Single Grain

North British Signatory Cask Strength 1991 30 Year

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North British Signatory Cask Strength 1991 30 Year
Single Grain Scotch Whisky

54.7% ABV
$130
Website
North British Signatory 30 Year Single Grain Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle Says

Distilled on: 09/02/1991
Bottled on: 0/25/2022
Matured in a Refill Sherry Butt
Cask No: 262084
Bottle No X of 494

Tasting Notes by The Chaps at Master of Malt:
Nose: Honeyed granola, apple tart, a whiff of vanilla, and buttered popcorn.
Palate: Floral honey and sweet orchard fruit crumble with toasted cereal topping and dustings of brown sugar. Hints of grassy oak beneath.
Finish: Diced nuts and baking spices, with butterscotch balancing peppery heat.

What Gary Says

Nose: Rich, vanilla butter-cream frosting, honey, oak, leather, bit of cornbread.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel with honey, vanilla, toffee, caramel, raisins, plums with some pepper spice.
Finish: Long and drying with caramel, raisins, spice and light roast coffee.
Comments:  Another really solid single grain that is a lovely sipper neat, although it gets even better with just a few drops of water. Brings out some fruit notes on the nose, and on the palate I get some notes of canned pears. If I was better organized, I’d have done a side by side with this sample and the other North British 30 Year Old (which I know is part of why Rich bought both of these). Unfortunately haven’t been as well organized as of late. Although interestingly enough, these were sampled probably 6 weeks apart, and different tasting notes but the same rating

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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North British Old Particular 1988 30 Year

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North British Old Particular 1988 30 Year
Single Grain Scotch Whisky

48.4% ABV
$100
Website
North British 30 Year Old "Old Particular" K&L Exclusive Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Grain Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle Says

One of 180 Bottles Charged from a Refill Barrel
Ref DL12798
No Colouring; No Chill Filtration

This Single Cask Was Distilled July 1988 And
Bottled August 2018

Specially Selected for K&L Wines

Nose: Opens with a golden syrup, slight spice and Californian orange quality
Palate: Expect Scottish marmalade with runny honey and lightly toasted pine nuts
Finish: Medium long with a citrus twist, American cream soda and gentle pepper

What Gary Says

Nose:  Vanilla, buttercream frosting, hint of baking spices (hermit cookies), light caramel, porridge cereal notes with a subtle hint of citrus.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel with a citrus zip, honey, caramel, oak and hints of herbal tea.
Finish:  Long, damp with honey, pepper and vanilla.
Comments:  This is a really nice well aged single grain, and like others – benefits a lot from time in the glass (the old adage of ‘1 min in the glass for every year in the cask’ is asking a lot; I gave it an honest 20 minutes and it was much improved over freshly poured). Delicate and subtle, with a lovely depth on the nose. A bit of water brings a nuttiness to the nose, while the mouthfeel maintains the viscosity and the palate introduces some notes of toffee.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Port Dundas 28 Yr Single Grain Scotch Whisky

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Single Grain /

Port Dundas 28 Year Old Cask Strength Single Grain Whisky
Sovereign K&L Exclusive Single Cask

51.3% ABV
$80
Website
Port Dundas 28 Year Single Grain Scotch Whisky

What the Reseller Says

Built in 1811, Port Dundas grew throughout the 19th and early 20th century by absorbing neighboring producers. It quickly became Scotland’s largest distillery. During its long history on the banks of the Forth and Clyde Canal in Glasgow, this grain whisky powerhouse provided much of the juice for the Johnnie Walker and White Horse blended whiskies. With Diageo’s expansion and modernization of Cameronbridge in the early 2000s, production at Port Dundas ceased, and in 2011 the landmark site was completely demolished. That closure makes this 28 year old single grain whisky a veritable piece of history. And at the same time, one of the most affordable ghost distilleries available on the market. Nearly every time we have the opportunity to purchase old grain from Port Dundas at this kind of price, we have to take it. The whisky is too enjoyable to pass up. Just as it’s been a workhorse for blenders for 200 years, it’s a workhorse in nearly every K&L staff member’s whisky collection.

From the bottle:
From the bottle:
Distilled February 1990, Bottled July 2018
1 of 239 Bottles
Cask Ref: HL15272
Aged in a Refill Hogshead, Bottled at Cask Strength
Non Chill-Filtered, Natural Colour
An almost tropical nose with coconut and pineapple both in attendance, along with the expected vanilla and a touch of honeydew melon. Apricot, raspberry and a touch of menthol on the palate leading to a finish of orange, maple syrup and more coconut notes.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Heather, vanilla sponge cake, grilled peaches, pears with subtle tropical fruit notes of kiwi and coconut.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, sweet with vanilla, honey, coconut, malt, buttered biscuits with peaches and cream.
Finish:  Long and damp with vanilla, honey and fading fruit salad.
Comments:  Long time readers of the blog (all 4 of you) know that grain whisky isn’t my favorite category. I bought my first bottle back in 2016 while in the U.K. because for a 25 year old it was a bargain – and ironically enough it too was a Port Dundas, distilled in February 1990 (but bottled in May 2015). This definitely reminds me of that, being very subtle and gentle, and needing some time in the glass to open up. I appreciate the mouthfeel, and in terms of value (only $80 freaking dollars?) it would be hard to beat.

