Dumbarton 23 Years Old Dram Mor Lowland Single Grain Scotch Whisky 57,1%

Twenty-three years is a long time for a grain whisky. Long enough that the cereal stops tasting of cereal and starts tasting of a bakery, and just short enough that the cask has not taken over.

The expert description

Dumbarton 23 Years Old Dram Mor is a Lowland Single Grain Scotch Whisky matured in a refill bourbon barrel and bottled at cask strength 57.1%.

Dumbarton on the river Clyde closed in 2002 and was later demolished. The distillery supplied grain whisky to some of the largest blends in Scotland, and only rarely did any of it appear in its own right. With every year that passes, the remaining casks grow fewer.

Dram Mor selected cask number 211885, a refill bourbon barrel that still stood at 57.1% after twenty-three years. The whisky is bottled without chill filtration and without added colour, and the cask gave 182 bottles. The name Dram Mor means big dram in Gaelic.

Tasting notes

Nose

Creamy vanilla with a hint of cherry tart and sweet, buttery shortcrust pastry.

Palate

Sweet and buttery with a surprisingly three-dimensional depth for a single grain. Delicate spices tie it together and keep the sweetness in place.

Finish

Warming and more robust than you might expect, in the best possible way, closing with oak and dried fruit.

Specifications

Name: Dumbarton 23 Years Old
Distillery: Dumbarton
Bottler: Dram Mor
Region/Country: Lowland Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Grain Scotch Whisky
Age: 23 years
ABV: 57.1%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Refill Bourbon Barrel
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Number of bottles: 182

Flavour profile

Sweet · Creamy · Vanilla · Pastry · Single Cask

Investment potential

Medium. Dumbarton is closed and demolished, the bottling comes from one cask, and only 182 bottles exist. Old grain whisky from silent Lowland distilleries has drawn considerably more collector attention in recent years than it did a decade ago.

Did you know?

Grain whisky matures more slowly than malt because the spirit is cleaner and carries fewer heavy compounds for the wood to work on. That is why an age statement like twenty-three years is unremarkable here, while the same years on a malt would often leave the cask in charge.

See our full range of Dumbarton

Frequently asked questions about Dumbarton 23 Years Old Dram Mor

Is Dumbarton 23 Years Old special for a collector?

Yes. The distillery is closed and physically gone, the whisky comes from a single cask, and only 182 bottles exist. Twenty-three year old Lowland grain whisky at cask strength does not surface all that often.

What does it taste like?

Creamy vanilla and cherry tart on the nose, sweet and buttery on the palate with fine spices, and a warm finish of oak and dried fruit. It carries more depth than single grain is usually credited with.

What is the difference between grain and malt?

Malt whisky is made purely from malted barley in pot stills, while grain whisky uses other cereals and is distilled continuously in column stills. Grain comes out softer and sweeter, and in return it tolerates many years in wood without turning woody.

What does Dram Mor mean?

Big dram in Gaelic. It is the name of a Scottish bottler that buys single casks and bottles them at cask strength without chill filtration or colouring.

Why is it still 57.1% after twenty-three years?

Because the cask lost remarkably little strength. In drier warehouses water evaporates faster than alcohol, so a cask can hold a high strength for decades. The result is a concentrated whisky with plenty of body.

Should you add water?

Start without. At 57.1% it is powerful, but grain whisky has a natural sweetness that carries the strength. A few drops loosen the pastry notes, though go carefully, as it does not take much.

Which glass suits it best?

A tulip-shaped glass concentrates the sweet bakery notes and keeps the alcohol vapour away from your nose. See our range of whisky glasses.