Invergordon 10yo 40% OB Grain
Grain can be fantastic but usually it needs a bit more years in the cask to develop flavours like malt whisky. This one smells of liquorice and boiled peas. The taste is peppery, liquorice, papery, bitter and just extremely weird, like some cardboard stew.
No thanks: 1.5
North British 12yo 1997-2009 43% Signatory Vintage
Another blank single grain whisky, or is it just called "grain"? Well, as long as it's from same distillery I'll just use same standards as with malts. Once again the nose is extremely boring, maybe some salty water? Tonic? The taste on the other hand is pretty herbal, a bit dry, shows more promise than the Cameronbridge, but it just doesn't give much more than hints of real character. I've really liked the older CS grains I've tried before, but to bottle it young and diluted just like any other standard malt obviously won't work for grain whiskies, at least not for me.
All right, but far from it's peak: 3.5
Cameronbridge 12yo 1995-2007 43% Signatory Vintage
Although I've always been pretty exclusively a fan of scotch single malt, I've lately had some grain, some japanese and some irish, and I've been hugely impressed by some of them. So today I'll take another alternative journey, and try some grain as well as a recently revealed secret malt. This one comes from a bourbon cask, smells really light, some hay and wheat. The taste is sweet, spicy, hints of liquorice, kind of boring, with no aftertaste at all. I guess that the single grain needs some more mturing than the single malt?
Boring, bland grain: 3
Strathclyde 24yo 1980-2005 62.4% Duncan Taylor
A grain whisky of crazy strength, at a respectable age, I think this has to be something not many get to try. Strathclyde also produced the malt Kinclaith, the short period it was produced that is. it smells liquorice, salty, ammonia. This is a remarkably salty grain whisky, reminds me of the unpeated Caol Ila, or some older Bunnahabhains. I think it's a splendid grain. The taste is salty, peppery and really rustic, something of onions and red peppers. I know at a strength like this water is usually a necessity, but not here. This one's got all it needs.
A totally new grain experience: 8
Garnheath 40yo 1969-2009 47.9% Douglas Laing
Nice to try such an old grain whisky, usually it's said that the difference between old and young is even bigger when it comes to single grain than single malts. It smells really big, lots of different odors, honey, syrup, black pepper, grilled aubergine, melted butter and pesto. The taste doesn't quite follow up, but it's really pleasant, peanut butter, chorizo, slightly dry, rustic, many fine flavours. I do like to point that this is an oldie that truly doesn't need any water. Anyway, the aftertaste is a bit short and lacks character, but other than that it's a fine whisky.
Probably a bit expensive, but flawless: 7
Greenore 8yo 40% OB Cooley Single Grain
From the distillery Cooley in Ireland comes this Greenore, pretty young grain whisky. A so called small batch release, which I never understood why is a considered a sign of quality. It's a yellow, almost greenish colour, smells sort of grassy and minty, nothing special but pleasant. The taste is really light, a bit grassy, sweet, coastal, spicy, herbal, very herbal actually, I'd say the herbal flavours makes this just a bit more than your usual delicate youngster. I'm very impressed by this, unfortunately as far people have come in discovering that singles usually surpasses blends tastewise in scotch, I believe that Jameson will be the whisky of Ireland for many the year still. :(
Try this, you'll be surprised: 6
Cameronbridge 30yo 1978-2008 56.6% Adelphi cask 5 btl 1/238
A very limited bottling from this grain distillery by Adelphi. An impressing cask strength at this age. Very alcoholic and woody taste. A beautifully balanced whisky, sweet and sour, kind of like a sorbet of lime and strawberry. It changes to a peppery and very very long aftertaste of syrup, chilli, coconut, olive oil and many more flavours that's hard to describe. I haven't tried much old grain from before, but this definately makes me want much, much more.
Like a good story, a good beginning, good middle and good end: 9.5
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