Rating: Stands Out

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Cambus 29 Year Old Single Grain

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Single Grain /

Cambus 29 Year Old
Single Grain Scotch Whisky

Comparing Different Barrels From Different Independent Bottlers

$100 (each, duh)

Why Compare Two Different Independent Bottlings?

Both are Cambus 29 year Old, cask strength, distilled in 1988.  No way I was going to review them without satisfying my own curiosity by doing a side-by-side!  Plus – trying to differentiate two reviews in the table of contents for ‘Cambus 29 Year Old’ felt a bit silly.  Oh – and having just put this template together for the Knob Creek Single Barrel Select Rye, felt I might as well get more mileage out of it!

The Bottle Details

The Sovereign

 

Cambus 29 Year Old Single Grain

Old Particular

 

Cambus 29yr Old Particular

Picked By
Selected by and bottled exclusively for K&L WinesSpecially Selected for K&L Wines
ABV
44.6%46.9%
Distilled
September 1988September 1988
Bottled
July 2018September 2017
Age
29 Years, 10 Months29 Years
Cask Type
Refill HogsheadRefill Hogshead
Bottles
266281
Additional Notes
Cask Ref: HL15269
Non chill-filtered, Natural Colour
Natural Cask Strength		Cask Ref DL12138
No Chill Filtration, No Colouring
Natural Cask Strength
Tasting Notes
A fragrant nose of sandalwood, coconut, toffee and vanilla.
More toffee on the palate along with fruity notes of orange, apple and papaya.
A gentle, satisfying, medium length finish rounds things off.		Nose: Opens with a delicate and fresh quality with a hint of lime
Palate: Gentle spice then moving to vanilla toffee and sweet cereals
Finish: Distinct spices which warm gently, and lightly burnt sugar

What Gary Says

The Sovereign
Old Particular
Nose:Butter cream frosting, canned peaches and pears, subtle oak, hint of mandarin orange, ginger, heather.Butter cream frosting, subtle caramel sauce, touch of pears and limes, sandalwood, heather.
Palate:Sweet and fruity, a bit of toffee before cinnamon and pepper break in, butterscotch, honey.Rich mouthfeel, sweet with gentle fruit notes, rich toffee and butterscotch before spice notes kick in, bringing cinnamon with a soft pepper spice followed by honey.
Finish:Moderately long with honey and a herbal dryness.Long and wet with lingering spice notes and brown sugar.
Comments:A nice well aged single grain. Not the mouthfeel I had hoped for given its age, but a lovely dram none the less.  Single grain Scotch whisky is quite a bit more delicate than single malt.  Don’t expect a 29 yr old single grain to be like a 29 yr old single malt – it almost certainly won’t be (in fact the word “single” and the country of origin may be about all they have in common). It isn’t my favorite genre of whisky, but I can appreciate it for what it is.  And in the case of this bottle – dangerously drinkable!In the glass this was the darker of the two pours (not “dark” by any stretch, but The Sovereign had more of a faint yellow tint where this tends more towards golden).  This was a tad more rich on both the nose and the mouthfeel of the palate, and also had a longer finish.  Very similar for sure – the differences are pretty nuanced.  I personally preferred this one of the two, but not by a wide enough margin to bump the rating to a “Must Try”.
Rating:
Stands Out
Stands Out

 

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Girvan 24 Yr Single Grain Scotch Whisky

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Girvan 24 Year Old Cask Strength Single Grain Whisky
Sovereign K&L Exclusive Single Cask

50.3% ABV
$100
Website
Girvan 24 Yr Old Single Grain Scotch Whisky

What the Reseller Says

Our grain whiskies from the Sovereign label have been some of the most beloved in our store’s history, which is why we’re back with another fabulous Girvan; the William Grant Lowland distillery located in the South Ayrshire (where Ladyburn distillery was once located). Remember that grain whiskies are not single malts, but rather column-distilled whiskies usually made from corn (like Bourbon). The Girvan 24 year is full of soft vanilla right off the bat, almost like an older version of the Nikka Coffey expression, but with more pop due to the higher proof. The vanilla turns into caramel on the mid-palate and it finishes with more soft sweetness before the alcohol comes roaring in. With grain prices as low as they are, expect more outstanding values like this in the near future.

From the bottle:
Distilled 1990, Bottled September 2014
A robust, sweet nose is slightly peppery with toffee apples.
Buttery on the palate with vanilla and chocolate,
followed by a long, nutty finish
Cask Ref: HL10574

What Gary Says

Nose:  Sweet, subtle honey with musty oak, hints of vanilla and baked apples.
Palate:  Sweet start with a viscous, buttery mouthfeel, vanilla and almonds before pepper spice.
Finish:  Long, nutty and peppery, drying as it goes.
Comments:  Full disclosure – single grain isn’t my favorite category of whisky. There isn’t anything objectionable about this dram, but also nothing really stood out for me compared to other similarly aged single grain Scotch whiskies. For my palate, single grain is a very gentle, subtle, nuanced pour – typically on the sweet side with a buttery mouthfeel. Very drinkable, and while there’s pepper spice it is somehow softer than you might expect (not a ‘sharp bite’). Hard to find a 20+ yr old anything in this price range.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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