Did you know North British distillery was founded in 1885 to break the monopoly of DCL’s Cameronbridge and Caledonian? Blenders were looking for an alternative source of grain whisky and joined forces to build a new plant – practically a crowd-funded cooperative. Nowadays it is an equal partnership between Edrington and… DCL (now called Diageo).
While grain distilleries tend to use the cheapest grain available (currently wheat), North British continues to use corn (maize), with up to 20% malted barley.
We try three 30+ year old North British whiskies – independent bottlings from Liquid Treasures, Whisky AGE and Hogshead Imports.
North British 34 yo 1989 (43,7%, Liquid Treasures ’15th Anniversary’ 2024, bourbon barrel, 123 btl.)
Nose: opens in a bright way, with lots of lemons, some grassy notes and light whiffs of nail polish remover. Some coconut and vanilla, but not overdone. Delicate herbs in the background, as well as a cakey side. Overall quite a pure expression.
Mouth: a nice mix of lemon sherbet with coconut cream. Vanilla custard, nice hints of nougat and French croquants with coconut filling. Then tart lemon, orange blossom, even a hint of minerality. Praline brittle? Light hints of gingerbread in the distance.
Finish: not too long, but clean, with citrusy notes, coconut and light oak.
I wasn’t a big fan of their previous North British 1989, but this is much more to my liking. Still a very refined, elegant example of the style, but it has more to say. Available from eSpirits.
North British 31 yo 1991 (45%, Whisky AGE 2023, first fill barrel #264536, 189 btl.)
Nose: quite similar in terms of lightness. Keeping the middle between grassy notes, lemons, shortbread and vanilla. No coconut so far, but nice cake aromas and light honey. Maybe a hint of green tea and jasmine.
Mouth: and now the coconut comes out. A pleasant fatty texture, with melons and bananas, vanilla custard and lemons. We’re getting a white rum vibe now. More green tea and hints of pear liqueur towards the finish.
Finish: medium length, with a nice sweet and sour balance.
Despite the different vintage, this is very close together. Nice to see this lighter style with less oak influence. On other days I would probably find this lacks a bit of structure. Score: 83/100
North British 31 yo 1991 (46,7%, Hogshead Imports, first fill bourbon barrel)
Mouth: same, same. Sweet coconut in the fore, with yellow apples, plenty of vanilla cream, creamy oak and caramelized cereals. Popcorn too.
Finish: longer than the others, sweeter and more coconutty. Corn, almonds and hints of white chocolate.
While the first two shared an elegant, thinner profile, this is thicker and sweeter, with more oaky notes. Overall more typical, I would say. Quite a classic coconut / Malibu style. Score: 84/100