The What?! Yes, that was also my reaction when I saw “The Cally” 40 year old as part of this year’s Special release. So, a grain whisky, cool! this is infact not the first ever Grain to be featured on the SR (There was one in 2011 by Port Dundas).
The Cally actually stands for the Caledonian, which was a grain distillery owned by Diageo. Located in Edinburgh, and nicknamed “The Cally”. Established in 1887 and closed in 1988. The whisky itself was distilled in 1974 (one year before I was distilled haha) This expression is limited to only 5060 bottles, bottled at a cask strength of 53.3% abv. A 40 year old grain is something I am very much intrigued to taste (you all know well, that I am a fan of older grains – guilty as charged!), so this was actually the first of the range I have tried, and I was not disappointed (only by the price, but that’s another topic).
The Cally 40 Year Old 1974 , 53.3% ,£750 
Nose: There’s a lot of old wood on the nose here, which is mega fun! wood lacquer, well aged balsamic vinegar, some marshmallow, hints of old Bourbon, Sweet dough, and even some red grapefruit pith, in addition to vanilla and honey, hint of tropical fruit too. A well composed nose, quite to my liking!
Palate: Lovely wood spices on entry, then getting fruitier with the grapefruit pith, candied pineapple and orange peel, in addition to sweet vanilla, honey and the wood varnish making a comeback. Water does add a nice dimension to this, making it even creamier, accentuating the wood and fruit, highlighting coconut shreds.
Finish: wood, coconut and creamy vanilla, with a sour note of the balsamico.
This is an excellent example of well aged Grain whisky, with the right balance of wood, fruitiness, sweetness and a sour note that balances that out. A terrific dram If I might say so. The only thing is pricing, as you can get 40 or 50 year old Grains bottled by Indedpendent bottlers (some I have reviewed recently) for a fraction of the price (under 200 quid), but then again, noone buys any of those for their wonderful VFM, right?
Still available on most sites.