In 1963 William Grant & Sons found themselves without access to grain whisky and built their own distillery in nine months. Girvan is the result, and these twenty-five years are what happens when you leave that plant to get on with it for long enough.
The expert description
Girvan Patent Still 25 Years Old is a Lowland Single Grain Scotch Whisky matured in bourbon casks with some sherry wood and virgin oak, bottled at 42%.
The distillery was raised in 1963 on the Ayrshire coast in answer to a trade dispute with the large blending houses of the day, and it has supplied the backbone of the William Grant blends ever since. The Patent Still range was the first serious attempt by the house to sell grain whisky under its own name, and the twenty-five year old opened the series.
The composition is a marriage of whisky from 1st fill and refill bourbon casks with a smaller share from sherry wood and virgin oak. The bourbon casks carry the creamy vanilla character, while the others lay darker fruit and spice underneath. The 42% is pitched low enough to let the texture do the carrying.
Tasting notes
Nose
Masses of buttery vanilla, fresh apple and cinnamon stick, with dark peel and chocolate pralines behind.
Palate
Creamy and unctuous with white chocolate, citrus and lime, chewy caramels and pineapple, while soft American oak sits underneath.
Finish
Vanilla, ground cinnamon and a final cool note of mint.
Specifications
Name: Girvan Patent Still 25 Years Old
Distillery: Girvan
Region/Country: Lowland Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Grain Scotch Whisky
Age: 25 years
ABV: 42%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill and refill bourbon casks with sherry wood and virgin oak
Edition: Patent Still
EAN no.: 5010327445038
Flavour profile
Creamy · Vanilla · Fruity · Sweet · Mature
Investment potential
Medium. Twenty-five year old single grain with an age statement from an official distillery has become noticeably harder to find as the old grain stocks have been drawn down. The Patent Still range was also the first of its kind from the house, which gives it a place in the record.
Did you know?
Inside the Girvan complex also stood the malt distillery Ladyburn, which ran only from 1966 to 1975 and is today one of the most sought after silent addresses in Scotland. On the same ground Ailsa Bay opened in 2007, so the site holds both a closed and a new malt distillery alongside the grain plant.
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