No grain, no gain, continuing from yesterday


August 5, 2026

No grain, no gain:
continuing from yesterday…

And we shall try to pick up the pace a little, as there are really rather a lot of them still waiting in the wings…

North British 33 yo 1991/2024 (43.3%, Tri Carragh, refill barrel, 163 bottles)

… and North British is made from… maize, well done, you were paying attention yesterday. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: very attractively lemony, bringing to mind lemon pie, perhaps even rhubarb tart, with just a little vanilla cream. It comes rather close to some old Lowland malts, Bladnoch, Rosebank… Mouth: we notice the alcohol a little, alongside sweets, gelatine and a touch of eau de Cologne, yet it remains nicely balanced. Also, a little lemon vodka, much like in one of yesterday’s drams, though I cannot quite remember which one. Finish: not especially long and without any major developments, leaving a small measure of limoncello in the aftertaste. Comments: this really is a matter of… the cask. Yesterday’s Morisco 1991 had rather more texture.
SGP:651 - 82 points.

Invergordon 47 yo 1977/2025 (43.6%, The Caskhound, refill bourbon barrel, cask #7, 204 bottles)

Invergordon 47 yo 1977/2025 (43.6%, Exquisite Casks, refill bourbon barrel, cask #7, 204 bottles)

Ah, here is one of those famous old Invergordons, and not dressed up in sherry. All the better, we ought to be rather closer to the distillate itself… Colour: pale gold. Nose: clearly fresher, tauter, more herbal and earthier, before gradually moving towards pastries, scones and croissants. Mouth: it retreats a little towards plain ethanol, even at this venerable age, yet the texture and its gentle porridge-like character are sufficient to carry it through the journey that eventually leads us to… column-still rum. Finish: medium in length, with hay, coconut and vanilla. Comments: we rather miss the sherry, but this remains a very good old grain whisky in my opinion.
SGP:451 - 83 points.

North British 15 yo 2010/2025 (43.7%, Jean Boyer, Gifted Stills of Scotland, 2nd fill Port finish, 356 bottles)

Well now, in this context, a Port finish might actually make rather good sense, let us find out… Colour: gold. Nose: Iindeed, it does, adding a welcome layer of complexity without taking anything away from a grain whisky that is, by nature, not exactly the most complex creature. Tomato vine, peonies, freshly cut grass and strawberry soup, all without drifting into an excess of red fruits. No doubt the refill cask has played its part… Mouth: it continues to work rather well, with blueberry muffins and perhaps a few drops of crème de cassis. It would make a rather good kir. Finish: fairly long, with a slightly rough edge, but we rather like rough-edged grain whiskies, it makes a pleasant change from endless coconut. Comments: a thoroughly charming little baby, and a very good idea from the house Jean Boyer.
SGP:551 - 85 points.

Strathclyde 30 yo 1994/2025 (44.2%, Tri Carragh, 1st fill bourbon barrel, 204 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: wonderfully gentle, with white chocolate mousse, a few touches of pineapple, nougat and popcorn. In the background, a faint hint of aniseed. Mouth: we find that utterly gentle profile once again, a little fruitier this time, with little sweets, Jell-O and apricot, yet remaining beautifully balanced and, above all, free from the intrusive ethanol notes encountered elsewhere. Finish: not especially long, though still balanced and… wonderfully gentle, as smooth as cream. Various herbal infusions linger in the aftertaste. Comments: did I mention that this is a grain whisky full of kindness?
SGP:641 - 85 points.

Cambus 31 yo 1993/2025 (50.9%, James Eadie, sherry butt, cask #48088, 349 bottles)

I do not think we have ever been quite so delighted to stumble upon a fine old sherry cask! Colour: full gold. Nose: and there is hardly any gunpowder, struck matches, truffles or cabbage soup to be found! Instead, plenty of chocolate, praline, chestnut cream, pepper and espresso, make that a double, if you please. With water: a little artichoke and aubergine emerge all the same. Mouth (neat): really very good, just slightly earthy at first, then becoming pepperier before turning properly chocolatey. Dark chocolate filled with cherry liqueur. With water: the chestnut cream returns, joined by three drops of kirsch and a generous helping of whipped cream, if you please. Finish: fairly long, still on chestnut cream, though this time laced with rum. Comments: the texture remains just a little lean for the malt enthusiast, yet this is still an excellent grain whisky.
SGP:551 - 85 points.

We are not dipping much below the 80-point mark, are we? That is surely an encouraging sign for the quality of the single grains being offered by the independents these days…

North British 26 yo 1998/2024 (56.5%, Lady of the Glen, oloroso hogshead, cask #596158, 142 bottles)

I can already hear you, ‘Another North British!’ Indeed, but this one comes from an ex-sherry cask… Colour: reddish amber, or partridge eye, or onion skin… Nose: lovely oloroso, full of tobacco, soy sauce, potting soil, coffee dregs and walnut wine. With water: a pack of dark cigarettes. I shall leave you to choose the brand. Mouth (neat): a little less straightforward on the palate, very much on stone fruit eau-de-vie before it has quite settled down. Mind you, that reddish hue was rather unusual for oloroso, could this not actually be Port? Not on the nose, certainly, but on the palate… (None of that makes the slightest sense, S.) With water: we come back to the grain, with a few faint soapy notes that may well come from the water we have added, a touch of saponification perhaps, but we have no time to wait for them to disappear, assuming they ever do. Finish: not especially long, with kirsch to the fore. Pink grapefruit in the aftertaste. Comments: slightly bewildering, but there is certainly plenty happening here, and that is worth an extra point or two.
SGP:641 - 83 points.

