North British Distillery 30-Year Single Grain Scotch Review & Tasting Notes

We hear a lot about single malt whiskies. Far less common is single-grain whisky.

 

The rules for single-grain Scotch are similar to single malt Scotch; the main difference is single malt Scotch must be made from malted barley, whereas single-grain Scotch can be any other type of grain, malted or not. Typically, it is distilled twice, but it can be more than that and cannot exceed 94.7% ABV. Aging can occur in either new or used oak but must be at least three years. The only additives allowed are caramel (e150A) coloring and water. Bottling must occur not less than 40% ABV (80°). And, of course, it must be a product of Scotland.

 

There are only a handful of dedicated grain distilleries in Scotland. North British Distillery Company Ltd. is one of those. In 1885, several blenders, including Andrew Usher, William Sanderson, and John M. Crabbie, founded the distillery, which grew incredibly fast. It didn’t take long for 900 million liters to be produced annually. Things were tootling around until 1917 when a lack of grain forced operations to cease.

 

Distilling resumed in 1920, and just as production achieved its previous levels, Prohibition hit, followed by the Great Depression and World War II. Those barriers caused the distillery to shut down again until 1948 when production was resurrected once again. The distillery is currently owned by Lothian Distillers, which is a joint venture of Diageo and Edrington Group. The distillery is located in Scotland’s Lowland region.

 

“In 1888, the first full year of production at North British, the company produced one and a half million gallons of proof spirit. Now, over 130 years later, we can produce that volume in just five weeks!” – North British Distillery

 

Today I’m exploring a 30-year expression from North British bottled at 41.45% ABV (82.9°). A sample was gifted to me by a friend. My challenge is that I have no idea beyond the age and proof as to when this was released or how much it costs. And, that’s okay. I’m very much in a #DrinkCurious mood and can hardly wait to try this.

 

Appearance: I sipped this neat from my Glencairn glass. The liquid inside looked the color of golden straw. A microthin rim left wavy tears that fell quickly.

 

Nose: Big citrus notes, including lemon, orange, and grapefruit, were easily discerned. I smelled grass and muted oak. I tasted vanilla when I inhaled the vapor in my mouth.

 

Palate: The texture was fragile and oily. I tasted smoked vanilla, lemon curd, and orange peel on the front, with thick caramel at mid-palate. The back offered charred oak, toffee, and cocoa.

 

Finish: Charred oak carried deep into the medium-length finish. Flavors of cocoa, toffee, lemon curd, and caramel permeated my mouth and throat.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: A cursory search of 30-year North British Single Grain whiskies shows this as far more affordable than I’d guess at sub-$400.00 and some even below $200.00. That’s outside what I’m comfortable paying for any whisky, but this one has real value. If this is your jam, then my Bottle rating will make sense. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you do so responsibly.