience. It was ultra-interesting and I loved it.

This is two casks (20/1379 + 20/1380) of Glasgow double-distilled unpeated first fill ex-bourbon, which have matured for 3 years and 2 months before being reracked for 1 year and 10 months in Greek Syrah, and it is clean. Not Cognac cask clean, but definitely a brighter show, retaining texture and oiliness at 59.3% ABV.

That high proof brings with it a bit of a wave of heat/spice, and for once I find myself reaching regularly for the water to tame this down - enough that the sweeter elements come out. It can take water well and I’d say benefits greatly from even a small drop, tickling to find the sweet spot. It’s very good indeed, and continues Glasgow’s fantastic whisky experience.

The two other samples that arrived have been considered, and I’ll chip in on the other reviews as and when they appear.

I think the lay of the land is this: the Syrah is an interesting, niche take on Glasgow’s clean riding spirit - their official tasting notes of “deep notes of blackberry, raspberry, strawberry jam, black cherry, dark chocolate, and pink peppercorn” are exactly what I’m finding. It feels packed yet remains clean, a bit of an oxymoron perhaps, but that peppercorn and black cherry are the things that I feel make it a close-to-soapy experience.

Some observations - we all love to share samples, enjoy 25ml drams at bars and discuss the nuances of whisky shared over continents. Had I formulated my thoughts based on the initial samples Seb sent, this Syrah Small Batch Release would have been a 3/10, if that. Fortunately I had the not unrecognised privilege of being able to open a full 70cl bottle sent from Glasgow Distillery, with which to redress the balance, but some might not be so lucky.

Whisky opinionating, when based upon samples, is a dangerous business and it’s why here at Dramface we work through much of a 70cl bottle before writing our thoughts down and, in the event of industry supplying bottles to the team, it’s with the strict understanding that an honest score will follow from whomever that bottle is diverted to. If we get halfway down and it’s still not resonating, or not showing a change in attitude, there’s confidence in scoring thereafter.

Lessons learned! I’m thrilled to have tried another release in Glasgow’s exciting journey, and absolute kudos to the team for releasing whisky in these rare cask finishes, despite the occasional reluctance for wine casked whisky; and showing that Glasgow can be dreamy in South African Constantia, give more of the dirty good stuff in the French Pineau des Charentes, and offer an interesting new take with the Greek Syrah.

I’m always seeking the new, and this has been an informative experience. All of these Small Batch Releases remain £59 - continued excellent value for money, and my excitement around Glasgow remains unperturbed. Thanks again to Seb and team: keep these experiments coming!

Score: 6/10 DC

Review 2/2 - Wally

Glasgow 1770 Small Batch, 2025 Release, Syrah Wine Cask, Casks 20/1379 + 20/1380 | 3y 2m Bourbon, 1y 10m Greek Syrah, 59.3% ABV
£59 still some available at time of writing

It’s not that I don’t like wine casks, it’s just that I prefer them less.

There have been crackers over the years: the clean and savoury Deanston Bordeaux (full maturation Cask Strength - less so the finished 10yo) and the occasionally brilliant Longrow Reds spring to mind. But I’ll almost always reach past them for a clean and fresh ex-bourbon cask.

There was a time in my life where I was getting ready to ‘get into’ wine. I felt like learning more about the booze I was becoming very familiar with as my life morphed from ‘oot!” to staying home with a mortgage for company. Luckily, whisky came along right at that moment and saved me. All I know about Syrah is that it’s the same as Shiraz - and it’s red. I think.

I still love a glass of wine, but it usually stops with a single glass, or when I finish eating. I have also discovered that mixing wine and whisky is a precarious affair and needs either a little experience or, at the very least, a palate cleanser in between.

I’ll admit to worse. Sometimes, during a whisky tasting, I’ll detect those magenta highlights in the glass and immediately I’m subconsciously making the just-smelled-a-fart face; this, before I’ve even nosed it. A terrible mindset and something I’m working on, but trial and error finds me here.

Glasgow distillery knew I’d be reluctant to party with these, yet encouraged me to give them a go. I have a full bottle of the Constantia, but they also sacrificed a bottle of the Syrah and the Pineau de Charentes (which has vaporised from the shelves) to offer up samples of both so others could compare and chip in.

Fair enough eh.

Score: 5/10

**Average. In a good way.**
***TL;DR***
*It’s all about the clean, juicy berries, but unlikely to convert a wine cask hater*

Nose

Strawberry bon-bons and Irn-Bru, cherry cola, cola cubes and waves of Ribena (blackcurrant cordial). Warm earth, hazelnuts in dark chocolate.

Palate

Cherry menthol, orange peel and a berry-fest: Blackcurrants, damsons and blueberries. Fruit pastilles. Chamomile and lavender, fruit tea. It’s tannic and acidic, but clean. It fades to a drying finish, with a pot-pourri florality.

Adding a splash of water has the pleasing effect of bringing a juiciness to things, but it remains all about the berries.

The Dregs

Apologies to the Americans out there; for me this is a blackcurrant-loaded whisky - which is a flavour that is often missing from your library and the story behind that, concerning pine trees and fungus, is interesting. But it can mean you’re not sure what the reference is. It’s simply a sharp, sweet, purple berry and we flavour loads of things with it. It’s always associated with the colour purple.

While this is closer to a ‘red’ whisky in character, the fruits are tart and sweet and found in hedgerows: redcurrants, damsons, blackberries and so on. Of course, heaps of blackcurrants too. It’s pretty vivid.

I’ve also tried to capture the colour of this, but Dougie has (as always) done a much better job - it’s objectively beautiful.

This makes me realise that the reason I don’t connect with wine casks, especially red wine, isn’t all about the sharpness, the tartness, the tannins and the acidity. It’s also that sometimes an otherwise fairly thick and full bodied whisky, such as this 59.3% example, can play a little thin on the palate.

Fortunately, other negatives I sometimes find are not present here: there is no sulfur edge and no effects of the flavours seemingly amplifying the alcohol heat. This is pretty soft, it’s also very clean and fruity. It’s a berry basket, and if that’s your thing - this is your whisky. I know folk that will love this. But, for me, I’m glad my full bottle is the Constantia.