The Caledonian distillery started life as the Edinburgh Distillery back in 1855 before changing its name to the Caledonian distillery, unfortunately today the distillery is no longer with us which might explain why it is not a name most people will recognise, the distillery was closed back in 1988 by UDV in order to be re developed.. Today the site is covered by a housing estate, which is a far cry from its past as the distillery was a bustling business back in the mid 1880’s when the site was employing over 200 men and producing 2 million litres of grain whisky..
Today’s review is a 29yo expression from independent bottlers ” That Boutique-y Whisky Company” , this bottle from the second batch release is one of 310 bottles released at a cask strength of 47.7% abv and is of course natural colour and NCF..
Nose.. This one just kicks straight off with a deliciously inviting sweetness, ripe banana smothered in a butterscotch sauce, apple strudel and vanilla custard, a slight floral note carries on the back of a fruity coffee aroma, heather honey and soft citrus.
Palate.. Soft spices open this up before the sweetness start to kick in along with a little citrus peel bitterness that surfaces just before you get back into those hints of ripe fruits and deliciously rich syrups.. A little cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger emerge towards the latter end to reclaim the glory.
Finish.. Spicy with a twist of oak.
Thoughts.. This offers so much on the nose, its fresh, fruity with an inviting sweetness and the palate just carries that on.. This expression is very enjoyable and offers a great insight into how good grain whisky can be.. The big winner in this expression is the nose, it certainly carries this grain over the finish line with some style..
This is really interesting, You are making me want to search out a bottle because the notes bring the dram to life. Well done.
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I would love to try a old grain like this.
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Howdy, This blog post couldn’t be written any better, Looking at this post reminds me off my first adventure into grain whisky! I’m definitely enjoying your posts.
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