Dumbarton
Dumbarton
REGION: Lowland Closed Distillery
STYLE: Single Grain Scotch Whisky
ABV: 45.8%
AGE: 33 Years
RRP: £124.95
Once Scotland's largest distillery, Dumbarton, was constructed in 1938 at the confluence of the River Leven and the Clyde, on the former site of the McMillan Shipyard. A significant contributor to Ballantine’s Blended Scotch Whisky, it sadly ceased operations in 2002 and has since been demolished.
The distillery represented a significant investment by its owners Hiram Walker, who were struggling to acquire enough grain whisky to satisfy export demands for their blends. They used maize exclusively, imported from Canada and America (naturally, given the ownership). However, the stills were modified sometime in the 1990s so that wheat could be used if they so desired. This release was distilled in 1992 and matured in a refill hogshead.
There are just 242 bottles available globally.
NOSE
A delightful initial hit of sweet cereal, reminiscent of freshly baked shortbread, quickly followed by the familiar warmth of Vanilla wafers.
TASTE
The texture is light and silky. A burst of sweet, tropical fruit greets the tongue, underpinned by a delicate oak spice. As the sweetness subsides, the notes gently reveal coconut and spearmint, adding a refreshing, almost cocktail-like complexity. Leaving you with Pineapple and cedar—a final, lingering impression of a warm, wooden-decked terrace overlooking a tropical fruit grove.
ABOUT THE LABEL
It’s another of our shockingly bad puns and plays on the extreme heaviness of the grains!
There’s a series of strong cliches carrying and moving cartoonishly heavy bags of grain (two circus strong-men, a crane being used to lift a single bag, and an ornate Rajasthani elephant).
Hey, that elephant would look cool front & centre on the label, dontcha think, Em?
WHERE TO BUY IN THE UK
