Glen Scotia 30 Year Old Alice Angus Spirit Safe Collection
Exclusive at Skull & Barrel in Australia
Glen Scotia partnered with Scottish artist, Alice Angus, who over several months visited the distillery and surrounding Campbeltown to absorb its essence, culminating in four magnificent paintings, which Alice entitled ‘Spirit Safe’. The stories of the distillery’s heritage have been immortalised in each of the four-pack designs, which include: First Water, Heart of the Run, Labour of Years, Time and Tide. Spirit Safe collection pays homage to Glen Scotia’s enduring history, craftsmanship and traditional equipment through the ages.
This special artwork deserved a very special Limited Edition bottling.
The liquid would have initially been laid down in 1989 – a year that marked the reopening of Glen Scotia distillery following a five-year pause in production, a change of ownership, and renovations to serve a remerging global demand for whisky. It was a brief chapter in the distillery’s history, with very few precious casks remaining from this decade. The whisky was matured in European oak casks for 30 years and bottled in 2023 at 47.3% ABV.
Only 120 bottles released worldwide.
‘This is a remarkable launch for us – not only are we unveiling a very special highly limited 30-Year-Old single malt whisky, but also this stunning packaging from our artist in residence and friend, Alice Angus. Her artworks are a reminder of the fascinating history of Glen Scotia through the ages. Now commemorated in the ‘Spirit Safe’ collection, these are a wonderful edition to any whisky enthusiast’s collection’ says Iain McAlister, Master Distiller
Edition 1 ‘First Water’
"Spending many hours in the mash room and in the hills above the town, I was inspired by the moment the barley, having been milled in a machine that dates back to the 1950s, meets water from high up in Crosshill Loch. It pours out of a copper pipe into the mashtun, filling the room with heat,steam and the aroma of cooking barley. It is a hands-on process; the mashman, while paying close attention and controlling temperature and flow, takes care of the lengthy process.” Alice Angus for First Water Edition
Edition 2 ‘Heart of the Run’
"Even in cold winter days the still room is hot. I often sat close to the stills to draw them and felt like the whole space was filled with a fiery orange glow and heat. The room is full of sounds, from the creak of the stills, the deep musical clang of the man-door opening, and the hiss of the steam escaping. The stillman constantly checks, adjusts, and waits for just the right moment. When the spirit is ready its aroma escapes the spirit safe and fills the room. When I went outside to cool down, the rooks and hooded crows of Campbeltown hopped about on the warehouse roof, and sometimes I could smell the crash of waves on the wind as it drifted through the courtyard.” Alice Angus for Heart of the Run Edition
Edition 3 ‘Labour of Years’
"I spent some bitterly cold winter days drawing in the dark silent warehouses. The aromas changed and shifted throughout the day, as air moved around the maturing casks. Every cask is unique, and it made me keenly aware of the generations of distillery workers that have looked after them as the spirit matured over decades. Sitting in the still quiet of the warehouses, the bursts of laughter and energy brought by visitors on tastings were like fleeting moments against the time the casks remain still and waiting.” Alice Angus for Labour of Years Edition
Edition 4 ‘Time and Tide’
"I spent many hours drawing on the coast as the tide came and went, storms and sun passed over and finally birdlife came in to roost at the end of the day. I watched ferries and fishing boats come and go and met people who travelled from far away across the water to this malt making region where the smell of the sea is found in the whisky. They are surprised to find huge palm trees growing in the warm gulf stream climate, next to hardy fragrant gorse, eiders cooing in the bay and ravens calling overhead.” Alice Angus for Time and Tide Edition
