Campbeltown distiller Glen Scotia has partnered with Gary Robinson, executive chef at The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, to promote its new 12-year-old Seasonal Release 2021, which follows on from the limited-edition Sherry Double Cask Finish last year.
Inspired by classic autumn-winter seasonal flavours, the Seasonal Release (54.7% ABV) is made of a series of unpeated distillations from 2009 matured in first-fill bourbon casks and American oak hogsheads.
Glen Scotia Seasonal Release 2021
After maturation for eleven years, the liquid is then transferred and finished in first-fill oloroso sherry hogsheads and heavily charred American oak barrels for its final year, before these casks are married and bottled at cask strength.
In a short film captured at the hotel’s SCOTCH bar and kitchens, the chef is joined by Glen Scotia ambassador Gary Mills to discuss three dishes made with the limited-edition liquid.
The Seasonal Release menu includes whisky-cured salmon with apples and celery, barbecued pork belly with a sticky whisky-honey sauce and braised pearl barley, and poached pear salad with whisky caramel and pecan toffee.
Whisky-cured salmon with apples and celery
Executive Chef Gary Robinson commented, “I’m always excited to get into the kitchen and experiment, especially with a fine dram from Glen Scotia. The new 12-year-old Seasonal Release is a hero ingredient in the three dishes I’ve created. Each dish showcases an indulgent seasonal flavour profile, with the whisky really enhancing each ingredient.
I created these dishes with the vision that they are the perfect recipes to bring people together. [They're] not too complicated to recreate at home, and each offers a really special meal for friends and family to come together, gather around a table, and enjoy."
Gary Robinson in the kitchen