I’ve been curious about single grain Scotch for a while and was looking to try a proper, well aged single grain that is its own thing, not part of a blend, but it isn’t super available (at least not at prices to “see what it’s about”). Fortunately I was placing an order and they happened to have this so I gave it a shot.
Minutia: Distilled on March 12, 1984, matured in a hogshead numbered 19307, bottled on July 24, 2018 yielding 217 bottles. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.
Color: Burnished, 1.1.
Nose: Popcorn, some nut, bit of fruit maybe citrus, like an old fashioned smells.
Taste: Slight off-note like an orange peel, butter, cola candy flavor.
Finish: Medium. Maltiness persists long. Cereal probably is a better descriptor for what I’m detecting as malty, as it turns into that unflavored Cheerio type aftertaste toward the end.
I’m not converted to grain over malt whisky, nor am I compelled to put in tremendous effort to get my hands on more, but I do want to explore it further. It was different from malt whisky, but not by all that much, and I quite appreciated it as I’ve been looking to distance myself from smoke for a bit and let my palate restabilize.
Score: 85
