Carsebridge 46 Years Old 1973 (Phil & Simon Thompson)

A Carsebridge single grain of a 46 year old chosen by the Thompson Brothers of Dornoch, distilled in 1973, bottled at 57.1%, one of 437 bottles. Carsebridge was a founding member of the Distillers Company, making grain on the banks of the Forth. Diageo released an official Carsebridge as a 48 year old in the 2018 Special Releases.

The spirit was worked through continuous stills from grain, building the gentle Lowland grain style. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, American oak giving coconut and toffee over the years. At this great, fragile age the grain is rich and waxy, sotolon lending a maple depth over deep coconut and old oak. The light Lowland grain gains its deep coconut and toffee entirely from the cask. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the sweet, oily core over the decades. Patient ageing gives the oily, waxy texture prized in old single grain. No more will ever be made, the distillery silent since 1983.

Bottled at a cask strength 57.1%, it is rich. Coconut from the oak lactones and vanilla from vanillin run deep, over butterscotch and a soft oil. Soft toffee and vanilla sit behind the sweetness. It finishes clean, sweet and buttery. This is an old Lowland single grain of real character.