Cameronbridge 30 Years Old 1991 Cask #DL 15640 (XOP)

From Douglas Laing comes this Cameronbridge, aged 30 year old distilled in 1991, from cask DL 15640 and bottled at 54.4%. Only 262 bottles were released. Cameronbridge was founded in 1824 by John Haig, of the great Haig distilling family, in Fife. A founding member of the Distillers Company in 1877, it is now Diageo's largest distillery.

The spirit was made in continuous stills from wheat for a light spirit, for a light, sweet make of real purity. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, with vanilla and crème brûlée. Mid age brings a deeper coconut and a buttery, dessert sweetness. Patient ageing gives the oily, waxy texture prized in old single grain. Pot stills for malt whisky were removed in 1929, leaving Cameronbridge a pure grain plant. The site was expanded again in 2007 in a forty million pound investment. The Haig name has been tied to Scottish distilling since the 17th century. It was the home of continuous distillation in Scotland, making the country's first commercial grain whisky.

At 54.4%, undiluted, it is deep and sweet. The ex-Bourbon gives a sweet, oily vanilla. A butterscotch and a creamy oak lift it. The close is soft, dessert sweet over oak. This is Cameronbridge's light, sweet single grain.