There used to be a semi-official 15 year-old and a few independent bottlings were made available by Cadenhead and Signatory, but it’s very rare.

Cambus 24 yo 1986 (54,7%, Bladnoch forum 2010, hogshead #18988)

Nose: a lot of vanilla on a background of toasted bread. Crême de banane. Some apple. Sweet but rather high on alcohol and sharp wood. Hints of glue. Not too complex. I’ve tried this in different glasses because in some types it just doesn’t seem to express itself. Water helps to bring out coconut, which is nice. Mouth: not so typical. Big notes of caramel and lots of wood. Honey. Bittersweet notes of oranges. Overall quite nice but also quite neutral: grains, alcohol and plain oak or so it seems. Water helps to soften it again and make it more flavourful (vanilla and coconut again). Finish: rather short, with juicy oak and zesty oranges.

Maybe it doesn’t make sense to complain because Bladnoch Forum bottlings have extremely competitive prices, but still this was a slight disappointment. Available from Bladnoch – £ 35.

Score: 79/100

ps/ Perfect timing: Diageo’s plans for the Cambus cooperage plant have been accepted yesterday. It will be operational by 2011.

Garnheath (also spelled Garneath) is so rare most people have never heard of it. The distillery was located in the Lowlands, established in 1965 and closed down in 1986. The number of releases can be counted on one hand. Douglas Laing seem to have a reasonable stock – recently they’ve also released a similar cask in the Clan Denny range at 47,9%.

Garnheath 40 yo 1969 (51,6%, Douglas Laing OGC 2009, 154 btl.)

Nose: very smooth and gentle. Typical old grain whisky (coconut and vanilla) but with very few glue notes and very few notes of varnish. Not at all harsh. Lots of white chocolate. Mashed banana. Hints of rum. Papaya. Mouth: the coconut goes on and on. Drier than most other grain whisky. Lots of cereals and oak. Cedar wood I would say. Nutmeg and mint. A very faint hint of burnt grass. Menthol in the aftertaste. Finish: rather short with the oak and vanilla having the last word.

A grain whisky that has a lot to say. The complexity is above par and the end result is better than many malt whiskies. One of the best grains I’ve had. Around € 120 but it seems to be sold out.

Score: 87/100

When launched last year, there was Glen First Class (a Glenfarclas distilled in 2000) and Glen Peat Class (17yo vatted Islay malt). Recently they were joined by Glen Speyside Class (18yo Glenrothes) and this Glen Grain Class, a vatting of 4 sherry butts filled at the North British distillery in 2000.

Glen Grain Class 2000
(50%, Malts of Scotland 2011, batch n°1)

Nose: not the vanilla / coconut combo I was expecting. Lighter, definitely mintier and less warm. Hints of grapes and green banana. Sawdust. Fresh herbs. Overall a bit alcoholic, like wodka or schnapps. Hints of unlit matches. Not bad actually, just not the expected grain profile. Mouth: sweet start (powder sugar, grain cookies), evolving to herbs again (gin or schnapps) and finally moving in the direction of drier, slightly bitter flavours. Pepper. Apples maybe. Where’s the sherry? Finish: slightly hot, bittersweet with spices.

Clean grain whisky without much sherry influence. It may be pure but also quite atypical and slightly disappointing. I’ve heard the Glen Speyside Class is much better, I should really try that one as well. Around € 30.

Score: 72/100

Greenore 10 yo (52,9%, OB 2011 for Belgium, cask #87, 394 btl.)

Nose: typical banana ice cream aroma (banana, whipped cream and vanilla) with hints of Pïsang Ambon or chocolates with banana filling. Nice and quite unique. There’s also a honey coating and a corn sweetness that you don’t find in many other grain whiskies. A little coconut. Certainly attractive but I feel it doesn’t speak loud enough – underneath the alcohol the aromas are quite soft and fluffy. Mouth: sweet vanilla with freshly cut wood kicking in. Banana. Coconut milk. Hints of barley and caramel. Again quite creamy although there’s a slightly spirity bite towards the end (a drop of water helps). Finish: medium length, with dark sugar and a little Malibu.

A nice expression of this Irish single grain, which reminded me of certain rums. I like the nose better than the palate. Around € 50.

Score: 83/100

Greenore 18yo is bottled at 46% and the current batch is limited to 4000 bottles. In the UK it will be available soon, the rest of Europe will have to wait until mid February.

