Cambus 28 Years Old 1991 Closed Distilleries (Cadenhead’s)

Cadenhead's bottled this Cambus single grain, aged 28 year old distilled in 1991 and bottled at 55.7%. 276 bottles in all. Cambus, a silent grain distillery on the River Devon, made whisky from about 1806 to 1993. John Moubray converted an old mill, switching from malt to grain stills in the 1830s.

Distilled continuously in two Coffey stills from a grain mash, giving a clean, mellow grain whisky. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla and crème brûlée. At this age it is rich and waxy, the sweet grain folded into a buttery, oily body. Three decades and more turn a light spirit into something rich and tropical. 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. The spirit was drawn off two continuous Coffey stills, the water from the Lossburn Reservoir.

At a natural 55.7% it is full and oily. The ex-Bourbon gives butterscotch, coconut and cream. A crème brûlée and a polished oak give it depth. The finish runs buttery, soft and warm. This is a finite single grain from Cambus, closed in 1993.