Whisky: Girvan 27 Year (1989), Morrison and MacKay Cask 37527

Country/Region: Scotland/Lowland Grain

ABV: 47.5%

Cask: Bourbon Barrel

Age: 27 Years (Distilled 17 April 1989, Bottled 20 Feb. 2017)

Nose: Sweet baking spices and Japanese custard pudding, creamy sugars brought to mind maja blanca— a sweet corn and coconut milk pudding, old polished wood with hints of lemon, mineral oil, and linseed oil.

Palate: Medium-bodied and buttery, custard city— caramel and toffee puddings, vanilla, powdered sugar pastries, sweetened condensed milk and coconut puddings, maja blanca with sweet corn, polished wood and dry baking spices with a touch of pepper toward the end.

Finish: Medium to long, slightly drying, ample cream, coconut, and vanilla.

Score: 6-7 (79)

Mental Image: Auntie’s Maja Blanca

Narrative & Notes: A charming single grain from Girvan Distillery, this had everything I wanted in the style— tons of sweet cream, hints of pastries, and minimal bitter oak. Some whiskies pull this off better than others, and with single grain, it is always a bit of a gamble— the style tends to be pretty straightforward, a result of the column stills and high distillation proof.  Since the flavors are relatively uncomplicated and straightforward, hiding any issues or eccentricities outside of blending the cask into something else is challenging.  The flavor profile of any single cask is laid bare, so that singular profile had better be good.  If your band is only going to be famous for one song, it better be a banger!

Overall, lovely.  I wish the flavors sat on the palate with a bit more intensity and less wood— especially those hints of wood polish— but, in the end, the whisky was quite nice and made for easy sipping.

Image Credit: The Whisky Barrel

About Girvan

Girvan is a single grain distillery on the Clyde Coast and shares its campus with the Ailsa Bay Distillery.  Production at Girvan started in 1963 after William Grant & Sons faced the possibility of losing access to the grain whiskies produced by Distillers Company Limited.  Shortly after production began, a malt distillery was opened on the site, Ladyburn, which operated from 1965-1975. Generally, the whisky produced at Girvan features in the various blends maintained by William Grant & Sons. However, the company has occasionally played with maintaining an official bottling line (though attempts in 1985 and 2014 were relatively short-lived). Single cask releases from independent bottlers are sometimes available, though relatively uncommon.

Uncommon and not exceptionally remarkable. Worth trying if available, but not seeking out.