Whisky : Strathclyde 31 Year SMWS G10.22 “A crescendo of custard and spice”

Country/Region : Scotland/Lowland (Single Grain)

ABV : 59.8%

Cask : Ex-Bourbon Hogshead 29 Years, 2nd Fill French Oak 2 Years

Age : 31 Years (Distilled 15 June 1988)

Nose : Opened with creamy vanilla custard, dark stone fruits, and figgy pudding.  Coffee, mocha, and hot cinnamon spice slowly came into focus before raisins and an old cigar box pushed them out of the way. 

Palate : Medium to thick body bursting with fruits and spice.  Peppercorns, paprika, chili, and dark chocolate came out punching.  Sweet fruits developed on the mid palate with pears, apples, raspberries and creamy custard carrying leading to dessert.  Tannic black tea, cinnamon sticks, and roasted cacao husks appeared on the end with slightly bitter cacao that became more dominant on subsequent sips.

Finish : Lingering dry tea and mocha.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Tea Break for the Cacao Roaster

Something Better : Invergorden 31 Year Dramfool (similar cinnamon sticks, fruit, more chocolate)

Something Similar : Craigellachie 8Y SMWS 44.116 (similar bitter cacao, fruits, spice, less tannic)

Notes : Creamy, chocolatey, and laced with dried fruits, this middle aged grain was loaded with tannic structure after two years in French Oak.  Strathclyde has consistently been one of my favorite single grain distilleries and, while this was not something I would reach for often, it was another strong showing.  The French oak brought a lot to the table with heaps of mocha, cacao, and coffee contrasting the distillery’s more typical orchard fruit and custard profile.

We shared this locally at a virtual tasting during the summer when we went on a small ‘single grain’ whisky kick.  This came as the fifth and final dram of an evening filled with single grains aged or finished in interesting sherry casks.  It was the perfect bottle to end with as the bitter notes of chocolate, cacao husk, and dark roasted coffee complemented the sweet sherry lingering on our palates.  Though I think I appreciated it even more when I returned to it weeks later, I love bitter cacao husk and dark chocolate notes and this had them aplenty.

Overall, this was interesting, unusual, and pretty good to sip on with a nice balance between bitter roasty flavors and sweet creamy singly grain spirit.