Against the grain

There’s no doubt in my mind that hyper-old grain has a place among the best liquids in the world

Grain whisky rarely gets to see old age. By its very nature, most grain is produced with the intention of being used for blending purposes after four or five years. Some is kept for use in aged blends, such as Ballantine’s 21 year old or Grant’s 25 year old. However, at last the world is finding out what blenders have known all along – namely that old grain whisky can actually be a very interesting alternative to single malt.

Single grains in general have gained greater consumer awareness during the past few years courtesy of Diageo’s muchhyped Haig Club and William Grant & Sons’ Girvan Patent Still range. However, with the exception of Grant’s 25 and 30 year old  Girvans, truly old and “luxurious”  single grains continue to be the prov-ince of independent bottlers, who have championed their cause for more than a decade.

One such pioneering bottler is Douglas Laing & Co. Managing Director Fred Laing says: “Our first grain bottling was back in June 2005, under our Clan Denny brand, when we slipped quietly into the market with  a Garnheath 30 year old. I knew fine and well it was a great dram.”  Garnheath was produced by Inver House Distillers at its headquarters near Airdrie for some two decades from its inception in 1965.

Laing adds: “The same stock of Garnheath is now being bottled by us at  40 and 41 years of age. A month after  that soft launch, we put a Caledonian and  a Dumbarton 40 year old into the mix.” Caledonian Distillery operated in Edinburgh between 1885 and 1988, while Dumbarton, near Glasgow, was in production from 1938 to 2002. “They were terribly slow to sell, however,” says Laing, “and we had to carry them to  a great number of whisky festivals and tasting classes in the UK and abroad to allow them to be tasted free of charge.

“We hoped there would be a market for single grain, for commercial as well as ‘crusading’ reasons, because, being blenders since 1948, we had great stocks of grain. It was, therefore, a real pleasure to see the uptake growing to  a point where we could also ‘dress’ the pack according to the quality in the bottle. In October 2010 we had that confidence to put a North British  50 year old into our Directors’ Cut pack – later to become our Xtra Old Particular XOP.”

By contrast with Douglas Laing & Co, That Boutiquey Whisky Company (TWBC), associated with online retailer masterofmalt.com, is a relative newcomer to the single-grain market, and the firm’s Sales Director Ben Ellefsen explains why it began to bottle single grains. “It’s primarily due to the growth in demand for exceptionally well-aged whiskies that don’t cost an arm and a leg,” he declares. “There’s no doubt in my mind that hyper-old grain has  a place among the best liquids in the world, and we’re only too happy to fuel the demand.”

Ben Ellefsen, That Boutiquey Whisky Company

When Ellefsen talks about ”hyper old”, he means anything aged from around 30 years upwards. His point about affordability is well made. One of the oldest grains his company has released is a 52 year old Invergordon, which retails for around £230. By contrast, the cheapest 50 year old single malt currently available is  a Glen Grant bottled by Gordon & MacPhail, offered for £585. At the higher end of the scale, a 50 year old Balvenie would set the purchaser back the best part of £30,000.

“We’ve released over 20 batches of grain under the TBWC label alone,” says Ellefsen. “Among the oldest are  a 52 year old Girvan (from the very first year of production), a 52 year old Carsebridge [operational near Alloa between 1799 and 1983], several Invergordons at 42 and 43 years of age, plus a 33 year old from the Caledonian Distillery in Edinburgh.”

When it comes to sourcing such old whiskies, one might imagine that while long-established firms with blending heritage, such as Douglas Laing, have assembled stocks of old grains over the years, newer entrants to the market might struggle to find casks that have survived the rigours of time in good condition. According to Ben Ellefsen, however, that is not the case. “For us, it’s actually becoming progressively easier, although  I strongly suspect this is due to the very rapid growth of the brand, and the purchasing power that comes with that.”

In terms of the actual spirit, just how does the character of grain whiskies change and develop over time?  According to William Grant & Sons’ Master Blender Brian  Kinsman, “I find very old grains tend to be incredibly full of flavour depending on what oak type they have been matured in. American oak that still has a good bit of life in it (first- or second-fill bourbons) will give  a mature whisky that is very rich in vanilla, toffee and spice – very sweet on taste, with a lovely deep aroma. Spanish oak can end up dominating the grain to the point where it is hard to distinguish the fact that it is grain and not malt.

Master Blender, Brian Kinsman

“The maturation of grain (especially a light new spirit like Girvan) is really just additive and, as such, the older it gets, the more flavour it has. Generally speaking, I haven’t found many that become too oaky and collapse in the way that some malts do, and I am not sure why that is the case. Perhaps it is the higher ABV or the fact that the grain has less distillation congeners and can, therefore, ‘accommodate’ more wood extractives.”

All bottlers and retailers of single grains seem to agree that more mature whisky markets are where grains sell best, with Ben Ellefsen noting: “It’s a point of difference, and a fascinating world to explore, but it does tend to be consumers who are highly knowledgeable who know about how great aged grain can be.”

Most consumers drink old grains either neat or with the addition of a small amount of water, though Ellefsen is passionate about freedom of choice when it comes to drinking any whisky for which you have paid. “If you want to mix it, mix it – it’s yours, not the loudmouth’s in the corner!” he declares. “In fact, the 52 year old Carsebridge features one of my favourite cocktail bars, Black Rock, in London’s Shoreditch. If you take the empty bottle in to the bar after you’ve finished it, it acts as a voucher for a free cocktail (made using the whisky itself) – so that should give you some insight into our approach!”

Given the increasing attention being focussed on luxury single grains, it will hopefully only be a matter of time before other mainstream distillers with grain distilleries in their portfolios follow the example of William Grant & Sons with its well-received Girvan releases. Meanwhile, if grain whisky is not part of your drinking repertoire, do give it  a try. Chances are you will be impressed – and at a fraction of the cost of drinking comparably “historic” single malts.

Gavin Smith