What’s that? You’ve never heard of Invergordon? Well strap in because we’re going deep on this Scottish grain distillery. That’s right, the Malt Nuts are diving into the column distilled pool that’s responsible for the bulk of the whisky produced in Scotland.
Single malts get all the attention and praise, but the real workhorse of Scottish whisky is grain whisky and it’s produced in volumes that surpass single malt. As whisky fans we tend to only think about, and romanticize, the single malt side of things, but the cold hard reality is that the whole industry is kept afloat by blends.
Blended Scotches like Johnnie Walker, Chivas, etc. are some of the biggest selling whiskies in the world and roughly 80% of what’s in their bottles is grain whisky which is closer to bourbon in its production than it is to single malt. So in the spirit of giving whiskies of all styles their due we set aside a night to get to know one of these producers.
Malt Nuts: Invergordon – Round 1
1A: Single Cask Nation Invergordon 26 years (93-19): 47.9% – 1st Fill ex-Bourbon
- Nose: Fruit, cocoa, wood, spice and almost malty with so much cask influence pineapple?
- Palate: Fruit cocoa, wood, spice, caramel, banana.
- Finish: Med -> Spice, Necco and cocoa, wood.
- Overall: (3.5 / 5) Tasty and fun. This is a good omen to start on.
1B: The Sovereign Invergordon 31 years (87-19): 52% – Refill Hogshead
- Nose: Fruit, caramel, wood, char, butterscotch and coconut.
- Palate: Candy sweet, Fruit, caramel, wood, char, butterscotch and sherried fruit.
- Finish: Long -> Strawberry cream, fruit candy and coconut.
- Overall: (3 / 5) Hmm, this is interesting. I kinda dig it.
1C: Barrel To Bottle Invergordon 29 years (90-18): 55.5% – 1st Fill ex-Tennessee
- Nose: Musty vanilla, oak, caramel, spice, nuts, coconut and cocoa.
- Palate: Musty vanilla, oak, caramel, spice, nuts, coconut and cocoa.
- Finish: Long -> Oak, spice and nuts.
- Overall: (3 / 5) Tasty.
1D: Barrel To Bottle Invergordon 29 years (90-18): 57.9% – 1st Fill ex-Tennessee
- Nose: Vanilla, oak, caramel, spice, nuts, ash and coconut.
- Palate: Musty vanilla, oak, spice, nuts, coconut, cocoa and banana.
- Finish: Long -> Oak, spice and nuts.
- Overall: (3 / 5) I like this. It’s nice.
Post-Reveal Commentary: Nothing here blew my mind, I’ve had good grain whisky before and these ran along similar lines. A pleasant round.
Malt Nuts: Invergordon – Round 2
2A: The Octave Invergordon 8 years (09-17): 55.1% – “Oak Casks”
- Nose: Fruity, oaky, a touch coconut and some toffee.
- Palate: Candy sweet and notes of overripe fruit and toffee.
- Finish: Short -> Touch musty and spicy with a toffee backbone.
- Overall: (2 / 5) I dunno. I don’t loathe this one, but I’m not quite liking it either.
2B: Dramfool Invergordon 31 years: 52.8% – ex-Oloroso
- Nose: Graham, char, butterscotch, nuts and cocoa.
- Palate: Graham, char, butterscotch, nuts and cocoa.
- Finish: Long -> Graham, cocoa and coconut for days.
- Overall: (2 / 5) Super oily, but it doesn’t come together. It’s just a bit too weird and funky.
2C: Exclusive Malts Invergordon 30 years (84-15): 52.3%
- Nose: Coconut… lots of coconut. Bits of nuts, cocoa and ash.
- Palate: Coconut… lots of coconut. Bits of nuts, cocoa and ash.
- Finish: Medium -> Coconut
- Overall: (2 / 5) Did I mention this one might have a touch of coconut?
2D: Wilson & Morgan Invergordon 30 years (84-15): 57% – ex-Sherry
- Nose: Candy, dried fruit, oak, ash, nuts and cocoa.
- Palate: Dried fruit, sulfur, ash, mud and leather.
- Finish: Medium -> Sulfur, oak and nuts.
- Overall: (2.5 / 5) Too much sulfur, it’s just a hair beyond what I enjoy.
Post-Reveal Commentary: This round was more in line with the majority of my grain whisky experience. There’s a reason grain whisky isn’t often drank on its own and is used to stretch out the single malt in a blend.
One of the big reasons grain whisky has caught on in recent years is because of price. You can pick up a 30+ yo grain whisky for the same price as an 18 yo Scotch and people want to experience these higher age expressions. Which, on the face of it, is a better value. Though, in most cases, I’d rather drink the 18 yo single malt than the 30 yo grain.
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the recap. Cheers!
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