Cambus is one of those 19th century scotch distilleries with a long an history of being opened and closed, bought and sold. Then in 1993 the stills went still, forever. But the spirit lives on… and today shall be drunk!
Cambus made grain whisky, what some consider the ugly stepsister of malt whisky. In the early 20th century some (the competing malt producers) did not want it be allowed to bear the name whisky at all, leading to the “What is Whisky?” trials. Cambus 7yo was then heavily promoted under the slogan “Not a headache in a gallon” to gather support for the worthiness of grain spirit. Read more about it here.
Personally, I associate Cambus with a few whisky friends from my WOLS days, who love it for its apparently “cheesy” qualities. Some want their whisky to smell like fruits or delicate flowers, others prefer cheese and smelly feet. Actually, I know a person who insists her sweaty feet smell like lavender…
I must have tried a couple of Cambi (Cambuses doesn’t sound right to me!) from my friends in the legendary days before The ’19 Plague, but my taste memory is dim. Even so, I was sufficiently converted to the Cult of Cambus, that I “invested” in a couple of bottles, fearing or hoping (I haven’t decided which yet) that the stock of this closed distillery will run out, and prices one day soar. So far, that’s not happened, but time might bear me out. In any case, I should stop speculating and actually drink the damn stuff.
Cambus 24yo
Type: Single grain Scotch whisky
Distillery: Cambus (closed)
Age: 24yo
Bottled by: That Boutique-y Whisky Company
ABV: 49.7%
Name: “Batch 2”
Cask type / Peated: not stated (assumed ex-bourbon) / no
Unchillfiltered / Nat. Colour: not stated (probably not)
Typical price: €75 (for 50cl)
WhiskyBase ID: WB84061
Review sample: 25ml for £7 bought at MoM
Experience ⚡
Truffle! (The mushroom, not chocolate.) A distinct lemon fragrance, but more like from a cleaning agent than the actual fruit. I’m lead via some spice notes (white pepper, coriander seeds) into dusty-woody-mouldy territory (hemp, oak, dunnage warehouse, dry walnuts). The alcohol pokes my nostrils a bit. With time in the glass, overripe fruits/vegetables come to the fore (foremost pineapple, also avocado and sweaty onion). The fragrance notes may sound queer, but it’s an queerness that works. In a word, this is funky. Now for the taste. Wow, such silky texture; a little alcohol nip and spiciness arrives in the development, though. The flavour is unmistakably of clementine, wax and vanilla. These flavours linger in the finish, along with a fresh, mentholic bitterness, like the white of citrus peel, but not too much. The funk is more on the nose than the palate, which I’d say works for the best.
Thoughts 💡
Such an interesting whisky, with a nose one can easily dig around in for half an hour before even taking a sip. And then one is greeted with such a waxy, and delicate experience on the palate. This is one of the most worthwhile whiskies I’ve tried this year! And certainly the best grain whisky I can recall trying (but it’s not more than a dozen or two).
⭐ Enthusiast’s Choice
❤️ Personal Favourite
Cambus 26yo
Type: Single grain Scotch whisky / Single cask
Distillery: Cambus (closed)
Age / Vintage: 26yo / 1993
Bottled by: James Eadie
ABV: 55.4%
Cask type / Peated: Sherry Butt / No
Unchillfiltered / Nat. Colour: presumably
Typical price: £95 (in 2019)
WhiskyBase ID: WB139995
Review sample: 25ml bought for £8.66 from MoM
Experience ⚡
Orange liqueur, overripe fruits (apple), sour cherries, chocolate ganache, leather and musk. The nose could just as well have described an old Armagnac. On the palate, the arrival is intense; vinous, unctuous, then with menthol and some tannins in the development. It draws more towards dry than sweet, but there is a feigned sweetness from the sherry flavours present (caramel, chocolate, dried red fruits, leather). There is also a hint of rubber.
Thoughts 💡
This I could easily have mistaken for Armagnac. The funkiness that Cambus seems to possess, in concert with the flavours from a long sherry maturation, is like rancio.
⭐Enthusiast’s Choice
Cambus 30yo
Type: Single grain Scotch whisky / Single cask
Distillery: Cambus (closed)
Age / Vintage: 30yo / 1991
Bottled by: Master of Malt
ABV: 50.8%
Cask type / Peated: Refill sherry hogshead / No
Unchillfiltered / Nat. Colour: Yes
Typical price: £90 (2023)
WhiskyBase ID: WB215318
Review sample: 25ml sample bought for £6.84 from MoM
Experience ⚡
On the nose: a somewhat artificial lemon note, glue (sniff, sniff), and wax. Waxy apples. Waxy clementines. And apricot marmalade, hickory, and vanilla. Somewhat sweet on the palate. Again, a pleasant clementine flavour, along with buttered popcorns riding on the wax wave.
Thoughts 💡
It’s a great whisky, not dissimilar to the 24yo, but the latter had more funk and diversity of flavours, while also feeling a bit less like sniffing some luxury glue. Perhaps my senses are fatiguing, and my judgment is compromised? But returning to a last sip of the 24yo, I still find that one significantly more enjoyable. I just now realized that this is coming from a (refill) sherry hogshead. I didn’t notice any sherry influence, actually.
⭐ Enthusiast’s Choice
DuckDrams 
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