Dumbarton 22yo 2000/2023

Dumbarton 22yo 2000/2023

Watt Whisky
Single grain - Lowlands
Dark gold
55.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Coconut cream, vanilla, toast, desiccated coconut, white grapes, cinnamon, hints of sultanas. With water, magic marker, ink, lemon juice, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, slippery, mouth coating.
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Green tea, vanilla, coconut cream, salt caramel, lemon juice, hints of sultanas. With water, magic marker, brown paper, desiccated coconut. 
Finish: Short. Lemon juice, oatcakes, sultanas, green tea. 

Comments: 

A delicate, floral grain whisky with some quite intense green tea notes. It’s distinctive and delicious. Water turns it coconutty, the green tea tannins disappear. Old grain is one of life’s pleasures.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Dumbarton 21yo 2000/2022

Dumbarton 21yo 2000/2022

Stiubhart, Stewart Whisky Company
Single grain - Lowlands
Golden
55.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pear drops, oak chips, sourdough bread, salt caramel, shortbread, hints of milk chocolate. With water, magic marker, pear drops, oatcakes, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Pear drops, salt caramel, oatcakes, vanilla, rye bread, aluminium foil, hints of magic marker. With water, oatcakes, sea salt, magic marker, vanilla. 
Finish: Short. Rye bread, magic marker, salt caramel, oatcakes. 

Comments: 

Cask 210090. Sweet and aromatic, lots of estery notes. Some cereal is present, with some feinty, slightly metallic undertones. The esters are strong throughout and provide some much needed intensity.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dumbarton 20yo

Dumbarton 20yo

Dram Mor
Single grain - Lowlands
Yellow
52% ABV
Dram

Nose: Lemon zest, vanilla ice cream, sourdough bread, golden syrup, malted grains, hints of leather. With water, golden syrup, lemon zest, sourdough bread. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, mouth coating, oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Salt caramel, vanilla ice cream, golden syrup, malted grains, dark chocolate, apple juice. With water, salt caramel, malted grains, golden syrup, sourdough bread. 
Finish: Medium. Dark chocolate, sourdough bread, golden syrup, white pepper. 

Comments: 

Cask 211894. Quite sweet savoury, with plenty of salt caramel and golden syrup. Big cereal notes on the tongue, which fade to a bitter spicy finish. Decent grain whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dumbarton 22yo Batch 3

Dumbarton 22yo Batch 3

That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Master of Malt
Single grain - Lowlands
Amber
47.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Desiccated coconut, toffee apples, vanilla ice cream, sponge cake, chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, warm, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Toffee apples, fresh baked bread, cornflakes, chocolate, sponge cake. 
Finish: Short. Cornflakes, chocolate, vanilla, lemon zest, hints off condensed milk. 

Comments: 

Old grain from this distillery, but, as it closed some time ago, it can hardly be anything but old. This one is surprisingly sprightly, lots of cereally notes, allied to coconut and toffee. This is like being at a fair, eating ice cream, and scoffing a coconut ice.

Verdict:

I like this.

Dumbarton 51yo 1964/2016

Dumbarton 51yo 1964/2016

Extra Old Particular, Douglas Laing
Single grain - Lowlands
Dark gold
45.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sandalwood, honey, lemon zest, vanilla, dried coconut, black tea, hints of dust. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Black tea, sandalwood, vanilla, honey, lemon zest, brown paper, molasses, hints of raisins, hints of dust. 
Finish: Long. Honey, golden syrup, raisins, molasses. 

Comments: 

Wow. There's barley in this, if I'm any judge. The grain is muted by time, hidden under some delicious spice and lemon, with an astringent dusty note. Lovely, lovely whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

SMWS G14.1 (Dumbarton 28 yo 1986/2014)

SMWS G14.1 (Dumbarton 28 yo 1986/2014)

2015, SMWS
Single grain - Lowlands
Golden
47.8% ABV
Dram

Nose: Popcorn, bananas, vanilla, pear drops, sweet potatoes, sandalwood, pancakes, hints of butterscotch.
Mouthfeel: Light body, thickens, fizzy, airy.
Tasting: Sweet sour . Bananas, cardamom, sandalwood, popcorn, cinnamon, pear drops, hints of milk.
Finish: Short. Sandalwood, cardamom, bananas, pineapples.

Comments:

Gentle and light, very spicy, lots of interesting estery notes. There's quite a lot of caramel flavour lurking in the background, but it's very gentle. On the tongue it explodes into a spice garden - cardamom and cinnamon predominate. Very nice, and unusual grain whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.