A Closer Look at ‘Silent Spirit’: Single Grain Whisky
While walking the Tormore Distillery site a few months ago with Head Blender Oliver Chilton, I got to know about the involvement of famous Scottish writer Neil M. Gunn with the development of Tormore. Together with Sir Albert Richardson, he was pivotal in giving Tormore its distinctive look and feel, as they were both true romantics. Mr. Chilton recommended to me the book “Whisky & Scotland: A Spiritual Journey from Glen to Glass” that Gunn wrote in 1935. Not a purely scientific book about the production of whisky, but more of a run-through of the history of distilling in Scotland, comparisons to other national drinks, even straddling into subjects as nationalism (as we were at the cusp of World War II in 1935). Mr. Gunn, besides being a tad misogynistic, also does not hide his hatred for products from the patent (or continuous) still. What better reason to take out a few samples we have gathered over the months, and dedicate a blog to that stuff; the single grain Scotch whisky.
Neil M. Gunn described whisky from the patent still, also known as ‘silent’ spirit’, with unflattering words. He also quotes from other sources to establish how the industry was thinking about this type of whisky, as the debates were indeed flaring about what Scotch whisky is exactly. One distiller, quoted by Gunn, said whisky is just “alcohol mixed with water”. Oi, oi, oi! Gun then goes on, in defense of the pot still whisky of course, to describe alcohol can be made out of anything ranging from turnips, vegetable waste and faeces. Anybody fancy a glass? But yeah, in short, Gunn advocates that any stuff coming from the patent still, what we know today as single grain whisky, is not the true whisky. Do we agree?
Where do I stand on this? Well, the fact I have been putting off this blog for a few months is telling enough. I do enjoy the lightness of a single grain whisky, for sure, as I have described here about the concept of Table Whisky. Also, single grain whisky can give you a chance to experience products at a very high age of maturation, as they remain affordable. This is your opportunity to sample 50 years old whisky, for instance. But it would be a stretch to talk about distillery character in what is essentially pure alcohol made out of a legally determined set of ingredients. With a gun(n) to my head, I would not be able to distinguish between Girvan, Cameronbridge or North British products. However, Loch Lomond has released interesting variations. Where do you stand? Drop me a line, while you read a review of some of the single grain whiskies I have assembled.
Invergordon 10 years old, bottled at 40 % abv
First things first: Matured in bourbon casks, an official proprietary bottling of Invergordon at the lowest strength. Bottled as “The Invergordon single grain Highland Scotch whisky”, on the market in the early 1990s.
Upon Sipping: In fact, Invergordon is besides Loch Lomond perhaps the only single grain whisky ever available as some kind of core range proprietary bottling. They believe(d) in their product. Upon first sniffing, you will find nothing offensive. Soft glue, apples, vanilla. Oak. That is about it, almost like a perfume. On the palate, the taste is fruity and supple, with a nice touch of tropicality. The oak flavour is however very strong, mixed well with vanilla. The aftertaste is slightly rough and alcoholic, but of course this is young stuff. A good thing is that this Invergordon is not at all sticky, which can be a characteristic of single grain whisky.
Word to the Wise: Very bland but not at all bad, and actually quite balanced. It has a fruity note that you could also find in NAS Speyside releases. Still, lacking something distinct.
Score: 70 points.
Girvan 15 years old, vintage 2010, bottled at 57,1 % abv by The Caskhound
First things first: Finished for 1325 days in a first fill Rioja Wine cask, 386 bottles released in the Stillman’s Gold series. German market release.
Upon Sipping: The colour is not extremely dark, even though the finish took over 3,5 years. The nosing is quite pleasant, be it a bit sharp because of the 100 proof. The grain is there, but the wine is almost palpable just by nosing it alone. But quite lovely, red fruits, dark berries, and good balance. On the palate, the single grain is indeed still recognisably whisky, and the wine influence is not over the top. Not at all, to be fair. But the alcohol hit is tremendous, leaving a burn mark in the back of my throat. Let’s add some water. The nose develops in a predictable direction, now displaying more hints of rubber and spices. Sadly, on the palate, the rubbery feeling is also present, making it a tad too dry and aggressive.
Word to the Wise: Promising on the nose, a tad too aggressive to really drink with pleasure. It is not without charm, but you need to like these invasive wine casks of course.
Score: 78 points.
North British vintage 1991, 33 years old, bottled at 40,1 % abv by Thompson Brothers
First things first: Labelled as An Edinburgh Dram, bottled in 2025. Bourbon matured.
Upon Sipping: Again, this faint whiff of glue, that seems to be there no matter what age you bottle at single grain at. This North British has turned more tropical compared with the simple 10 years old Invergordon, but not even that much. Silent spirit indeed, but also a silent cask? On the palate, the liquid is nice and creamy, dare I say smooth. Some yellow notes of banana and apples. The finish has a dirty edge from smoked wood. With time and patience, it blooms open quite nicely, I have to say. Almonds on the nose, some hints of melting butter on a pancake, maple syrup too. The taste also comes to life in the glass, with hints of red berries and strawberry jam.
Word to the Wise: This one requires patience, but in all honesty, considering the price, it then delivers something nice. But it walks on a sword’s edge, so delicate it is.
Score: 83 points.
Cameronbridge 33 years old, vintage 1992, bottled at 42,7 % abv by Cadenhead’s
First things first: This Cameronbridge matured in bourbon hogsheads before being bottled in June 2026 in Cadenhead’s Original Collection.
Upon Sipping: In the theory of Neil M. Gunn, this one should be exactly the same as the Thompson Brothers bottling. But I do find this Cameronbridge more expressive on the nose, with lots of fruits and oakiness. Even some wood smoke, mixed with vanilla. The taste is less to my liking, sticky toffee pudding, caramel, syrup, and a dirty edge of old wood that you sink your teeth in. This is an example of whisky that matured just a few years too long. The balance is quite alright, but it lacks an fruity elegance that the Thompson expression has.
Word to the Wise: We must be respectful of old-age whisky, but this one feels a bit tired. Also, at twice the price of the Thompson, this is hard to swallow.
Score: 80 points.
Strathclyde vintage 1987, 38 years old, bottled at 42,5 % abv by The Caskhound
First things first: Friends of the Caskhound got this old single grain whisky distilled on 2 September 1987 and bottled on 2 September 2025, making this the exact 38 years old. It matured in an ex-bourbon cask but also got a 12 months finish in a first fill PX Quarter Cask. This cask with the number 62324 produced 131 bottles.
Upon Sipping: If a spirit needs finishing after 37 years of maturation, alarm bells go off. Is this practice underlining the hard words by Neil M. Gunn, that single grain whisky is just soulless alcohol that needs a cask to offer something? Upon nosing, the aroma I get is very faint, maybe some bung cloth, wet wood, some red skin apples, but all very weak. On the tongue, there is indeed a taste of cask content, red fruits, but carried on a template that indeed has no soul. It pains me to write this, but what a waste of precious wood and dear old time. In the edge, there is even a soapy note. No, this whisky has been squeezed of anything that resembles life or joy.
Word to the Wise: I imagine these kinds of casks are the perfect building blocks for a Johnnie Walker Blue Label. They lift the stars of the show, but do not shine by themselves. A fitting end to this blog themed about Neil M. Gunn’s thoughts about single grain whisky. He was definitely on to something.
Score: 77 points.