Bought: English Whisky Company, 29th September 2015
Ratings:
95/100 – Whisky Bible 2015
88/100 – Whiskybase (average from 6 member votes)
As Ralfy (of www.ralfy.com) says in his You Tube review of a Carsebridge 30yo, if grain whisky isn’t highly collectable does that mean it’s highly collectable because there is so little of it around? Discuss! Carsebridge is his favourite example of single grain whisky and stocks are running out. That’s hardly surprising because the distillery closed in 1983 but I still found a 70cl bottle for under £200 (that wasn’t from an auction). The cheapest 45yo single malt I can find from an online shop right at this moment is £750. And I bet it’s not any better!
Jim Murray in his Whisky Bible 2015 scores this vintage Carsebridge 95/100 which classifies it as a “superstar whisky that gives us all a reason to live”. In his review he says “as we have so often seen in Kentucky and Canada, old grains matured in high quality casks rank among the best whiskies in the world: here is a stunning example.” And 88/100 on Whiskybase is also a fantastic score.
If you want a vintage whisky on a budget then old single grains are definitely worth a look. At 44.7%, natural colour, non-chill filtered and from a single cask, there are a lot of good things going for this example from the late Carsebridge distillery.
Tasting notes from Master of Malt:
Nose: Heaps of vanilla, rye heavy Bourbon and lime gently off-set with warm spices.
Palate: On the palate the Carsebridge offers satsumas, lemon and seville orange. In time this becomes candied peel and vanilla.
Finish: The finish is silky and warming with cinnamon, ginger and orange zest.
Overall: Loads of soft flavours slowly emerge as you drink this, the mouthfeel is creamy and soft, everything you could want from a whisky of this age and value.
Whisky Den 