There is one grain whisky in the recent batch of Wemyss releases: Invergordon 1988 ‘Caribbean Crème’.
Invergordon 1988 ‘Caribbean Crème’
(46%, Wemyss 2014, barrel, 171 btl.)
Nose: a creamy nose, full of popcorn, vanilla and wood varnish. Butter pastry. Minty notes. Pineapple yoghurt and coconut cream. Fresh oak shavings with some nutmeg. Typical middle-aged grain whisky, nice enough.
Mouth: very sweet, with popcorn, caramel and vanilla cream at the centre. Some lemon zest and grapefruit, giving it a bitter edge. Also a slightly harsh alcoholic side that I find a bit too loud. Pepper and ginger.
Finish: long, sweet and gingery / peppery.
I like it on the nose, but the heavy sweetness, the wodka-like kick and the coconutty touches on the palate remind me of a ready-made Piña Colada. Not that it’s bad, I guess it’s just not my type. Around € 90.
Score: 76/100