Into the final week of #WhiskyAdvent we go and today it’s time for our first grain whisky from The Whisky Advent Calendar by Drinks by the Dram…
Now, most of you will have William Grant & Sons’ Girvan Patent Still Proof Strength. As mentioned on Day 2 though, these advent calendars have been extraordinarily popular this year, with sales surpassing all forecasts! This means that on a small number of days not everybody could have the exact same dram. Everyone does have a Girvan today, but some of you may be enjoying a Girvan 20 Year Old 1993 from Douglas Laing’s Clan Denny range, or indeed a Girvan 21 Year Old 1994 from their Old Particular range (both excellent independent bottlings).
Built in 1963 as perhaps the most modern distillery in the world at that time, Girvan has provided grain for the Grant’s blends in particular ever since. In 1995 William Grant also released Black Barrel, an official bottling of single grain, in a handful of countries including France. At the end of 2013 they revisited that idea with a the Girvan Patent Still brand, pitched very much as a single malt range would be. Alongside David Beckham’s Haig Club, Girvan Patent Still now finds itself at the forefront of efforts to make grain whisky a thing that’s understood and appreciated by a much larger audience alongside malts and blends.
18
(Like that Moby album with the Bourne soundtrack on it.)
Tasting Note for Girvan Patent Still Proof Strength:
Nose: Lots of vanilla, boiled sweets, foam bananas, candied peels and cherry lips with hints of honey.
Palate: As with the nose, the added abv provides a similar, but more intense experience to the 42% edition. More candied citrus peels, pineapple sweets, icing sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.
Finish: Sweet, peppery and light.
Girvan Patent Still Proof Strength – 70cl, 57.1%
The Chaps at Master of Malt
