Cambus 26 Years Old 1988 Cask #HL 11116 (The Sovereign)

A Cambus single grain, selected and bottled by Hunter Laing, a 26 year old single grain distilled in 1988, from cask HL 11116 and bottled at 46.9%. Only 305 bottles were released. Cambus, one of Scotland's oldest grain distilleries, ran near Alloa from about 1806 until its closure in 1993. Water came from the Lossburn Reservoir, the spirit drawn off two continuous Coffey stills.

It was drawn from Coffey stills on Lossburn Reservoir water, for a delicate spirit that leans on the cask with age. Ex-Bourbon casks held the grain, soft oak that drives the sweetness. Beyond twenty five years the grain grows deep and oily, coconut, butterscotch and crème brûlée over polished oak. Long ageing turns light grain into a deep, oily, dessert sweet whisky. In 1906 its grain was advertised as not a headache in a gallon, helping win the What is Whisky case. Closed in 1993, the site is now a Diageo cooperage beside the Blackgrange warehouses.

At a natural 46.9% it is full and oily. The ex-Bourbon gives crème brûlée, coconut and vanilla. The mouthfeel is oily, the coconut carried on a sweet body. The finish is deep, oily and creamy. This is a rare single grain from a lost grain distillery.