29 Year old Glaswegian Single Grain

Whisky Works

A few weeks ago I was contacted and asked if I would like to take part in a live tasting of two releases from The Whisky Works.. Well of course I would..  Wait.. Who ?

Is it ignorance on my behalf that I don’t know who or what this company is about? Well possibly but let me introduce you to them anyway..

The Whisky Works is an Independent boutique blending and bottling company run as an independent arm from one of Scotland’s oldest whisky firms ( Whyte and Mackay )

The aim of the company is to look into pioneering and new practices in order to bring new taste experiences but without loosing the old traditions and history that has built up the whisky industry we know today.

We are told that they aim is to release aged, rare single malt , single grain whiskies alongside blends which we might not get the chance to try again..

There is also mention of more modern experiments and uncommon methods of maturation to create unique and characterful whiskies.. Interesting !!

The Whisky Works is an idea that was born and created by Gregg Glass back in 2017 after joining Whyte and Mackay.. Having spent time with the very forward thinking Compass Box Gregg has over 20 years experience within the drinks industry including Whisky and wine.

Glaswegian 29 year old

This single grain whisky hails from an unnamed closed grain distillery which had been located within the Glasgow region so we could have a stab in the dark at which one it could be.. What we do know is that the distillery stood at the heart of of Scotland’s waterways ( might be a clue ) We also know that the casks has been held within prime locations within dunnage warehouses..

Distillery.. Unnamed

Region.. Glasgow..

Age.. 29 years

Abv.. 54.2%

Casks.. American Oak

Outturn.. 1,642 bottles.

RRP.. £130

 

Nose.. Initially quite sweet with notes of vanilla, caramel and lots of popcorn before turning slightly into spices and burnt toffee notes. There are some nice subtle fruity notes that highlight a softer side with freshly peeled apples, orange and a soft pear before a delicate chocolate note surfaces..

Palate.. This leads straight into that typical spicy kick that I like in grain whisky, the oak is noticeable and entwines perfectly with the sweeter vanilla, caramel and toffee notes.. The fruit still has a say but this is certainly more about those tannins and sweetness.

Finish.. Spicy, sweet and lasting..

Thoughts.. This is very typical of older grain whisky with its delicious sweetness that is perfectly balanced with those spicy tannins..

Somewhere in the middle I’d swear I get a soft hint of Rye.. Now I’m sure this is probably one of the Corn  ( maize or sweet corn ) lead grains rather than wheat but I’m confident in saying this is a very good batch of well aged grain !

So where’s it from ? Isn’t that always the big question, does it really matter as long as the liquid is good but my guess and it is only a guess but there isn’t too many to choose from and I’m probably wrong but I’m going down the route of …

O you thought I’d actually tell you ..

Ok.. Let’s go Port Dundas..

With thanks to The Whisky Works and Gregg from Great Drams for inviting me into this tastings and supplying this official sample..