Cambus 32 Years Old 1991 Cask #79880 (The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd.)

The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd selected this Cambus matured to 32 year old distilled in 1991, from cask 79880 and bottled at 47.5%. Only 264 bottles were released. Cambus, one of Scotland's oldest grain distilleries, ran near Alloa from about 1806 until its closure in 1993. In 1906 its grain was advertised on the front of the Daily Mail as not a headache in a gallon, during the What is Whisky debate.

It was drawn from Coffey stills on Lossburn Reservoir water, for a delicate spirit that leans on the cask with age. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, American oak giving coconut and toffee. Long ageing brings a deep coconut, toffee and a mellow, polished oak. Long ageing turns light grain into a deep, oily, dessert sweet whisky. Alfred Barnard visited in 1885, noting six huge warehouses holding seventeen thousand casks. A fire destroyed the distillery in 1914; it was rebuilt and resumed in the late 1930s.

At a hearty 47.5% it carries real weight. The ex-Bourbon gives coconut, toffee and crème brûlée. Beneath it run coconut, vanilla and a soft oil. It closes long, sweet and oily. This is the sweet, oily grain of a vanished DCL distillery.