Another bag of grains


September 7, 2022

Another bag of grains

We'll see if it all happens like last time, with first a handful of assorted grains from various Distilleries, then quite a few Invergordons. That's how it usually goes with grains at WF Towers… What's good is that we haven't got any very young ones on the table today; I mean 10 years old Girvan or bottled varnish, you know…

Last Minute Annoucement
Whiskyfun is supporting all the franchised William Cadenhead shops in continental Europe that are seeing their businesses abruptly terminated. Friendship over whisky, always (and whisky over the whisky business, always).

Cambus 29 yo 1988/2018 (45.4%, Cadenhead, Single Cask, bourbon hogshead, 494 bottles)

Xxxxxx xxx xxxxx (XX%, Xxxxxxxxxxx, xxxx xxxx xxxxx)
A seminal grain Distillery, where they were also producing malt in the (very) old days, closed in 1993 by owners United Distillers, whose ancestors had heavily pushed the name 'against the malts' around ninety years earlier. Colour: white wine. Nose: rather a lot of nail polish remover, then grass, herbs and vanilla, but as always when no proper sherry or other active casks have been used, this feels a little empty. As much as we don't like the idea that malts are all about wood, we agree that grains are. Mouth: some vanilla and some sweets, plus a little grass and a few humble half-varnishy, half -vanilla-ed notes. Tends to improve though thanks to some herbs. Finish: short, a little sweet. Rhubarb and juniper in the aftertaste. Comments: an old blend without any malts, as we sometimes say. Not obligatorily very necessary, but frankly honest, to be… honest.
SGP:XXX - XX points.

To Dumbarton…

Dumbarton 20 yo (52%, Dram Mor, cask #211894, 306 bottles)

Ballantine's huge Dumbarton Distillery was demolished in 2005. By the way, long time not seen an Inverleven, Dumbarton's malt (so to speak). This should be one of the last Dumbartons… Colour: white wine. Nose: shy, herbal. Grass, gooseberries, bison vodka, fresh baguette, a little popcorn… With water: water almost closes it down. Mouth (neat): more action on the palate, with rather a lot of apples, and some lighter white Burgundy, such as a god aligoté. With water: some sugar coming out, as well as liquorice wood. More apples too, even proper artisanal cider. Finish: medium, sweet, clean. Sweet maize, melon, vanilla… Comments: really fine. Feels a bit like easy rum in the end.
SGP:640 - 81 points.

North British 30 yo 1991/2021 (49%, The Golden Cask for The Whisky Barrel, bourbon barrel, cask #CG001, 115 bottles)

North British used to distil only maize/corn, but not sure that's still the case. It certainly was in 1991. Remember it's a joint operation between Diageo and Edrington. Colour: pale gold. Nose: sunflower oil, sesame, pine nuts, white chocolate, then guavas and papayas (moderately), dandelions… It was a good barrel, it seems. Mouth: pretty good, between columns rum, 'malt whisky' and younger bourbon, with even touches of rye, not too sure where those are coming from. Yeah, probably from the bourbon barrel, you're right, what was I thinking? In any case, this old grain is a little fatter than others, and really pleasant. The body is not too thin. Finish: medium, not too sweet, not too thin, and a little tropical. Dried pineapple and coconut. Sweet white wine in the aftertaste, say a Jurançon. Or Irish pot-still whiskey. Comments: certainly a very good sipper. Anybody needing a bottle of grain may choose one of these.
SGP:640 - 85 points.

North British 30 yo 1991/2021 (49%, The Golden Cask for The Whisky Barrel, bourbon barrel, cask #CG002, 42 bottles)

Not too sure about the story behind these two. Is there a message, somewhere? Colour: pale gold. Nose: I'm finding this one similar, but a tad drier and more herbal. Certainly less 'sexy' (we'll really have to find another word, perhaps 'sensual'? Or 'stimulating'?) There's quite some maize. Mouth: certainly closer on the palate, but a little less refined, a notch harsher. There are some bits of cider apples, for example, instead of pineapples. Finish: medium, tart. Lemon and grass. Comments: both are very good. Grain that's thinking of malt.
SGP:640 - 84 points.

Why not to Strathclyde?

Strathclyde 15 yo 2005/2020 (60.4%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #G10.28, 'Pudding faceplant', 164 bottles)

This is a '2nd fill HTMC hogshead finish' and you know what? I don't wanna know what that is. Colour: rich gold. Nose: some concrete dust and some scones, cakes, warm toasted bread, barbecued bananas and caramelised popcorn. With water: more of that plus some hay starting to ferment in the farmyard, as well as some toasted oak in abundance. Mouth (neat): rather a butterscotch bomb at first, then concentrated pineapple juice. With water: gets sweeter, but with a tarter acidic fruitiness. Tastes a bit like Cloudy Bay riesling ;-). Finish: medium, very nice given that it's a grain. Feels like softer bourbon at some point. Comments: the wood did everything here, I imagine. They could sell these Glen Cakes in pastry shops. I hate to say that I'm finding it very, very good.
SGP:630 - 85 points.

Strathclyde 32 yo 1989/2021 (54.5%, Cadenhead, Sherry Cask, refill sherry, 324 bottles)

Xxxxxx xxx xxxxx (XX%, Xxxxxxxxxxx, xxxx xxxx xxxxx)
Forgot to say, Pernod-Ricard's Strathclyde has now taken over the large volumes of Dumbarton and should be feeding oceans of blends. Colour: amber. Nose: burnt raisins chiming in this time, plus vanilla and several dried fruits. There's also a rather spectacular, and unexpected medicinal side, around tincture of iodine. Where did that come from? Or is that an evolution of sulphur? With water: had the cask first been filled with a peater? Mouth (neat): chocolate and cakes. Once again this medicinal side, that's really bizarre, yet not unpleasant. Notes of mashed turnips on top of all this chocolate and pastries. Very intriguing… With water: once again a touch of medicinal smoke… But that works. Finish: longer than your usual grain whisky for sure, a little citrusy, and still quite medicinal. Hints of Laphroaig in the aftertaste. Comments: feels like an in-cask blend. The thing is, it's very good.
SGP:XXX - XX points.

