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Kensington Wine Market's 2023 Whisky Calendar UBER EDITION Day 16 - Whisky Trail Carsebridge 1973

Posted on December 16, 2023

by Evan

Today we will be tasting a Single Grain Scotch Whisky – and a well-aged one at that – with the Whisky Trail Silhouette Carsebridge 1973 - 48 Year Old!

Carsebridge Distillery opened way back in 1799, and in its early years, it actually made Single Malt Scotch. It was converted to a Grain Distillery with the installation of two Coffey stills in 1852 and never looked back.

Carsebridge, like quite a few other distilleries, ended up closing in 1983. Here is a list of other distilleries that turned off the lights for the last time that year. A few of these have been mention already in my 2023 KWM Whisky Calendar and UBER Whisky Calendar blog posts:

  • Banff
  • Benromach (Purchased by Gordon & MacPhail in 1993 and reopened in 1998)
  • Carsebridge
  • Brora (recently refurbished and revived by Diageo)
  • Dallas Dhu
  • Glen Albyn
  • Glen Mhor
  • Glenlochy
  • Glenugie
  • Knockdhu (Purchased by Inverhouse Distillers in 1988 and reopened in 1989)
  • North Port
  • Port Ellen (recently rebuilt and revived by Diageo)
  • St Magdalene/Linlithgow

All of these distilleries closed as a result of both a weaker economy and the whisky loch – as it was termed – that resulted from overproduction and slower sales. I have a sneaking suspicion that Margaret Thatcher is somehow also to blame for all of these closures. I never trusted that woman.

Of the distilleries I mentioned, 11 of them were owned by a company that was called DCL. DCL was an abbreviation for the Distillers Company Limited. DCL was created by the amalgamation of John Walker and Son with Buchanan-Dewar in 1925. Three years after the glut of closures in 1983, DCL would be acquired by Guinness in 1986. A few more mergers and name changes take us to today, where the company is now known as Diageo.

Back to those 1983 distillery closures: a few of those distilleries were eventually revived, but most were closed and eventually demolished, or had their buildings converted to other uses. Carsebridge is one of those. By the turn of the century, most of the buildings on the former distillery site had been demolished. There was a cooperage that remained in use, but that too no longer exists as it was closed in 2011. The old Carsebridge Distillery site is now a business park, which resides in the Lowlands in a town called Alloa, just north of the River Forth.

So, shall we taste some history?

Whisky Trail Silhouette Carsebridge 1973 - 48 Year Old

From Elixir Distillers Whisy Trail - Silhouette range, this 1973 vintage Caresbridge Single Grain was bottled after 48 years in an ex-Sherry Butt at 56.3%. Exclusive to KWM!

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: Creaky old oak staves, linseed oil, a touch of turpentine, plus baked cornbread, butterscotch, Demerara sugar, peach cobbler, well-worn leather jacket, mothballs, beeswax, and an incoming spoonful of cherry-flavoured cough syrup.

Palate: Plenty of oak and oak spices along with more peaches and brown sugar, cherries and cinnamon, pancake syrup, butter ripple schnapps, light roast coffee, and pumpkin pie with a good dose of nutmeg plus whipped cream on top.

Finish: Not crazy long, but long enough to warm you up and want some more. Great combination of brown sugar and oak spice on the fade.

Comment: Well, this hits the spot. 48-year-old Single Grain Scotch doesn’t come cheap, but it is a bargain compared to a Single Malt Scotch of the same age.

Cheers,
Evan
evan@kensingtonwinemarket.com
Facebook & Instagram: @sagelikefool

You can find all blog posts for the UBER EDITION of Kensington Wine Market’s 2023 Whisky Calendar Here

This entry was posted in Whisky, Whisky Calendars, Independent Bottler, KWM Whisky Calendar 2023 UBER EDITION

 

 

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