Cambus distillery was closed in 1993 but the warehouses and filling station are still in use. There are no official bottlings, but you can regularly find Cambus 1991 casks from Signatory Vintage. This one was bottled by Liquid Treasures.
Sherry matured grain whisky is not very common, I’ve had some refill sherry bottlings but never a fresh heavy sherry bottling like this, I think.
Cambus 25 yo 1991 (52,7%, Liquid Treasures ‘Faces of Angkor’ 2017, sherry butt)
Nose: very nice, this reminds me of a Brandy de Jerez, which as you may know, is a pot still grape spirit matured in sherry butts. Very aromatic, with polished oak, maple syrup, cherries, latte and cinnamon sugar. A little vanilla, some blackcurrants. Hints of earthy spices and cigar leaves as well. Who would guess this is a grain whisky?
Mouth: same feeling of sherry brandy, ha! Fairly dry. Hints of Armagnac too. Treacle sponge. Roasted coffee beans. Cinnamon. Plenty of herbal tea as well, with just a light bitter / resinous edge.
Finish: fairly long, coffee ganache, red berries and peppery notes.
I must say this is a pleasant surprise. The typical grain character isn’t too loud here and with the sherry influence you get a nice crossover profile. Recommended. Around € 125.
Score: 88/100