Strathclyde 26 Years Old 1993 Cask #403 (Jack Wiebers Whisky World)

A Strathclyde single grain, selected and bottled by Jack Wiebers Whisky World, aged 26 year old from 1993, drawn from cask 403 and bottled at 51.5%. Just 169 bottles were filled. Founded in 1927 by the Clyde in the Gorbals, Strathclyde is Glasgow's only grain distillery. It is the only distillery left in Glasgow, once one of Scotland's great whisky cities.

The spirit was made in twin Coffey stills, the wash run from wheat, for a clean, sweet grain make of real purity. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding coconut, vanilla and toffee. Beyond twenty five years the grain grows deep and oily, coconut, butterscotch and crème brûlée over polished oak. The cool Lowland climate gives a slow, even maturation over many years. Single grain releases are rare, almost all of them from independent bottlers. Light grain spirit takes oak readily, so long ageing brings out coconut and toffee. The distillery sits in the Gorbals on the south bank of the Clyde.

At a hearty 51.5% it carries real weight. The ex-Bourbon gives sweet vanilla and a buttery coconut. The mouthfeel is oily, the coconut carried on a sweet body. The finish runs buttery, soft and warm. This is a soft, dessert sweet Lowland grain whisky.