Kensington Wine Market's 2023 Whisky Calendar UBER EDITION Day 21 - Maltbarn Invergordon 1972 - 49 Year Old
Posted on December 27, 2023
by Evan
This is the second Scottish Grain Whisky we have had in the 2023 KWM UBER Whisky Calendar – the first being the Whisky Trail Silhouette Carsebridge 1973 we had on day 16. And the oldest by a year. Today, we are tasting the 49-Year-Old Maltbarn Invergordon 1972.
When it comes to Scottish Single Grain Distilleries, most are situated in the Lowlands. Invergordon Distillery bucks that trend by being in the Northeastern Highlands, in the town of Invergordon near the banks of the Cromarty Firth. Dalmore is Invergordon’s closest distillery neighbour, being less than a 10-minute drive along the Firth to the west. Teaninich Distillery is just a few kilometres further west from Dalmore. If you drive North for about 20 minutes from Invergordon Distillery along either Scotsman Road or the A9, you will come to the south end of the Dornoch Firth and Glenmorangie Distillery.
Dalmore’s proximity makes sense as both it and the Invergordon Distillery are owned by Whyte & Mackay. Invergordon supplies most of the grain whisky for Whyte and Mackay’s Blended Scotch brands, which include the Whyte & Mackay Blended Scotch itself, The Woodsman, John Barr, Claymore. Whyte & Mackay also makes the Shackleton Blended Malt Scotch, but it does not contain any grain whisky and therefore Invergordon is not one of its components.
The Invergordon Distillery is not terribly old by Scottish standards, having started up in 1961. Before then, the site was a naval base during World War I and up to 1956. When the naval base was pulled out and the locals were all of a sudden short on employment options, the distillery was proposed and opened. It quickly expanded, adding two column stills in 1963. In 1965, since it was the style at the time, pot stills were installed on the Invergordon site, and Ben Wyvis Distillery was born. Sort of a distillery within a distillery, if you will.
Ben Wyvis was short-lived though, only operating for about a decade until it’s closure in 1976. The distillery was dismantled in 1977. In 2004, the copper stills that were installed at Invergordon for Ben Wyvis Distillery were installed at Glengyle Distillery in Campbeltown. Glengyle Distillery’s whisky is bottled as Kilkerran Single Malt, and the distillery is owned by WM Cadenhead, the same owner that controls Springbank Distillery.
Invergordon produces nearly twice the amount of spirit annually as the largest single malt distilleries in Scotland, but it’s production is dwarfed by a few of the other grain distilleries. North British has about double the production annually of Invergordon. Both the Girvan and Cameronbridge Distilleries more than triple its output.
Maltbarn Invergordon 1972 - 49 Year Old – 44.4%
49 years. Not much more to say, other than 'wow.' Only 87 bottles of this single grain whisky from Invergordon. Matured in ex-Bourbon, as we'd expect. Natural colour, non-chill filtered, and bottled at 44.4%
Evan’s Tasting Note
Nose: This does indeed nose like an old grain whisky, in a good way. Wood spice and wood glue, chamomile tea, banana slices, Golden Grahams cereal, peanut shells, orange and lemon oils, brown sugar, and the promise of apple pie.
Palate: Wow, juicier than I expected on the tongue, with notes of cookies n’ cream ice cream, butterscotch pudding, Rooibos Tea with honey, more Golden Grahams cereal, and a stick of Juicy Fruit gum.
Finish: Light, delicate sweet notes and a hint of the grain continue to the fade.
Comment: A wonderful old grain whisky that still has plenty of liveliness to it. The oak is there, but it is by no means overpowering the spirit itself.
Cheers,
Evan
evan@kensingtonwinemarket.com
Facebook & Instagram: @sagelikefool
This entry was posted in Whisky, Whisky Calendars, Distillery, Independent Bottler, KWM Whisky Calendar 2023 UBER EDITION
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