First session back in the saddle: Cambus. One of the lost grain distilleries, of course. Cambus gave up the ghost in 1993 as Diageo continued streamlining operations in a more challenging time (as regards whisky, anyway), so there are a fair few well-aged examples out there by this point. In particular, plenty of 1991s. While I haven’t confirmed that the MacBeth bottling from Elixir Distillers was a ’91, the math seems to work. And…I honestly don’t recall ever seeing a 1992, so I think we can say these four are almost certainly all ‘91s.

Grains remain a legit option for those romanced by high age statements over high price tags. There’s a sacrifice of complexity and a narrowing of the flavour spectrum, but there are some great finds out there for the discerning. Anyway, let’s get grainy. First up… a couple ex-bourbon examples:

Cooper’s Choice Cambus 1991
32 yo (1991 – 2024)
Bourbon Cask No. 79880
264 bottles
47.5% abv
Nose: lemon; Pine and sandalwood; shortbread; lemon cookies; underripe pear and green banana; cheap white table wine; canned fruit syrup; ginger; confectioners’ sugar. Palate: Sweet and fruity arrival that sharpens up a bit in the midpalate; jicama; ribbon candy; vanilla and lemon; white Freezies; tinned peach Finish: Clean. Very pleasant white bread dough flavours. The fading notes scream white Freezies at me. Thoughts: I think this one was done a bit of a disservice by dilution. I could see an extra mark or two if this sat around the 52-54% mark. Still quite ok. 82/100

Cambus 31 yo
Elixir Distillers
MacBeth: Act One – The Ghosts
Bottled 2023
650 bottles
46.2% abv
Nose: Lemon meringue pie; French vanilla ice cream; creamy orange sherbet; some sort of kitchen hand soap; shea butter; cold cream; homemade white buns, slightly Maillard Reaction-y; Melon and banana cream. Palate: white chocolate (both the good kind and the cheap sugared mess); Hemp Body Butter from The Body Shop; Vanilla Stoli with ginger; lemon squares, liberally covered in confectioners’ sugar. Finish: Dry and quite woody. After about 30 seconds…bone dry Thoughts: Very safe. No romance. A ‘friend zone’ whisky, to be sure. 80.5/100

…and now, Cambus in ex-Sherry:

Signatory Vintage Cambus 1991 31 yo
31 yo (1991 -2023)
Refill Oloroso Butt
Cask No: 104229
330 bottles
50.5% abv
Nose: dark vanilla cream; crème brulée; milky earl grey tea; grape and eucalyptus; ginger; toasted marshmallow; freshly washed wooden chopping block; soft lemon tones; pie crust; very roasty, toasty. Palate: very silky; well-made aquavit stirred into vanilla; over-chewed Juicy Fruit gum (and maybe a tick of Bazooka Joe); lemon soap. Finish: Rich and textural, but gets a bit tannic in short order. Thoughts: a little too simple for my tastes, but the sherry brings a neat heft. I find grains and sherry can often be a bit uncomfortable with each other. Not my favorite style, but not inelegant in its own way, either. 84/100

Cambus 1991
Càrn Mòr Celebration of the Cask
27 yo (1991 – 2019)
Sherry Butt Number 61976
515 bottles
60.6% abv
Nose: Rather savoury; faint notes of marmite and mince on rye (or pumpernickel?); mushroomy umami notes; tarragon; old rosemary; potpourri (without rose petals); a tick of grease; and some black olive focaccia bread Palate: Ok… slightly less ‘soupy’ than the nose hinted at; dark jams on deeply toasted dark breads; pea shells; musty old sherry; ‘Smores with a smear of jam, just after having eaten a grilled burger; Finish: Long and rich. Makes me think of a bit of grilled beef with a dab of some sort of pomegranate reduction. Thoughts: The palate saves this one. Barely. Not much in the way of balance here, though. 77/10

(CR)