Glen Scotia Crosshill

“Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”

Whisky Review # 1093

Country: Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Region: Campbeltown

Brand: Glen Scotia Crosshill

Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Age: NAS

Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 56.5% (Cask Strength)
Maturation: First Fill Bourbon casks with 6 months Finish in Oloroso Sherry casks
Chill Filtration: No

Price: Around US$ 70-90 in Duty Free Shops (May 2026)
Price/Quality Ratio: 😐 Okay at around US$ 75

Buying Advice: 👎 I would skip this one and go for the 15 Years instead

Colour:

Golden with shades of Orange (Natural Colour)

Nose:

Young. A mix of Sweet, Bitter, Sour, Salty, Musty and Dirty notes. And there's also a note that sits somewhere between the smells I find when I bring my car to a service center and some sort of Chemicals. Perhaps a very slight touch of Sulfur as well. In the Lowlands and Campbeltown Single Malts you would expect some of the more "Funky" notes but in this case it smells a bit Artificial to me. The Alcohol is present. The Sherry cask Finish is noticeable but I'm not too impressed with the quality of those Sherry casks.

Main Aromas:

Malted/Toasted Barley, Buttered Toast, Vanilla, Salted Caramel, Grass and Straw, Dirty Earth, Dried Fruit like Raisins & Apricots, Seville Orange, Warm Applesauce, Hazelnut Chocolate, Dusty Charred Oak, Pepper, Ginger and Espresso.

    

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Honey, Treacle, Floral Soap, Lemon, Grapefruit, Herbs, Sour Berries, Metal (Iron), Cinnamon, Nutmeg and distant hints of Leather and Raw Meat.

Palate:

Young & Dry. Bitter-Sweet with additional Sour, Salty & Musty notes. The Alcohol  is quite strong. I normally enjoy "dirty" Malts like Springbank or Ledaig but this Glen Scotia was not made for me I'm afraid. It smells and tastes like a rush job to me.

Main Flavours:

Malted/Toasted Barley, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Straw, Dried Fruit like Apricots Mango, Raisins and Apple, Seville-Orange, Dark Chocolate, Musty Charred Oak, Dirty Earth, Metal (Iron), Pepper, Cinnamon, Mint and Ginger.

Supportive Flavour Accents:

Honey, Treacle, Nuts, Lemon, Grapefruit, Sour Berries, Herbs, Floral Soap, Strong Espresso, Nutmeg, Cloves and a hint of Raw Meat.

Finish:

Middle-Long. Sweet at first but with increasing Bitterness towards the notably Dry end. A few Sour and Salty notes as well. Quite Tannic. The Alcohol is present as is a Metal Off-Note that stays for quite a while. I find Toasted Cereals, Treacle, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Straw, Dirty Earth, Dried Fruit like Apricots, Raisins and Pineapple, Seville Orange, Grapefruit, Honey, Dark Chocolate, Dry Herbs, Musty Charred Oak, Sour Berries, Bourbon, Espresso, Pepper, Clove, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Mint/Menthol and hints of Leather and Raw Meat.

Drinking Advice:

Added Water helps to calm down the Alcohol of course. And I did find some tinned Peach on the Nose. The Finish becomes quite Spicy and Sharp though. Better try it out both ways.

Rating: 6.5 (******1/2)

Nose: 6.5 - Taste: 6.5 - Finish: 6

*** Important Note with respect to Rating.

If the Final score is above 8 you can safely buy the whisky in question if and when it fits your Aroma/Flavor profile. If the score is between 6 and 8 you might want to try it out in the form of a sample or if offered at a good price. Anything below 6 should be left alone when you are looking for a nice sipping whisky. You might still like it of course & I realize pricing is an important item for many whisky fans especially when you are used to enjoy whisky in a cocktail or a mixed drink.

Drinking Experience Neat:

Okay at most. I didn't really enjoy this Tasting session. I bought a full bottle in the Travel Retail shop and that's a pity. Better try a sample first!

Conclusion:

The Glen Scotia Distillery was founded in 1832 and is located in Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsular. It's one of the only 3 surviving distilleries in Campbeltown along with Springbank & Glengyle. The current owner is The Loch Lowmond Group (Hillhouse Capital Management). The new core range includes the 10, 12, 15, 18 and 25 Years and the NAS Expressions Double Cask and Victoriana. The Crosshill I review today is part of the Duty Free range. We visited the distillery in May 2017. We were lucky and got a private Tour and Tasting.

Crosshill Loch is the Water source for the Campbeltown distilleries.

I'm really disappointed by this Glen Scotia. I usually enjoy "Dirty" Malts but the Crosshill has too many flaws. It's too Young, too Sharp and too Edgy. I also don't like the Metallic off-note and the strange Funky note on the Nose. Perhaps a longer cut and indifferent casks are to blame for all this. I would advise you to leave this one alone and go for the regular Glen Scotia 12 Years or, even better, the 15 Years.

Cheers! 🥃

Jan van den Ende                                                                         May 28, 2026