Dumbarton Whisky

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  Dumbarton 1987/2003 Cadenheads 15 years old Authentic Collection Single Lowland Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 58,1%

  Item no.: 505956-807534-717

  Dumbarton 1987/2003 Cadenhead's Authentic Collection 15 Years Single Lowland Malt Scotch Whisky

  A red‑brick giant at the meeting of the Leven and Clyde, once home to whisky on a scale few distilleries could match — and guarded by a flock of Chinese geese. That’s the origin of this dram: a rarity from a place that no longer exists.

  This is a bottle for the collector who chases the lost. Dumbarton was primarily a massive grain distillery, built in 1938 by Hiram Walker to supply the Ballantine’s blend. But inside the same complex stood a small malt distillery called Inverleven, and it is that malt spirit you find in this bottle. Cadenhead’s — Scotland’s oldest independent bottler, founded in 1842 — chose to label it “Dumbarton” rather than Inverleven, something worth knowing if you search for it in databases or at auction.

  It was distilled in 1987 and bottled in March 2003 after 15 years in a single bourbon hogshead. Only 294 bottles came from the cask. The whisky is part of Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection — their series of single‑cask releases, un‑chillfiltered, natural colour, and bottled at full cask strength. This is whisky in its most unfiltered form, and at 58.1% it makes itself known. The Inverleven stills fell silent forever in 1991, and the Dumbarton complex closed in 2002 before being demolished. The stills were moved to Islay, where they now serve Bruichladdich and The Botanist gin. There will be no more whisky like this.

  A classic Lowlander in character — light, fresh and grassy rather than heavy or smoky.

  Nose: Grassy and fresh, like sitting by a roadside ditch on a summer day. Plenty of citrus and bright fruit.
  Palate: Dry and spicy with the warmth of full cask strength. A sweet core beneath the sharpness, with grain and pale fruit.
  Finish: Medium length, clean and citrus‑driven. The warmth fades slowly.

  Smoky: no · Fruity · Citrus · Grassy · Spicy · Cask Strength

  Name: Dumbarton 1987/2003 Cadenhead's Authentic Collection 15 Years
  Distillery: Dumbarton (Inverleven stills)
  Bottler: Cadenhead’s
  Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
  Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
  ABV: 58.1%
  Size: 700 ml
  Cask type: Bourbon hogshead
  Distilled: 1987
  Bottled: March 2003
  Bottles: 294
  Edition: Authentic Collection
  Other: Un‑chillfiltered, natural colour

  Investment potential: Medium. A closed and demolished distillery, single cask, only 294 bottles, and a respected bottler — all factors that push value upward. But Inverleven/Dumbarton does not have the same cult following as the big names, so price growth is driven more by rarity than hype. A bottle that typically trades above its original retail price, but without dramatic spikes.

  Did you know? Dumbarton had its own security force: around 100 Chinese geese, introduced in 1959 to guard the warehouses. They became so famous they appeared in Ballantine’s adverts. When the distillery closed, the last seven geese were retired and sent to Glasgow Green.

  See our full selection of Dumbarton
  Listen to our podcast about Cadenhead’s

   

  • 1pcs.
    335,00EUR
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  Dumbarton 2000/2021 Coopers Choice 20 years old Lowland Single Grain Scotch Whisky 70 cl 56.5%

  Item no.: 059763-615-591

  Dumbarton no longer exists. The great red brick complex on the river Clyde was pulled down, and all that remains are the casks that made it out in time. This is one of them.

  The expert description

  Dumbarton 2000/2021 Coopers Choice 20 Years Old is a Lowland Single Grain Scotch Whisky matured in a bourbon cask and bottled at cask strength 56.5%.

  Hiram Walker built Dumbarton in 1938 as one of the largest grain distilleries in Scotland, and for decades it supplied the backbone of the Ballantine’s blends. Production stopped in 2002, the buildings came down, and the site has since become housing. That turns any bottling carrying the Dumbarton name into a time capsule, because no more is coming.

  This cask, number 211097, was filled in November 2000 and bottled in 2021 after twenty years. The Coopers Choice is The Vintage Malt Whisky Company’s range of single cask bottlings, and as usual they have neither chill filtered nor coloured it. The cask gave 234 bottles.

  Tasting notes

  Nose

  Coconut and vanilla pod settle first, then buttery pastry, ripe banana and a faint note of sawdust off the active bourbon wood.

  Palate

  Sweet and oily in spite of the high strength. Caramel, corn sweetness and creme brulee, with a growing spice of nutmeg and white pepper.

  Finish

  Long and warm. Toffee, toasted oak and a dry, almost powdery close that is typical of well-aged grain whisky.

  Specifications

  Name: Dumbarton 2000/2021 Coopers Choice 20 Years Old
  Distillery: Dumbarton
  Bottler: The Coopers Choice
  Region/Country: Lowland Scotland
  Type: Lowland Single Grain Scotch Whisky
  Age: 20 years
  ABV: 56.5%
  Size: 70 CL
  Cask type: Bourbon cask
  Non-chill filtered: Yes
  Natural colour: Yes
  Distilled: November 2000
  Bottled: 2021
  Number of bottles: 234
  EAN no.: 5024720861357

  Flavour profile

  Sweet · Creamy · Vanilla · Spiced · Single Cask

  Investment potential

  Medium. Dumbarton closed in 2002 and the remaining stock only ever shrinks. A silent distillery, twenty years in wood and just 234 bottles from a single cask is the kind of release that tends to disappear from shelves and prove difficult to find again.

  Did you know?

  Dumbarton housed its own malt whisky production inside the complex under the name Inverleven, and for decades a giant Ballantine’s sign stood on the roof, visible from the motorway. The sign came down with everything else.

  See our full range of Dumbarton
  See our full range of The Coopers Choice

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  • 1pcs.
    140,50EUR
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  Dumbarton 23 Years Old Dram Mor Lowland Single Grain Scotch Whisky 57,1%

  Item no.: 222278653434-88

  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

  • 1pcs.
    187,50EUR