“A Story of Varnish and Cooked Veggies”
Country: Scotland
Region: Lowlands (Glasgow)
Brand: Strathclyde 1988 (Exclusive Grains Series)
Type: Single Grain Whisky
Age: 26 Years
ABV: 54.6 %
Colour: Full Gold
Nose: This is only my second Single Grain Whisky. I liked the Dumbarton 1986 I tasted last year. But the Nose of this Strathclyde is not making it easy for me. I find a strong note of Varnish to begin with accompanied by Charred Oak, Grain Alcohol, Nut Shells, Toast and Margarine and Wet Removal Boxes. Not exactly Aromas that turn me on. Be sure to give this Strathclyde enough time in the glass. After a while I get some Herbal notes, a touch of Citrus, a little Vanilla, Toffee, Cream, Mint and some Corn Syrup. It's not quite enough to save the day! As you may know, I always taste the Whiskies on two separate days before posting the Notes. On the Second day the Varnish note was less present. But instead I found a strong Cooked Vegetables/Potatoes note as well as a little Butter and a few Raspberries. The Rating for the Nose therefore is an average between the Varnish and the Cooked Vegetables days. The Cooked Vegetables note was similar to the one I so often find in the Single Malts from Jura.
Palate: Sweet Grain, Sharp Alcohol, Varnish, Cream, Toffee, Dried Herbs, Coconut, Menthol, Licorice, Aniseed, Cinnamon, Pepper and a hint of Nectarine.
Finish: Middle-Long, Creamy and Spicy with Coconut, Dried Herbs, Licorice, Menthol, Varnish, Oak, Pepper, Nutmeg, Ginger, Metallic notes and a hint of Nectarine. A tad Bitter in the end. A little Alcohol Burn as well.
I added a bit of Water and the Nose becomes a little more friendly as the Varnish retreats. You get a bit more Grain and a hint of Raspberries. But Palate and Finish do not benefit from added Water.
Rating: 80.5
Nose: 20 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 20.5 - Overall: 20
General Remarks: The Strathclyde Distillery was founded in 1927 by Seager Evans & Co on the banks of the river Clyde. It changed hands two times before Pernod Ricard from France bought the distillery in 1975. Today it basically produces Grain Whisky for their Chivas Regal Brand. Only on rare occasions small quantities reach the market as Single Grain Whisky. The Strathclyde I'm tasting today was distilled on the 9th of June, 1988 and was bottled at Cask Strength in 2014 by the Creative Whisky Company. It is Naturally Coloured and Not Chill-Filtered. It matured in an Ex-Bourbon Cask with # 62107 selected by David Kirk. It costs around 110 US Dollars (March 2015).
Drinking Experience Neat: Disappointing
Conclusion: This Strathclyde is not an easy Whisky to judge and rate. First of all it's important to give this Whisky lots of time to develop in the Glass. On day one I opened the sample and poured half of it in the glass. After an hour or so I started Nosing and the main Aroma I found was Varnish. On the second day I poured the other half of the sample in the same glass (rinsed with water the day before) and this time the main Aromas I found were Cooked Vegetables and Cooked Potatoes. Palate and Finish were more consistent during the two days. In any case I don't want to smell lots of Varnish and/or Cooked Veggies when I'm nosing whisky. On the Palate and in the Finish it's Sweet Grain and Alcohol that dominate accompanied by Charred Oak, Herbs and Spices. Not quite my idea of a great Whisky. I was certainly disappointed with this Strathclyde and I am glad I didn't spend 110 US Dollars on a full bottle.
Jan van den Ende March 12, 2015
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