Scotch Whisky Review #150: The Sovereign 51 Year Single Cask Blended Grain (1964)

Distillery: Blend

Region: Blend

Price: $12 for a 2 Oz sample, originally $300 at K&L Wines.

Cask Type: Refill Hogshead

ABV: 45.8% Cask Strength (Picture is from the sister cask that was bottled at 44.6%)

Age: 51 Year. Distilled in December of 1964.

Color: 1.3, Russet/Muscat. Non-Chill Filtered and Natural Color.

Nose: (according to the wife) Wow, it smells amazing. There’s a load of pineapple sorbet, fresh lemons, and coconuts. It’s really sweet.

Palate: It has a very rich and very full mouthfeel. The main note to stick out was sweet cream, it actually reminded me of our wedding cake (I still dream of that cake…). Along with the sweet cream comes a big helping of butterscotch and vanilla. Coconut macaroons pop up near the back end to give it a slightly savory twist.

Finish: Medium in length. There’s a bit of oak spice and a hint of tobacco along with a bit more of the butterscotch.

Conclusion: For my 200th whisky review, I’ve been extremely lucky to try this really old grain whisky. It’s hard enough to find whisky that’s my age, to find one that’s my parents’ age didn’t even occur to me. And it’s an absolute treat. It really sent me on a trip down memory lane with a lovely sweet cream note that I’ll be dreaming of. There’s butterscotch and vanilla that compliment incredibly well plus that bit of coconut that rounds this out nicely. The finish, though, is a bit out of place. The earthiness from the tobacco and the bit of spice really doesn’t mesh well with the rest of the dram. If the coconut macaroon note had continued on here or perhaps a little more of that sweet cream, I think this would’ve been a near legendary dram. Still, it was delicious and far too easy to drink. Would I buy a bottle? If K&L still had some, yes.

Final Score: 85.

Scotch Whisky Review #150, Blended Whisky Review #13, Grain Whisky Review #2, Whisky Network Review #200