Glen Scotia has launched a five-part series, the Icons of Campbeltown, in celebration of the Scottish town.
Each release in the series will be based on an 'icon' on the Campbeltown market cross, which dates from the 14th century and features carvings of saints, mythical beasts, and folk heroes. Artist Joel Holtzman, whose illustrations have been used by the likes of LucasFilm and Marvel, has also been commissioned by Glen Scotia to create a series of original artworks for the Icons of Campbeltown packs.
The first release in the series is The Mermaid, a 12-year-old unpeated single malt that was aged in ex-bourbon barrels before an eight-month finishing period in Palo Cortado sherry casks. The expression is bottled at 54.1% ABV without chill filtration.
The Glen Scotia distillery team say they wanted to create a whisky whose flavour profile paid homage to this mythical maritime being and the many reported sightings of them off the Campbeltown coast over the centuries. In addition, the pack artwork includes a QR code linking to an animation about one sighting in particular, reported by resident John McIsaac in 1811.
Iain McAlister, distillery manager and master distiller at Glen Scotia, said: “The Mermaid is a wonderful release that serves as a reminder of the sea and tropical climate that shape our award-winning whisky. Our local community has played a huge role in the survival and re-emergence of whisky making in Campbeltown, and the market cross remains an important historic symbol of that enduring spirit. We’re all proud to be able to release a series of single malt whiskies that pays homage to those that have supported us on the journey. Equally, our Glen Scotia community has grown beyond Scotland to fans all over the world, and I’m excited to see what they make of this adventurous unpeated limited edition, as well as to see what future releases bring.”
Senior global brand manager Nick Bradley said: “Given the continuing global success of Glen Scotia, we wanted to take the opportunity to share more stories about what makes our home, and Scotland’s fifth whisky-making region, so special. Our new Icons of Campbeltown series is the ideal creative medium to do this. We were privileged to work with whisky icon Charlie MacLean to uncover the stories of the market cross, digging into his library and own personal records, and then to see Joel Holzman bring this first carving to life with his own unique style of art.”
The Mermaid (RRP £90) is now available from the glenscotia.com and select specialist retailers in the UK, Europe, USA, South Africa, Middle East, Singapore, Australia, China, Japan, Taiwan, and Korea, as well as in global travel retail.