Halloween Double Feature: Inverleven 25 Year and Dumbarton 20 Year
A ghoulish tasting in honor of Halloween, two whiskies, one a single grain, the other a single malt, from the long-closed Dumbarton Distillery complex. What better way to celebrate the holiday than a few ghost whiskies?
Whisky: Dumbarton 20 Year (2000), Single Cask Nation
Country/Region: Scotland/Lowland Grain
ABV: 56.7%
Cask: Bourbon Hogshead
Age: 20 Years (Distilled Nov. 2000, Bottled May 2021)
Nose: Cream, vanilla, custard, hints of solvent and play-dough, pie crust, rice crackers, crushed walnut.
Palate: Medium-bodied, cream, vanilla, oak, chicory and spice, brown sugar, light caramel at the end, hints of walnut, pecan, and coconut.
Finish: Medium-length with cream, vanilla, and coconut.
Score: 3-4
Mental Image: Coconut Cream Puffs
Narrative & Notes: The aroma was a tad prickly and spirited upfront before sweet cream, sun-dried vanilla, and custard set in. Hints of solvent harried me as a lovely earthy side developed with play-dough and a pastry side with pie crust. Rice crackers— iso peanuts specifically— arrived with crushed walnuts as the earthy notes faded. The palate was medium-bodied with cream, vanilla, polished oak, and hints of chicory and brown sugar. A lovely caramel lingered at the end with occasional notes of walnut, pecan, and coconut, both coconut cream and macerated dried coconut flakes. The finish was medium-length with cream, vanilla, and coconut.
It is not fair to try the product of a now-closed distillery and conclude, “Well, I know why they closed,” but I was tempted to do just that. This twenty-year Dumbarton was not the most interesting single-grain whisky I have tried. The aroma was prickly, and the occasional solvent note was not pleasant. Play-dough was an odd note, and I wondered if they cut into the tails just a tad too much during distillation on this run— or if that was a habit. Yet, the earthy side worked well enough, better than solvent, which was thankfully absent on the palate and finish.
Overall, a fairly okay release from a ghost grain distillery. Beyond the distillery’s status, I cannot say there was anything remarkable about this. It had a typical single-grain flavor profile of vanilla, cream, and coconut— if the spirit had been a bit heavier or cleaner, I think those notes would have carried this to a higher level.
Whisky: Inverleven 25 Year (1979), Scott's Selection
Country/Region: Scotland/Lowland
ABV: 58%
Cask: Oak
Age: 25 Years (Distilled 1979, Bottled 2004)
Nose: Citrus, chalk, green unripened tropical fruit, spearmint, honey, hints of salty sea asparagus, roasted pepper and olives, nutty olive oil.
Palate: Medium-bodied, green tropical fruit, patchouli, grass, honey, hints of mint and tamarind, olive brine toward the end, nutty olive oil; water brought out more preserved citrus, chalk, and golden syrup.
Finish: Medium to long with citrus, chalky dryness, and an herbal-grassy undercurrent.
Score: 6
Mental Image: Tropical Cocktail Lab Experiment
Narrative & Notes: The aroma was initially all citrus with a tart edge before green, unripe tropical fruits, guava and mango especially, arrived at the party. An herbal undercurrent ran throughout, with spearmint usually peaking the highest. Sweet honey was slow to develop but gradually dominated salty hints of sea asparagus, roasted peppers, and an olive tapenade. Medium-bodied, the flavor profile offered green tropical fruits, patchouli, and grassy sugars. Honey paired with mint and tamarind on the mid-palate while an olive brine arrived toward the end. A nutty olive oil appeared at times, though frequently, a spirited prickle overshadowed it. Water brought out more sweet, preserved citrus, chalky dryness, and golden syrup. The finish was medium to long with citrus rind, a chalky dryness, and an herbal-grassy undercurrent.
Inverleven is a new distillery for me, though it was mothballed in 1991 and demolished in 2002 with the rest of the Ballantine’s Dumbarton complex after grain whisky production ended. The stills were granted a second life, first at Bruichladdich and now at Waterford in Ireland. It seemed like a great dram to pour in honor of Halloween—being a ghost distillery. I thought this was a fair introduction to the malt, and it matched the house style of “perfumy, floral, oily” noted in the fifth edition of Michael Jackson’s Malt Whisky Companion.
Overall, my first, and likely my last, Inverleven. It was interesting, occasionally pleasant, and sometimes a tad spirited, but not something I will rush out to try again. I can check it off my Pokédex though. It might be a tad sacrilegious for the dearly departed distillery, but I could not help but think this could have used some kind of cask finish for a couple of years to elevate specific elements.
