Archives for June 2, 2015

Dumbarton / 1986 Single Grain Whisky

Summary: Nose: complex? Doesn't even touch upon what is going on here. Most ungrain like in the manner ny which a complex prickle teaes the nose. A bit like the small grains working wonders in a bourbon. Not overly sweet, but the cooked molassed sugars do add depth as well as balance; butterscotch in a midly overcooked tart;
Taste: initially a silkier delivery than the nose suggests will hapen. But those corn oils are relatively brief and a combination of sugars, of varying degree of intensity, begin to box with the fizzing spices;
Finish: some bitterness as one comes to expect from old Allied casks, but the clarity of the grain and now honyed sugars negates the worst and has a little to spare;
Balance: when this distillery was closed I was beside myself with disappointment…and rage. Following the closure of Cambus, this left Dumbarton as the brightest star in the collapsing grain whisky galaxy. This bottle will give you some insight into just why I treasured it so greatly; certainly more so then the bean counters at Allied who saw its potential as prime real estate over its ability to keep making arguably the best blended Scotch whiskies in the world. My main point of surprise now is why so few bottlings from this giant of a distillery ever see the shelves.
Country/Region: Scotland/Lowland.
Bottler: Scott's Selection.
ABV: 51.5%.
Unit: 70cl.
Age: 25 Year Old.
Distilled/Bottled: 1986/2011.
Ratings: 94 Points / Jim Murray's 2012 Whisky Bible.
© Tasting Notes from Jim Murray's 2012 Whisky Bible.