Scapa 16 - Smart pricing strategy or marketing slipup?

[Single Malt Kommunist]

Personally, I like Scapa and have been lucky enough to find many 12y/o minis for old times sake; the 14 was my first whisky purchase.
Enter the 16 y/o, which arrived on the shelves about 2-2 1/2 months ago. I thought wow, Scapa has a strategy beyond the 14.

Then the price shock - currently its 59 Euros, which puts Scapa 16 on par with Highland Park 18 in my neighborhood. My first thoughts were, did Scapa make a huge error in estimating the market demand or its own brand value with that kind of price? Perhaps they have a long-term strategy to bring back a 12 year on the scene and justify a higher price from the start? Scapa global brand ambassador, are you reading?



Secondly, has anyone tried the 16 yet and put some form of tasting notes on the forum (advanced searched several times, but I havent seen any notes). Perhaps, im not advanced enough myself to figure out the search criterion options.

Any independent, intelligent tasting experiences are warmly welcome.

Also, anyone had luck trying to enter the Scapa website?...seems they are still "tweaking" their web servers to handle the massive interest in the 16 y/o bottling.

[scotchdrinker]

Here is alink to a thread about eh Scapa 16:

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=11011&p=202074&hilit=+scapa#p202074

[Single Malt Kommunist]

Thanks Scotch.

Not exactly a detailed tasting account, but better than nothing. If anything, it reinforces my thinking that Scapa did some very optimistic market speculation on a 16 yo product.

Time to buy up the rest of those €24 Scapa 14s still on the shelves.

[kallaskander]

Hi there,

https://www.getraenkewelt-weiser.de/pro ... -ltr-.html

von Süddeutschland über Norfolk nach Ostberlin.

Greetings
kallaskander

[borgom]

Have you considered IB's instead SMK? You might find better and cheaper alternatives to the 14 OB.

[jimidrammer]

Here's my notes on the 16yo:

Name: Scapa 16yo 40% abv

Color: Full gold

Nose: Sweet grains, oak, hint of smoke, stony/earthy, salt, pears, assorted floral notes, winter grass/seaweed, and yes, bubblegum

Palate: Salty, unripe plums, mild wood spice, vanilla, black pepper

Body: Soft, dry, vanishing

Finish: The pepper overtakes the rest of it all turning to mint at the last minute

Notes: Nicer to nose than to taste by a mile. Too bad really because the aromas are vibrant, it's just that the unbalanced dryness leaves the palate wanting a sweet note or two.

With a splash of water: floral aromas; taste is some sweeter, but a little too lightweight.

Revise: after just a couple days of breathing a much more balanced sweet/spice combination, maybe my palate failed me initially. This is more like the Scapa profile I'm used to, upping the score from 79 to match the 14yo at 83. Still not sure there's anything above and beyond, but...stay tuned.

Revise2: softer and juicy, even turning into an elegant dram, 85.

Score: 79/83/85

The 14yo is $45US and the new 16yo $56, so not a big change in price or profile. Another note, the bottle is as tall as my George T Stagg Bourbon and just barely fits on the shelf.

[pkt77242]

Personally, I like Scapa and have been lucky enough to find many 12y/o minis for old times sake; the 14 was my first whisky purchase.
Enter the 16 y/o, which arrived on the shelves about 2-2 1/2 months ago. I thought wow, Scapa has a strategy beyond the 14.

Then the price shock - currently its 59 Euros, which puts Scapa 16 on par with Highland Park 18 in my neighborhood. My first thoughts were, did Scapa make a huge error in estimating the market demand or its own brand value with that kind of price? Perhaps they have a long-term strategy to bring back a 12 year on the scene and justify a higher price from the start? Scapa global brand ambassador, are you reading?



Personally I think this change is going over like the Longmorn change, which is to say horribly. They upped the price drastically without making the product significantly better. I won't be buying without trying first. I think they made a mistake to change it.

Sean
Secondly, has anyone tried the 16 yet and put some form of tasting notes on the forum (advanced searched several times, but I havent seen any notes). Perhaps, im not advanced enough myself to figure out the search criterion options.

Any independent, intelligent tasting experiences are warmly welcome.

