Review #809 - Douglas Laing's Old Particular Cameronbridge 28 Year Single Cask
Cameronbridge is one of Scotland's huge grain whisky factories - it can produce in excess of 100 million liters of spirit per year, and it's product is used in numerous high-volume blended whiskies, especially those produced by spirits giant Diageo. Some well-aged stock does get bottled individually by independent bottlers, though, including this example from Douglas Laing and their 'Old Particular' range.
This single cask was aged for 28 years, at least part of that time (and potentially all of it, based on the dark natural color) in a refill sherry wine butt. The strength in the end is a pleasant 49.9% ABV.
Douglas Laing's Old Particular Cameronbridge 28 Year Single Cask
Scotland - Single Grain
Price: USD 250 (2026)
Age Statement: 28 Years
Strength: 49.9% ABV
Cask Makeup: Refill sherry butt
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; cask DL13939, distilled October 1991, bottled April 2020; 269 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times (once blind) over 15 months from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Rich, creamy grain notes, it smells quite sweet and old. Oaky, leathery, almost tannic on the nose; orange peel, strawberries, blackberry, and plum notes show that sherry influence. Golden hay and a bit of sweet tobacco are accents; there's just a hint of paint at times.
Palate: The mouthfeel has a medium thickness or so, quite silky and rich. There are juicy, tangy notes of peach and tangerine, but also older oak flavors like leather and dusty furniture. Tannins, brown sugar, orange, and sweet grape mingle later, as well as shoe polish; great sweetness, it's almost syrupy at times.
Finish: Soft tropical fruits like mango, lots of perfumed oak, but there are also interesting savory and creamy dimensions. There's a bit of spirity character as well, despite the age, and we get vanilla bean and stewed dark fruit in the aftertaste. It's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: This is one of the best single grain whiskies that we've tried so far. Despite the old age, there's still some nice spirit character here, and we found this to be loaded with darker sherry-like fruits on the nose, and then bright stone fruits in the palate. There's also a strong oak influence, which shows that age - complex stuff, quite enjoyable.
Value here is a bit below average due to the higher price; it's hard to find this specific single cask now, so the cost comes with a bit of a premium. We like this refill sherry maturation for a single grain whisky, though, and because of our good experience with this cask, we'll be on the lookout for more.
Our Rating: 8.0 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.08
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Scotch single grain whisky reviews:
Review #806 - Brave New Spirits North British 13 Year Single Cask
Review #669 - Cadenhead's Girvan 33 Year (1991) Single Grain
Review #612 - Claxton's Cameronbridge 30 Year Single Cask
Review #596 - Signatory Vintage Port Dundas 16 Year Single Cask
