Strathclyde 31 Years Old 1973 Cask #74060 (Duncan Taylor)

Bottled by Duncan Taylor, this Strathclyde, a 31 year old grain whisky from 1973, drawn from cask 74060 and bottled at 64.2%. Strathclyde, built in 1927 in the heart of Glasgow, is a Glasgow grain distillery. Built first for neutral grain spirit for gin, it entered whisky with the Long John brand in 1936.

Distilled in column stills for a light, clean grain spirit, building the light Glasgow grain style. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla and crème brûlée. Beyond twenty five years the grain grows deep and oily, coconut, butterscotch and crème brûlée over polished oak. Grain whisky like this rewards long maturation, the wood adding most of the character. Decades in ex-Bourbon wood turn light grain into a rich, oily whisky. Strathclyde is the only grain distillery in Glasgow, once one of Scotland's whisky cities. It was built by the gin distiller Seager Evans in 1927 on the site of an old cotton mill.

Bottled at a cask strength 64.2%, it is rich. The ex-Bourbon gives toffee, vanilla and a soft oil. It is clean and sweet, the grain spirit shining through. A sweet, coconut led finish lingers. This is a single grain from Glasgow's only grain distillery.