Cambus 1991/2023 Signatory Vintage 31 years old Single Grain Scotch Whisky 70 cl 50.5%

Sherry casks and grain whisky are not an obvious pairing — sherry can easily flatten the light spirit. Here a used oloroso butt has had thirty-one years to go about it quietly.

Expert description

Cambus 1991/2023 Signatory Vintage 31 Years is a Single Grain Scotch Whisky from Refill Oloroso Butt #104229, bottled at cask strength, 50.5%, without chill filtration and without added colour.

The whisky was distilled on 3 December 1991 and bottled on 16 January 2023 as part of Signatory Vintage's Cask Strength Collection. The cask gave 330 bottles.

Cambus closed in 1993, and spirit from 1991 is among the last it made. A refill oloroso butt releases sherry character slowly, and after three decades the nuts and dried fruit are woven into the sweetness of the grain rather than sitting on top of it.

Tasting notes

Nose

Walnut and raisin with vanilla, orange peel and a stroke of dark honey.

Palate

Full and creamy with fudge, dried fig and roasted nuts. The sherry is integrated, not pasted on.

Finish

Long and warm with nuts, caramel and a dry, lightly spiced close.

Specifications

Name: Cambus 1991/2023 Signatory Vintage 31 Years Single Grain Scotch Whisky 70 cl 50.5%
Distillery: Cambus
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Lowlands, Scotland
Type: Single Grain Scotch Whisky
Age: 31 years
ABV: 50,5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Refill Oloroso Butt #104229
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 03/12/1991
Bottled: 16/01/2023
Number of bottles: 330
Edition: Cask Strength Collection
EAN no.: 5021944121625

Flavour profile

Creamy · Nutty · Sherried · Sweet · Mature

Investment potential

High. Thirty-one years, 330 bottles and a distillery closed more than three decades ago. Old Cambus casks are a limited and shrinking resource.

Did you know?

Cambus was at the centre of the 1906 What is Whisky case, which established that grain whisky from a column still could legally be called whisky. Without that ruling, blended Scotch would look very different today.

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Frequently asked questions about Cambus 1991/2023 Signatory Vintage 31 Years Single Grain Scotch Whisky 70 cl 50.5%

Can sherry casks work for grain whisky?

Yes, if the cask is quiet enough. A first fill sherry cask can overwhelm the light spirit, while a refill gives nut and dried fruit at a pace the grain can keep up with.

Is it worth the money?

Thirty-one years in cask, one cask, 330 bottles and a closed distillery. The sherry cask also makes it more layered than the purely bourbon matured Cambus bottlings.

What does Cask Strength Collection mean?

Signatory's series of single casks bottled without dilution. It has run since the 1990s and is recognised by its plain label carrying cask number, distillation and bottling dates.

How is it best enjoyed?

Neat first, then with a couple of drops of water. At 50.5% it is ready to drink, but water lifts the nut and caramel notes.

Is it peated?

No. Grain whisky is almost never made from peated grain, and the cask adds no peat character. Smoked alternatives are gathered under Peaty Whisky.

What happened to Cambus after it closed?

The site was turned into a cooperage where casks are repaired for other distilleries. Nothing is distilled there. See more closed distilleries under Closed Distilleries Whisky.