Scapa The Orcadian Glansa

Scapa Orcadian Glansa gains the most pleasant whiff of extra smoke from Islay casks.

Scapa may be the smallest distillery in the Pernod Ricard portfolio. This is small batch shop has only one wash still and one spirit still with a total annual capacity of about 1 million liters (Glenlivet does that much in a month). Scapa Distillery sits on the shores of the Isle of Orkney — hence its nickname, “The Orcadian.” All production from Scapa is set aside to be released as Single Malt — every single drop. And fans will tell you that it has “proper peating,” meaning that the water from the distillery flows from a peat bog, but the malted grain is not dried over peat, so there is a hint of natural peat in the glass without the smoke.

Orcadian Glansa is for Scapa Single Malt fans who prefer a wee bit more smoke. Like all Scapa Whiskies, primary aging is performed in ex-Boubon casks — which accounts for the vanilla and sweet fruit notes that they are famous for. The extra whiff of smoke comes from a few months of “finishing” is ex-Islay Single Malt casks. They named this dram “Glansa” from an Old Norse word meaning “bright, stormy sky,” reflecting both the strong Norse influence in the Scottish Isles and the local weather.

Smartass Corner:
The Scapa Distillery is the only production distillery in Scotland using the famous Lomond still invented by Alistair Cunningham of Hiram Walker Company. It has three cooling plates that can be adjusted independently, giving more control over the quality of the spirit.