Good fun with that one, but time to tackle some Invergordons. But first, this…

Blended Grain 48 yo 1972 (49.6%, The Whisky Barrel, cask #TWB1024, 109 bottles)

Everything suggests this wasn't actually ever blended. What's good fun too is that it was put into cask on the day of the final Apollo 17 moonwalk, on Dec 13, 1972. The true name of this bottle is 'We're on our way, Houston'. Colour: gold. Nose: sweet and gentle, on grain, maize bread, vanilla and coconut water. To be honest, it does not feel like it's 48 years old, it's just very, very gentle. Some notes of young Sauternes (I'll be there in two days, at time of writing). Mouth: it's really the interplay with the wood that shaped this wee whisky, I don't think there was much in the spirit itself. Apples, melons, raisin and apricot bread, coconut, raisin rolls, a little cappuccino… You'd have said this was 15, I'd have answered 'okay'. Except that all the lousy varnishes that lie in young grain are gone for good here. Finish: medium, sweet, easy. Sugarcane and coconut. Comments: a little bird told this could have been an In******on.
SGP: 630 - 85 points.

Speaking of which…

Invergordon 14 yo 2007/2021 (62%, Cadenhead, Sherry Cask, oloroso sherry hogshead finish, 378 bottles)

Xxxxxx xxx xxxxx (XX%, Xxxxxxxxxxx, xxxx xxxx xxxxx)
Ouch, only 14 years and only a finishing. Let's keep faith, they know what they're doing… Colour: gold. Nose: whoops? Copper and tobacco, plus Starbucks' Frappuccino (apologies) and Lindt's milk chocolate. I mean, a good ten kilos. With water: it-is-liquid-chocolate. Mouth (neat): it's too strong but I enjoy these orangettes. In case you don't know, that's strips of orange zests dipped into black chocolate. I know you knew what that was. With water: more orangettes, orange liqueur, raisins, a good glass of old oloroso, and a bit of pecan pie. Easy and good. Finish: medium, chocolaty and orangey. Remember, orangettes. Comments: very well done, this is almost sherried malt whisky from good Speyside. Right, all of Speyside is good.
SGP:XXX - XX points.

Invergordon 32 yo 1990/2022 (51.1%, Thompson Bros., refill hogshead, 507 bottles)

What, the 1990s are now thirty-two? And excuse me, 507 bottles from a hogshead? Oh why not, there's inflation everywhere, especially, it seems, in post-Brexit U.K. Colour: white wine. Nose: first cellulosic varnish, then banana skin, sunflower oil, pine nuts, white chocolate, maize flour… With water: oh, chalk, wool, plaster, paraffin, grist… That was not expected, you would almost believe it is a young malt. Mouth (neat): sweet and natural, almost pina-colada-y. Indeed, coconut, pineapple and lighter rum. Then more citrus, oranges… With water: light Cuban rum! It's that with tall columns, you could distil any raw materials and come up with pretty similar, sometimes almost undistinguishable results. This is a good example. Finish: medium, easy, between cane and grain indeed. Comments: great fun. To pour your friends while asking them about the country of origin.
SGP:640 - 83 points.

Invergordon 34 yo 1987/2022 (54.3%, Thompson Bros., refill barrel, 230 bottles)

Still not an old sherried Invergordon… Come on, Whiskyfun! Colour: pale gold. Nose: coconut wine and vanilla, candlewax, pine colada, Havana Club, sugarcane syrup, blancmange… With water: balsa wood and semolina. Some roots in the background. Carrots. Mouth (neat): some depth here, herbs and grasses, even a tiny touch of smoke… With water: more on bonbons and wine gums, but here's a grassier background. Asparagus? Finish: medium, a tad 'silent'. Touches of pastis, or rather fennel seeds. Comments: all excellent, just a little… thin, despite the pastis. But I agree not all whiskies can be Laphroaig 1967.
SGP:651 - 84 points.

Last one now. Looks like we won't find any 90+ today, but that can almost only happen with very old sherried Invergordons, while I'm sad to report that we haven't got any left in WF's sample library. Having said that, one observation, Invergordon is the only working grain distillery that's actually located in the north of Scotland. That may mean something, if you ask me… (apart from the fact that they seem to be going on strike every once in a while, that's their French side I suppose).

Invergordon 44 yo 1972/2017 (46.9%, Whisky-Fässle, barrel)

Hold on, here is a duck! You never know with ducks… Colour: full gold. Nose: malt-grain. I know there's some malt in all grain whiskies (did you know that?) but in this very case, that feels a wee bit, even if the whole remains soft, cakey, a little thin but with good bananas, coconut and oranges. Oh and the obligatory vanilla. Mouth: very good, sweeter, with bananas and once again a feeling of light rum, banana cake, white chocolate, soft liqueurs (apricot and mirabelle) plus even a little quince jelly. One of the better grain whiskies out there, for sure. Finish: medium, soft and sweet, but with a touch of varnish and even acetone that would add some dimension to this old baby. Comments: good, this time again we didn't reach the 90-mark, but I think we found today's winner.
SGP:651 - 88 points.

Good, next larger grain session on WF, around February next year. Or later.

Check the index of all grain whiskies we've tasted so far