Strathclyde 34 Years Old 1987 Cask #HL 19133 (The Sovereign)

Hunter Laing bottled this Strathclyde single grain, a 34 year old release from 1987, drawn from cask HL 19133 and bottled at 51.1%. A release of 103 bottles. Set in Glasgow, on the Clyde, Strathclyde has made grain whisky since 1927. Its grain whisky goes into blends such as Long John, Ballantine's and Chivas Regal.

It was drawn off continuous Coffey stills from a wheat mash, for a delicate spirit that leans on the cask for flavour. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla and crème brûlée. Long ageing brings a deep coconut, toffee and a mellow, polished oak. The clean grain base lets the cask speak clearly across long years. Strathclyde takes its name from the old region around Glasgow. 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 51.1%, it is rich. The ex-Bourbon gives vanilla, cream and a dessert sweetness. A crème brûlée and a polished oak give it depth. A warming, sweet finish lingers. This is Strathclyde's sweet, oily single grain.