Single grain whiskies

Common notes in old single grains are varnish, glue, coconut, banana, vanilla and grains. I think it's closer to virgin oak malt whisky or white rum than it is to bourbon.

Although it's certainly interesting to try, it's safe to say the level of complexity is rather low compared to single malts even after long maturation. You see, the profile of grain whisky is quite narrow. Once you've tried two or three, it becomes clear that they're all more or less the same. Also, the age doesn't matter that much. A 20yo single grain will have pretty much the same flavours as a 40yo.

Oh, and it's made from different types of grain, usually wheat or unmalted barley.

@WhiskyNotes thank you very much! I think you can understand, for a novice the possibility to grab a bottle of 40 year old whatever-it-is-stuff for less then 100 £ is dangerously tempting, but it's always better to get some information first!

I'd put forward a more positive view than WhiskyNotes, though I agree with many of his/ her tasting notes. A 24 yr old Cambus single grain was probably my 2010 whisky of the year. The combination of cocoa, coconot and vanilla was simply delicious. i think single grain whisky is an area that is now getting some long overdue attention and Greenore has shown that even a young single grain can make a great whiskey with its 8yr old. Common consensus though is that older single grain is better and I'd go along with that. In my humble view, definitely worth seeking out and trying - and you dont need to spend c. £100 to do it either.

Well I certainly didn't want to be negative. Be sure to try it if you have a chance, but grain whisky is what it is. If you think a 30yo single grain is going to offer you the same as a 30yo single malt only with a bargain price tag, you'd be disappointed. And like I said, cocoa, coconut and vanilla could describe any grain whisky. I enjoy that particular profile too, but I've never been passionate about a single grain.

I have reviewed the 24yo Cambus from Bladnoch and a few other single grains by the way: www.whiskynotes.be/category/grain/

Agree that an old single grain doesnt stand up well after an old malt - its a different animal altogether and generally gentler and less intense. Perhaps akin to tasting a mild hard cheese after a strong stinking blue - it might feel pretty tame under those circumstances but that doesnt mean that under different circumstances it's exactly what you want and downright delicious. I find there's a lot to agree with in your Cambus review WhiskyNotes, maybe I just enjoy some of those notes and profiles more than you, so I'd rate it higher. I didnt mean to suggest your comment was negative - only that I'd offer a MORE positive slant. As always, it's a matter of personal taste - it'd be a pretty dull affair if it wasn't.

I never know if it's just expectation or actual flavour, but I've been impressed by a couple of grain whiskies last year. The first was a South African I tried at Whisky Live - a quick Google says it was probably Bain's [1] but would be interested to know if there are other SA grain whiskies out there now. The second was the SMWS's 'flamed christmas pudding' bottle, which was pretty damned lovely - review here: connosr.com/reviews/north-british/…

Now thinking about when I should open this bottle of "North British" I got for Christmas [2], am really intrigued. It's nice to try these things out, I find, just to find out how different processes and ingredients affect the flavours.

That last post should have had footnotes attached...

1: premiumspirits.blogspot.com/2009/07/… 2: royalmilewhiskies.com/product.asp/…