Whisky: Invergordon 33 Year (1987), SMWS G5.15 “Age with Grace”

Country/Region: Scotland/Highland Grain

ABV: 57.9%

Cask: Refill Bourbon (28Y), 2nd Fill White Wine Barrique (5Y)

Age: 33 Years (Distilled 11 March 1987)

Nose: Buttercream and chardonnay, musty dunnage and wooden antiques, black currant, sweet green grass, slightly earthy matcha powder, subtle horse blankets and rhubarb.

Palate: Full-bodied, sweet cream, salted caramel, molasses, dark bread, salty roasted pumpkin seeds, herbal sourness toward the end, buttery, matcha, subtle grassy-farm funk.

Finish: Long and lingering with citrus rind, butter, and yeasty bread dough.

Score: 7-8

Mental Image: Champagne Fairs and the 12th-Century Renaissance

Narrative & Notes:  The aroma began with the sweet contrast of buttercream frosting and dry chardonnay before mustier notes of dunnage warehouses and earth filtered in. Old wood antique furniture and dusty cabinets developed with an oaky undercurrent, while fruitier notions of black currants, Ribena soda, and rhubarb appeared. A grassy sweetness paired with semi-fresh horse blankets and earthy matcha. Full-bodied, the palate began with sweet cream, salted caramel, molasses, and dark pumpernickel or rye bread. Occasionally a bit of salt appeared as roasted pumpkin seeds while an herbal sourness waited on the back end. Earthy matcha, whipped butter, and a grassy-farm funk lingered as a long finish developed with citrus, butter, and yeasty bread dough.

Did I come into this whisky, a very mature white wine-finished Invergordon, with low expectations? I did, though the fact that the wine finish was a second-fill barrique was at least a little intriguing. It seemed unlikely the whisky had been bludgeoned to death by the finishing cask. Perhaps due to my low expectations, I was stunned by what I found. It was undoubtedly one of, if not the, most complex single-grain whisky I have ever tried. It vaguely reminded me of Glenturret, Port Charlotte, or Ledaig at different times, especially when salty, herbal, or farmy-funky notes emerged.

The flavors were complex and incredibly well-structured. They shifted every time I sat with a dram, whether the first evening with whisky club members at a tasting during which we were all gobsmacked, or at the moment I sat and typed this with yet another pour. I still have a few more drams to go with this, and I will savor the journey they provide. I will note my wife did not care for this whisky and thought it resembled an over-oaked bourbon. She is more sensitive to wood than I am, so this whisky was not for everyone.

Overall, I liked this quite a bit.