A 40 year old natural cask strength single grain scotch whisky from from Cambus, a closed distillery near Alloa. It is the oldest Cambus ever released by the original distillers. The third single grain whisky to be bottled as a Special Release and very interesting to compare with the more recent 40 year old The Cally bottling. Highly approachable and very rewarding; deceptively complex and fresh for its age, it makes an unusual and delicious apéritif.

Deep gold with amber lights.Light. Very soft.Surprisingly lively, quickly mellowing to sweetness. Clean, fruity top-notes of ripe red apples, pineapple and cape gooseberry rise above a wide-ranging, softly sweet melange of boiled and soft-chew strawberry sweets, shortcrust pastry and milk chocolate with smooth, succulent toffee. Nutty, with a trace of candle-wax, it becomes softer with a little water, slowly building a gently piney, mint-fresh wood note with faint, waxy, red-berries; then gaining depth with dark toffee, fruit and almond before a fresh, green apple sharpness with ginger spice. Cool, light, drying and pine-y; gaining heat and sweetness together as if a salted caramel ice cream was infused with savoury smoke. Then quite dense and raisiny, with hints of pear drops and plum, and a pungency right to the finish. Water brings out its best, now cooler, lightly sweet, salty and softly waxy with ginger and white pepper spice, growing chewy and coating; briefly fruity then warming like a rich, moist ginger cake.