Greenore 18 yo (46%, OB 2011, 4000 btl.)

Nose: a mild nose (for a grain whiskey at least), with banana peel, apricot and sweet corn. Vanilla with a curious milky element, like a crème anglaise (custard sauce). A hint of cinnamon. Some honey and faint grassy / herbal notes. Overall quite smooth, oily but a little soft maybe. Hardly any synthetic notes that are common in other grain whiskies. Mouth: balanced between very sugary grains (think frosted cereals) and plenty of spices from the oak (nutmeg, pepper). Pineapple syrup, banana, some coconut cream. Quite some vanilla again. Finish: medium length, sweet but slightly harsh with spicy notes and oak.

Smoothness should be the keyword for this Greenore 18 Years. While it shows nice elements, it’s not perfectly smooth. Compared to Irish malt whisky, it’s also a little simple. Around € 80.

Score: 81/100

Invergordon is a grain distillery located in the Northern Highlands (it shares its grounds with Ben Wyvis) and is part of the White & MacKay group. This Invergordon is 36 years old, distilled on the 14th of November 1972.

Invergordon 36 yo 1972 (41,4%, Bladnoch forum 2009, cask 95390, 184 btl.)

Nose: creamy vanilla with big hints of coconut (as expected). Reminds me of certain rums in that respect. Very sweet with notes of Demerara sugar. White chocolate. Some exotic fruits (pineapple, guava). A bit of sourish oak polish. Less complex than an old malt whisky, but very good as a grain. Mouth: completely in line. Coconut cream, vanilla. Kind of a malibu drink without the stickiness. Rather gentle. Finish: short and light with a very faint hint of perfume.

A typical old Invergordon, very enjoyable albeit a bit too mellow and mono-dimensional. Sold out. Around € 60 at the time.

Score: 82/100

This 48 years old 1965 release is a joint bottling of The Whisky Agency with Komplex Whisky in Sweden.

North British 48 yo 1962 (47,9%, The Whisky Agency ‘Perfect Dram’ 2010, bourbon hogshead,
146 btl.)

Nose: grains and ripe banana with a lot of coconut and vanilla but some earthy notes as well. A little glue. Close to other single grains, but quite smooth and balanced. This one adds a little wax, leather and some icing sugar. Cinnamon. A faint hint of Nivea cream as well, maybe. Mouth: starts fairly gentle but picks up strength. Corn and vanilla with a certain grassy spiciness. Coconut milk and nougat. Banana milkshake. A little kirsch. Finish: medium length, sweet, with a nice caramelized banana aroma.

This is exemplary grain whisky. Downside: it doesn’t show the same complexity as old malt whisky. Upside: not at all tired, plenty of punch and much cheaper than malt whisky. Around € 140.

Score: 87/100

North British 20 yo 1991 (55,8%, Master of Malt 2011, first fill bourbon, 244 btl.)

Nose: rather warm at first with plenty of vanilla and fresh oak shavings. Soft white chocolate / very light mocha notes in the background. Sweet and thick. After some time it seems to loose some of its vanilla creaminess and it gets a little sharper, with traces of grass and Nivea cream that I found before in much older North British. Mouth: very sweet and quite surprising. Big notes of Pisang Ambon (banana liqueur) and Malibu (coconut liqueur). Very thick and almost sticky. Sweet corn. Pineapple syrup. Butterscotch. A burst of pepper and ginger in the end. Finish: not too long, still extremely sweet with some spirity notes and an oaky / spicy edge.

This is not a complex grain whisky but it’s interesting as it lacks some typical grain flavours but also shows a few less common elements. Around € 52.

Score: 82/100

Strathclyde 27yo 1980 (58,2%, Duncan Taylor Rare Auld 2007, cask #1496)

Nose: lots of varnish / paint notes. Not unpleasant but too harsh maybe. Some hints of toasted oak and a little mocha. Tropical fruits as well, but they’re burried somewhere deep inside. Too bad, because the balance is a bit gone. Some mint. Mouth: very very strong and equally strange. Heavy alcohol, an overload of wood resin, then some grains… quite ethereal on the whole with hints of after shave. Rum, burnt cake. Honey maybe? Water doesn’t do any good either. Finish: quite long but a bit too alcoholic and bitter.

I’ve never had this kind of experience with grain whisky. Way too much focus on the varnish notes and the alcohol. Still available in some shops. Around € 80. You’re warned though!

Score: 58/100