Invergordon 1972/2016 WhiskyNerds

If you’re looking to taste really old whisky for a (relatively) low price, than grain whiskies provide a solution. You see more and more of them hitting the market. One of the reasons independent bottlers turn to grain more often, is out of necessity. It’s difficult to get good, quality casks of malt whisky.

Whisky drinkers, fed up with the ever rising prices of malt whisky, seem to embrace grain whiskies. In recent months a flurry of Invergordon 1972 hit the market. All of them sister casks. The WhiskyNerds, a small Dutch indie bottler, scooped up (part of) one and released it as their third bottling.

Invergordon 1972/2016 (49,8%, WhiskyNerds, C#13-05)

Nose: Lots and lots of glue, as is to be expected with a grain. Takes a long time to open up. Leather, coconut, furniture polish and oak shavings. Slightly grassy too. Vanilla. Plenty going on.
Taste: Very sweet and bourbon-like. Some coconut and ripe banana, as well as oranges and sweet honey. Touch of chocolate. Slightly spicy with some coconut shavings. Not a lot of oak, despite its 43 years.
Finish: Sweet and fruity. Medium in length.

Rating: 88

Nicely balanced and lovely fruity. The sweetness might be a tad too much for me, but nonetheless a very good whisky. And compared to malt whiskies of a similar age (or half its age even) very well-priced.

Sample provided by WhiskyNerds

Photo: Whiskybase