Càrn Mòr Cambus 1991 (27 Year)

Rating: 13/23 My hope is that the sherry finish and extended aging will give this grain whisky the body and depth it usually lacks. Nose: Wow! Right away, I detect dried fruits, chocolate, and toffee. It smells fantastic! There's also a slightly savory note present. It's a very indulgent aroma. After letting it rest, I notice dried fruits (sultanas, cranberries, prunes), toffee, chocolate, and some citron, plus a savory scent from the alcohol. It's a very pleasant mature smell, but not as rich as I'd anticipate for a 27-year-old dram. Diluting it to 40% straight from the bottle reveals more wood and a savory grain character. The wood smells old and savory, not moldy or like sawdust. A faint hint of citron remains, but the sweetness mostly fades. This now presents a savory, woody nose. Palate: There's noticeable heat from the proof, but also a nice oily richness like certain nuts and a dark toffee blended with dark dried fruits. This isn't intensely sweet raisin; it's more of a variety of syrupy dried fruits. I strongly suspect a PX cask was involved. I also get hints of chocolate here and there, along with some savoriness. Some spices are hidden within. After letting it rest, the tartness and variety of the dried fruits become more apparent. I immediately identify sultanas, prunes, raisins (but not the sugary confection kind), and rich dried oranges with a touch of sweet dried apricot and an oily nuttiness (walnut) leading to a savory profile with a chocolate richness backing it. It's enjoyable, but not exceptionally complex, and the proof makes it quite harsh. The complexity is adequate, though, and the balance is nearly there, so it's close to being quite good. With a few drops of water added as the glass empties, more savoriness emerges, but there's still a syrupy element from the dried fruits, a hint of orange zest, chocolate, and now toffee that strongly suggests "PX sherry!". At 40%, the grain really starts to come through. There's a bit of rubber in the wood, though. There's much more toastiness now, and the mouthfeel remains viscous. The sultana sweetness returns after fading from the nose and brings the faintest hint of orange with it. That rubber somehow complements the wood in a way I appreciate. It's more of an aldehyde flavor, which initially put me off on Glenflarclas 25 and Jollite VSOP (though I haven't tried Jollite again, so who knows about that one still). I suspect by the time I finish this bottle, I'll appreciate that flavor more. Still, it's not an incredibly complex dram, so we'll see if I ever truly like it. Finish: Some additional bitterness appears towards the end, along with a slight Clynelish-style waxiness. The chocolate richness and oily nuttiness persist. It's a satisfactory finish. When diluted, it's primarily an oily, nutty finish with some wood. Smelling the glass afterward, I get a strong vanilla, fruity, tart, slightly bitter rubber aroma. It's akin to flambéing brandy to serve over plum pudding and then continuing to cook it down into a sticky goo. It's actually a rather appealing smell despite being describable as "sticky goo". I genuinely like this. I don't love it, however, and at this price point and age, I really should. It possesses these wonderful indulgent PX characteristics combined with a harsh grain whisky. It's like a subpar spirit was placed in a nice cask and aged for a considerable time. The outcome is pleasant, and I'm quite happy drinking it, but if you're aging something for 27 years, you'd think you'd select a quality spirit to begin with. There's no way this is below a 10, and at the high end, I'm seeing 15 (that's a wide range). I don't believe it's as good as Càrn Mòr's 1992 Glen Grant 26 (which I'm only comparing because it's also from Càrn Mòr). The Glen Grant has less going on but effectively showcases mature, elegant nectar smoothness with refined bourbon spice. This is almost the reverse. It's surprisingly bold for its age and packed with various flavors. The obvious comparison is Glenfarclas 105, which is almost the same proof and also shows a clash between the spirit and the cask. The Glenfarclas is a bit richer with more malt presence and vegetal notes. This is harsher and a bit drier with flavors that are more cohesive. They are quite similar, so for less than half the price and the convenience of finding something easily, the Glenfarclas is likely the better option. Side-by-side with the Glenfarclas, both having been open for about 10 minutes, I find I can distinguish the fruits and nuts in this much better than in the Farclas. The balance here is superior, and although the palate isn't as full, the viscosity is evident. I'd venture to say this is a couple of points better than the Farclas. The added boldness and alcohol flavor of the Farclas don't sufficiently compensate for the loss of balance. I suppose that places this in the 12 to 15 range. I'm leaning towards 13 to 14 seeming reasonable when compared to my memory of Macallan 12 at 14. I'll settle on 13 for now, but I do enjoy trying this with its pleasant PX flavor, so it might be bumped up later.

Nose - buttered popcorn, walnut, lemon pith, light caramel, fig, honey, apricot, raisin, cereal grain, white pepper, cocoa, vanilla, hay, significant ethanol burn. Taste - orange zest, toffee, vanilla, dusty corn, cinnamon, cereal grain, milk chocolate, allspice, lemon pith, honey, walnut, fig, raisin, floral notes, chili pepper, noticeable alcohol sting, finishing medium length with cereal grain, citrus pith, and nutty toffee flavors. The aroma is delicate. There's a substantial amount of graininess, followed by buttered popcorn and caramel. Dried fruit, walnut, and chocolate suggest the sherry influence, but it's very subtle. The palate is more assertive, with the grain coming across as rather sharp. A bitter citrus pith note doesn't improve it. Beyond that, there are pleasant sherried fruit, chocolate, and nut notes, leading to a moderate finish with some toffee and more bitter, sour graininess. My limited experience with single grain whiskies makes this a valuable learning opportunity. This Cambus reminds me of Compass Box Hedonism, but I don't favor it quite as much. The aging must have been exceptionally gentle for it to be 27 years old. If not for an oily, full mouthfeel, I would have assumed it was much younger. Overall, I like it but don't love it. The subtle flavors and aromas, combined with the pervasive grainy, sour, and bitter qualities, don't create a particularly harmonious or coherent experience. While there are some enjoyable nutty, fruity, and chocolatey notes, they aren't sufficient to outweigh the drawbacks for me. Many thanks to a friend for providing the sample. Perhaps single grain whiskies are simply not to my taste.

This whiskey has some pleasant notes, such as dried fruits, honey, chocolate, and vanilla, but the ethanol and a sour characteristic are quite off-putting. Adding water helps with the ethanol, but the sourness remains. Perhaps it's the sherry cask? Thanks to for the sample.