This is turning into a full-blown North-British-a-thon…

North British 32 yo 1991/2023 (45.6%, Zn09, Cyberpunk, first fill barrel, 244 bottles)

We do rather enjoy Zn09, aka Zero Nine Spirits, and their delightfully post-apocalyptic labels, all the more so since they do not even appear to have been churned out by some vulgar AI. Magic! Colour: white wine. Nose: now this is a first, a medicinal single grain with distinct touches of acetone. There is a little nail varnish all the same, alongside asparagus and hairspray. In short, this is enormous fun. Very little vanilla or coconut for a first fill cask, bravo. Mouth: highly entertaining indeed, with the asparagus returning alongside eucalyptus and even a little camphor. We would never have guessed first fill, rather an ex-lightly peated cask. Finish: surprisingly long, with celeriac and carrots before gentian takes over. Comments: what on earth is this thing?
SGP:462 - 87 points.

Dumbarton 25 yo ‘Batch 1’ (50.5%, Living Souls, refill barrels, 2025)

Most likely distilled in 2000, remember that Dumbarton closed its doors in 2002. Colour: white wine. Nose: once again, good fun, Maggi seasoning, umami, oyster sauce and fermenting fruits. In short, all manner of things we rarely encounter in grain whisky, and this is not even ex-sherry. With water: back to the cereals, pancakes and cornflakes, in other words, breakfast. Mouth (neat): going all in on coconut liqueur, Malibu and certain Irish whiskeys, Midleton springs to mind, with a little glue and almond milk alongside. With water: it regains its footing somewhat, moving towards sweet root vegetables, sweet potato in particular. Finish: no longer than the others, though once again it drifts slightly towards arranged rum, vanilla-flavoured, for example. Comments: at the end of the day, this is certainly a very good grain whisky, provided light textures are not an issue for you.
SGP:641 - 82 points.

Invergordon 36 yo 1988/2024 (57.8%, Dramfool, Middle Cut, bourbon barrel, cask #1486, 156 bottles)

Can we really speak of a middle cut when dealing with spirit distilled continuously? A matter for debate… Colour: gold. Nose: we find broken twigs and vanilla pods once again, alongside white chocolate, blancmange, meringue and buttercream. With water: fresh hay. Mouth (neat): a complete about-turn. Most attractive, now edging surprisingly close to a rather high-ester, grand arôme-style rum, although I have not the faintest idea where that might be coming from. Acetone, varnish, petrol and capers. With water: the varnish remains, although the whole becomes rather gentler after dilution. Finish: not especially long, both soft and herbal at the same time. Little bananas. Comments: this baby certainly kept us on our toes, and that alone is worth an extra point.
SGP:551 - 84 points.

Now then, trumpets and drums if you please, unfurl the banners, for here comes… something entirely different.

House of Hazelwood 1968/2022 (49.2%, OB, The Cask Trials, single grain, 303 bottles)

Every Hazelwood by William Grant that we have tasted has been magnificent, and we rather suspect this Girvan, because I suppose it can only be Girvan, built in 1963, may well prove no exception, despite the ‘Black Barrel’ adventures that failed to convince us all those years ago. But that was a long time back indeed and a great deal of Balvenie has flowed under the bridge since then, has it not? Colour: amber mahogany. Nose: let us say it plainly, if every single grain were like this, we would launch singlegrainfun.com on the spot and set off to evangelise the world. In short, this is magnificent, displaying gloriously ripe exotic fruits, papayas and mangoes in abundance, alongside a breathtaking collection of honeys, from thyme to manuka. In the background, a few little figs and dark nougat. A dazzling nose, and I find it hard to believe this is grain whisky. And yet, it most certainly is… Mouth: sublime, extraordinarily complex, brimming with long-forgotten herbal liqueurs, Arquebuse, for one, and honeys unknown even to seasoned beekeepers. Then come the tobaccos and teas, so many of them that we would need an entire day simply to list them all. Finish: not eternal on the palate, perhaps, but eternal in spirit, with every conceivable nuance of conifer. I shall spare you the full inventory. Comments: This is no longer grain whisky, it is meta-spirit, they are all here, Cognac, rum, whisky, tequila, Armagnac, brandy and pisco. A genuine masterclass in cask maturation.
SGP:662 - 93 points.

… There is one drawback with drams of this calibre: it becomes quite pointless even to contemplate tasting any other grain whisky after such a session-killer. Which simply means we shall be back tomorrow, with yet more grain whiskies.

Check the index of all grain whiskies we've tasted