Ladyburn and Inverleven 26 Year William Grant & Sons Ghosted Reserve

Scotch Whisky Review : Ladyburn and Inverleven 26 Year William Grant & Sons Ghosted Reserve

Distillery: Blend of Ladyburn and Inverleven.

Bottler: Official Bottling by William Grant & Sons, owners of Ladyburn.

Region: Lowland.

Age: 26 years old. Bottled in 2014. Any Ladyburn in this blend is at least 39 years of age as it must have been distilled no later than 1975 when the distillery was closed.

ABV: 42.0%.

Price: Purchased for $425 in Birmingham, AL in the spring of 2023.

Color: 0.7, Burnished.

Nose: It’s very subtle and light but by no means bland. Lemongrass / lemons are the dominant note for me with a bit of underripe pineapple and freshly cut grass with a bit of fresh cut hay. Some additional fruity notes of starfruit and Korean melon (참외) are also present.

Palate: It is lightly waxy with roasted barley tea being the major note. Beyond that, it does feel a bit muted and reserved at full strength. A little bit of water does wake things up. You get a light vanilla note, some notes reminding me of bourbon cream biscuits and some jasmine tea as well.

Finish: On most sips, it seemed fairly short. On some sips, it comes out medium to long in length. Chocolate biscuits (the British kind) are a major note here. You also get some drying and floral notes as well.

Conclusion: Ladyburn was one of those fun “distilleries within a distillery” operations opened by William Grant & Sons on the site of Girvan when they needed some additional malt whisky capacity. It was short lived though being operational only between 1966 and 1975. It’s been on the list of distilleries I would love to try but felt that my chances of trying any at an exorbitant price would have been minimal so I was excited when I stumbled across this blend. Ultimately, this feels like it would have been really fun with a bit more ABV. The nose is subtle but complex with a really fun combination of fruity notes and grassy ones. The bourbon cream biscuit and jasmine tea on the palate are really good but really could use some amplification. It finishes largely in the same vein with fun notes that just could use a little more help. My personal theory on this bottling is that they had some casks of Ladyburn that drifted under 40% and used the Inverleven to boost it back over. A bit of a shame at the end of the day, but overall a fun dram that I’m glad to have had.

Rating: 82.

Scotch Whisky Review , Lowland Review , Blended Malt Whisky Review , Whisky Network Review

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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