Cambus 1991 25 Year (Whiskybroker)

Thanks to @Generously_Paul for providing a pour, I got to taste this single grain from a closed distillery. It’s really not often that one gets to sample whisky from closed and ghosted distilleries, so I’m that much more thankful. In my opinion, single grain whiskies are usually rough and brazen under 25-30yrs, unless they’re blended ( like Compass Box) or finished. This one here plays to that general hypothesis. Nose is definitely sherried. Some dried fruits and hazelnuts. Taste is thinner than a single malt, naturally. Lighter mouthfeel, but that’s actually a positive in this summer scorching 100 degree heat outside. Typical sherry dark fruits, marzipan. A bit of a light heat in the finish. One of the better sub-30yr old grains I’ve had. And from a ghosted distillery makes it that much more unique. Thanks Paul for the pour !

It’s time for another bonus pour from the now defunct whisky tasting group @Generously_Paul and I founded a few years ago. The goal to try a whisky from every active Scottish distillery was completed back in the Fall of 2018, and Paul sort of resurrected it as new juice has hit the market from the newer distilleries- well, he also decided to chase down a few bottles from closed, or ghosted, ones now. That’s where this little gem comes from: Cambus distillery, from the Lowlands region. This was a grain distillery that was used in lots of blends. The sample he sent was from Whiskybroker, a warehousing cooperage that apparently dabbled in releasing bottles from their vast collection. This Cambus is a glorious 25 year old example. It was filled in August of 1991 and bottled in August of 2017. It was sherry butt matured and bottled at a robust cask strength of 56.9%. It’s a beautiful, shiny gold and produces oily and quick running legs and tiny beads after a spin in the Glencairn. The nose starts and remained grainy, even after a good rest in the glass. Cereal notes turned honeyed and buttery with a strong macadamia nut flavor that never seemed to fade. There was some weak sweetness, but it was harsh and hot and very hard to decipher. The palate was more forgiving with an overall sweet profile. Sherry grapes, red berries and even some tropical flavors work through the heat and grainy aspects. There’s depth here, especially with a splash of water. Roasted nuts and malty goodness helped calm the lasting negative effects of the cask strength ABV. It felt oily and stuck in the crevices of the mouth, even as it left a slight burn in those places, too. The finish was long and surprisingly sharp for a grain whisky. It stayed warm and inviting and left a lingering sherry presence long after I was done with the dram. The dry glass was still delivering a healthy nosing experience the next morning. Overall, this was an excellent cask selected by the bottler. Most grain whisky is one dimensional, sometimes even after a long rest, but this cask must’ve had some serious magic left in it. A quality dram and for the price point under $100- this was a gem of a find. I have a feeling this was a one-off, because if the distillery was making whisky this good they wouldn’t have went under, but that’s all just speculation on my part. This was a wonderful experience- 4 stars. Thanks again, Paul. Cheers.

Stop number 107 on the SDT (yes, we are firing up the tour again for a bonus round with both closed and new distilleries) is Cambus. This Lowland grain distillery closed in 1993 and ceased all activity until 2011 when it was reopened as a cooperage. I won this 25 year old at auction for $98, not a bad price at all for a 25 year old scotch. Whiskybroker is the independent bottler that released this vintage. They are a curious company that is more of a wholesaler and storage facility than an independent bottler. They buy and sell whole casks, rent out their warehouse for maturing casks for others, and occasionally bottle some of their own casks for selling. This bottle was number 88 of 555 that came from a sherry butt, cask number 62929. It was filled on 8/8/1991 and bottled on 3/8/2017, which just happens to be 2 years ago today. Bottled at cask strength of 56.9% ABV, non chill filtered and natural color of yellow gold. The nose needs plenty of time to settle down. If you go in too quickly after pouring you get hit with harsh acetone and a vinegar-like harshness. After enough time to compose itself (10-15 minutes) there is grain alcohol (but not as harsh as most other grain scotches out there), lots of honey and some lemon zest, honeysuckle, vanilla, coconut and Honey-Nut Cheerios. Very little burn considering the high ABV. Light sherry notes, clearly a refill cask. Sherried fruits - raisins, honeyed dates, blackberries, raspberries and melon rinds. Some light ginger, nutmeg, almond meal and marzipan. Buttery, a touch sulfuric, cocoa powder and brown sugar. Water brings out a bit more sulfur, a touch meaty. More vanilla, ginger, apples, bread. Slightly sour. The palate starts sweet with light sherry, plenty of heat and some funk. The heat is refreshing and invigorating. Some sulfuric and buttery notes. Honey, grains, creamy vanilla and coconut. Raisins, cranberries, blackberries. Tart and sweet. Oak tannins and some harsh grain alcohol at times. Water brings the heat way down, more juicy sherry, berries, pie crust. More honey and some fresh grainy bread. A medium to full bodied mouthfeel that is very oily, like 5W-30 Quaker State, mouthwatering. The finish is medium length, honey, light sherry, coconut, sourdough, grain alcohol. The finish turns harsh midway through and is easily the low point of this whisky. This was one of the best single grain scotches I’ve had, but that’s not saying much because most of them are garbage. I tried this over several days and most of the time it was fairly enjoyable. Other times it was overly harsh and sour. Water is highly recommended, though not entirely necessary. Most of the time I went without water, but when I did add water it was better (I liked the heat at cask strength in this case). It was nice to try another ghosted distillery and a quarter century scotch for under $100 is quite a good deal. 3.5-3.75 Cheers