Scapa Skiren - The Orcadian - Batch SK03 - 2016 Release

Scapa is an unusual distillery, and sadly little-seen these days. Scapa is one of the overlooked gems in Pernod Ricard’s portfolio, but its small size and remote location on Orkney - where Scapa has long been in the shadow of its more famous neighbour, Highland Park - have historically worked against the distillery. These factors, along with sporadic production due to mothballing and refurbishment closures in the past led to gaps in the maturing stock inventory and a history of well-regarded but often short-lived or overpriced official bottlings.

Independent bottlings of Scapa are rare, with only Gordon & MacPhail (who were licensed bottlers for the distillery) bottling more than a handful of casks in the last decade. At auction, older bottlings by G&M, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and the Italian bottler Moon Import are highly sought after, while more recent examples of aged Scapa for G&M’s Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength series probably offer the best value.

Distillery bottlings are, as the name suggests, bottled by or for the distillery from which the whisky has originated and are thus often referred to as Official Bottlings or OBs. Distillery bottlings are generally more desirable for collectors and usually fetch higher prices at auction than independent bottlings. They are officially-endorsed versions of the whisky from a particular distillery and are therefore considered the truest expression of the distillery’s character.

This ideal of the distillery character is regarded so seriously by the distilleries and brand owners that casks of whisky that are considered to vary too far from the archetype are frequently sold on to whisky brokers and independent bottlers. When this happens, it is often with the proviso that the distillery’s name is not allowed to be used when the cask is bottled for fear of diminishing or damaging the distillery’s character and status.