Whisky tasting: Glasgow 1770 Constantia Wine Cask

We need to talk about Constantia…

This was one of three single malts released in The Glasgow Distillery Co.'s first 1770 Small Batch Series drop of 2025. (The other expressions were a peated whisky finished in Pineau des Charentes casks and an unpeated expression finished in Greek Syrrah wine casks.)

Constantia is a dessert wine named after the area of Cape Town, South Africa where it’s produced. It was rescued from relative obscurity in the 1980s by local winemakers who wanted to give this 18th-century style a new lease of life. Made from late-harvest Muscat grapes, it's characterised by honeyed sweetness and citric freshness.

These casks have done wonderful things to Glasgow Distillery’s spirit. The aroma is led by floral notes of rose and honeysuckle and fresh orange peel, with brown bread dough, dried figs, dark chocolate-coated ginger, Drumstick lollies, apples (both sour and sweet), burnt pastry, tinned custard, and strawberry jelly. The palate has notes of bright red fruits, zesty orange, crisp apple, milk chocolate, caramel, buttercream, powdered ginger and white pepper, with some yeasty and leathery hints. The finish brings salinity and tannin with cocoa powder, sour cherry and salted pistachios.

The 1770 Small Batch Series can take you on a tour of the globe with the casks it's featured — from the traditional to the tantalisingly novel. The Glasgow Distillery Co. is one of few in Scotland with a cooper on the staff, so you can be sure any casks that cross its threshold are well maintained.

There are cynical murmurings in the Scotch industry at present about an oversaturation of limited editions, but I don’t think you can apply that criticism to the 1770 Small Batch Series. These whiskies don't milk scarcity as a USP; they are limited by design, providing an opportunity for the distillery to experiment with small parcels of stock and push not only their spirits but those who drink them, too. I can’t wait to see where the team take this series next.