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