Also, anyone had luck trying to enter the Scapa website?...seems they are still "tweaking" their web servers to handle the massive interest in the 16 y/o bottling.

[corbuso]

I posted the tasting notes some time ago on my website (http://www.whisky-news.com/En/tasting0.html#03Dec08), but the Scapa 16 is in line with the strategy of the group to move it to a more exclusive line, as it was done for Longmorn. I regret that they haven't bottled to a higher strength, but I have to say that I like it better than the 16 YO. I had a bit of mix feelings with the 14 YO.
To offer a better idea of Scapa, it would be nice to have both the 12 and 16 YO on offer.

Corbuso

[lockejn]

I've just ordered a bottle of Scapa 16 from Binny's. Should be in late this week and I'll be sure to post my experience with it this weekend.

[Single Malt Kommunist]

Hi there,

https://www.getraenkewelt-weiser.de/pro ... -ltr-.html

von Süddeutschland über Norfolk nach Ostberlin.

Greetings
kallaskander

Danke KK.

Have you considered IB's instead SMK? You might find better and cheaper alternatives to the 14 OB.

Ive seen lots of IBs, but most are cask strength and in the €60-€80 price range...considerably more expensive than OB 14 (for example). And thats my point - IMHO, the brand Scapa is not on par with Macallan, HP, or Glenmorangie.

jimidrammer - great post. I always got a sweet vanilla taste from the 14 as well. Really a shame its not bottled at 46% / upwards...but this may be due to Scapas smaller production scale, and the concern about shortages.

Personally I think this change is going over like the Longmorn change, which is to say horribly. They upped the price drastically without making the product significantly better. I won't be buying without trying first. I think they made a mistake to change it.

Sean

Interesting comparison and excellent point - 2 more years on the label, approx. €30 price increase, and a whisky that is at best on par with the 14y/o. A good recipe for landing up in the discount section at World Duty Free (and one thought the sales margins at ASDA were bad!)

@ Corbuso, do you know for sure if there will be a relaunch of the 12?

[Willie JJ]

I suspect its not likely there will be an imminent relaunch of the 12yo as it is my understanding they moved from 12 to 14 to 16yo due to a hole in stock from the years when the distillery was not producing.

I've tried the 16yo a couple of times now and it is nice enough, but there is still no way that I will pay £50 for a bottle. They just got that so badly wrong I think.

SMK I don't know of you can find them but G&M do bottlings of Scapa at much more reasonable prices and they are very good in my experience.

Cheers

[scotchdrinker]

Here is what I found in Germany by G&M

http://www.houseofwhisky.de/preview/aus ... 1&anfang=0

http://www.maltharry.de/shop/article_03 ... 39-0702%26

http://www.westwood-whisky.de/catalog/p ... cts_id=632

http://www.whisky-corner.de/shop_marke. ... arke=Scapa

[Willie JJ]

Quick work scotchdrinker.

Those are the bottles right enough. They all look like the same 1993 Scapa, but there are a number of different bottling years (typical of G&M). You can tell which is which if the little year label is still on the neck. Not that it matters that much I think. They seem to be pretty reliable.

[scotchdrinker]

I guess so If there is something I can find easily online somewhere I can usually find it semi quicly but there are times I don't find something at all

[corbuso]

@ Corbuso, do you know for sure if there will be a relaunch of the 12?

This only my personal wish. To my knowledge, there are no plan for relaunching of the 12 YO.

[kallaskander]

Hi there,

after a sketchy production record during the early 1990s Scapa was mothballed in 1994 by Allied.

Sporadic production may have taken place to fulfill blending contracts.

It was the time when Highland Park sent some people over to make whisky for a few weeks every year.

Around 2001 Allied mused about closing Scapa for good and demolishing the distillery but small wonder it was refurbished in 2004 and subsequently brought back to full production.

But there are no great stocks and a 12 or 14yo will have to wait for quite a while.

Greetings
kallaskander

[Single Malt Kommunist]

Thanks Willie and Scotch for the tips.

Think ive seen that 1993 GM bottling at the Dallas Dhu gift shop, but never was tempted to purchase it. Somehow that red ship in the middle put me off. Cutty Sark maybe?