
October 24, 2016

Special Releases Special, today the grain

First the new Cambus, then others. There’s more and more old single grain everywhere these days, some now sold for the price of malt. Mind you, in ‘single grain’, there’s ‘single’, and that’s a magical word.

Cambus 40 yo 1975/2016 (52.7%, OB, Special Release, 1,812 bottles)

One of the old closed grain distilleries, Cambus stopped working in 1993. The bottle is superb, I have to admit. Colour: gold. Nose: medicinal alcohol on croissants and coconut cake, plus a lot of custard and herbal tea. Dog roses, perhaps? Notes of mirabelle pie. A rather elegant grain whisky, I especially enjoy all this white chocolate that comes through after two minutes. With water: toasts and marmalade, in all softness. Mouth (neat): really very good (yes, S. speaking), full of mangos and papayas, plus plums and hay jelly. Hay jelly’s excellent, try that on foie gras! What’s really excellent as well is that it’s not too dominated by vanilla and coconut. Well it’s not dominated at all. Great surprise. With water: a little grenadine, rhubarb, and more rhubarb. Rhubarb pie with a little cinnamon, and drizzles of lime juice. Perhaps wacky guavas too. Finish: medium, clean, limy, soft, with a little lavender (sweets) and violet drops. Comments: seriously, this is an excellent surprise, on second thought there are even nods to high-end tequilas. Now could grain whisky, even when old, be worth £750, I don’t quite know, but what’s sure is that I like this Cambus just as much as last year’s Caledonian. SGP:650 - 89 points.

So, other old grains, let’s go see on the side of Douglas Laing, they have quite a few of them these days…

Port Dundas 27 yo 1988/2016 (51.5%, Douglas Laing, Old Particular)

This one’s brand new, we haven’t got all details yet. Colour: straw. Nose: burst with redcurrant jelly and marshmallows, as well as wheelbarrows of ripe gooseberries. We often quote gooseberries, but seldom find so many of them in whisky. With water: coconut, vanilla, cellulose varnish. Mouth (neat): rather hot, and very spirity/cologne-y. Raw kirsch. Not my preferred style… With water: a sourness from the wood, on top of grapefruit juice and more Kirschenwasser. Finish: medium. Sour fruits. Comments: have I already told you that this was not my preferred style? Perhaps keep these casks for oldish blends? I know, not my business… SGP:650 - 70 points.

Carsebridge 33 yo 1982/2016 (44.9%, Douglas Laing, Old Particular) Same, we haven’t got all details yet. Colour: dark amber. Nose: this is much more like it, with some chestnut purée, Mars bar (not deep-fried), chocolate, molasses, brioche, even raisins… Feels like a refill sherry hogshead, but not too sure as, as I told you, we haven’t got all details yet. Mouth: indeed, very good. One of those sugared rums, without that added sugar. Chestnut cake, brownies, Corinthian raisins, toffee… In short, some excellent liquid toffee. Finish: medium, with a feeling of panettone. Our Italian friends should like this brand new one. Comments: indeed, with grain, the wood makes the whisky, and this was pretty good wood. SGP:550 - 85 points.

Any other volunteers?...

Caledonian 41 yo 1974/2015 (50.2%, Hunter Laing, The Sovereign, cask #11836, 200 bottles)

I know, one that I should have tried ‘against’ the Cally last year. Colour: deep gold. Nose: mango cake covered with maple syrup. Some white chocolate and some honey. No roughness and no excessive woodiness, and above all no dull vanilla/coco. With water: fresh hazelnuts and almonds, plus a little tar, unusual in grain whisky. Really very nice. Mouth (neat): some syrup, some cocktail! Blood orange juice with some Sauternes and honeydew, with a wee sappy side and lovely hints of mirabelle jam. And once again, no oaky stuff that gets in your way, even after all these years. With water: ooh careful, it tends not to swim too well. The tar that we got in the nose became ‘new plastic’ on the palate. In very minimal quantities, thank god. What’s better is this orange-y side. Finish: medium, rather more akin to some middle-aged sweet chenin. Say Quart-de-Chaume? Comments: almost perfect. An impressive freshness after all those years. SGP:650 - 87 points.

I think we have room for a last one…

North British 31 yo 1985/2016 (55%, Cadenhead, Small Batch)

This should be maize! That’s right, corn whisky. Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: thin mints – and that chocolate would be white. Then rubbed leaves and flower petals - not too sure which ones – as well as a little tobacco. Interesting and really nice, I was afraid this would be spirity and brutal, while its not, at all. With water: water doesn’t help much, better nose it neat. Mouth (neat): light rum, this is light rum. Havana Club or something, serious. With water: and there, oranges. Rum-orange? Finish: medium, all on oranges. Comments: really a funny grain whisky. And it’s actually better than Havana Club. I mean, more to my liking. Use it to play tricks on your friends! It’s more expensive than Havana Club, but around twenty times cheaper than Macallan 30 Fine Oak. I know, I know… SGP:630 - 84 points.

Check the index of all grains I've tasted so far