North Star 36 Year Old Blended Scotch Grain Whisky

let’s begin

North Star Spirits are doing very interesting things as an independent bottler and this blended grain whisky is an excellent dram.

Independent Bottlers

Like many brands doing great things, North Star Spirits are an independent bottler. This means that rather than owning their own distillery, they course casks from distilleries, bottle them and release them under their own branding.

This is a brilliant way to bring whiskies to the consumer that they might not have otherwise been able to access. It requires a lot of know-how and a good nose, but ultimately brings out expressions that otherwise might not see the light of day. Independent bottlers are able to sell whisky from distilleries that usually don’t release expressions, such as those where the malt only goes into blends, and also means they can pick out rare and exclusive barrels that would otherwise be used in a different way.

North Star do exactly that. They choose barrels that they think will be interesting to whisky lovers and they bottle them at the right time.

36 Year Old Blended Grain Whisky

With their 36 Year Old Blended Grain Whisky, North Star released something that many would probably not often get to taste. Grain whiskies, although great, are not the most popular category of Scotch (thankfully, this is changing!). So without North Star to bottle it, this 36 Year Old probably wouldn’t have been released.

As it stands, this is a brilliant grain whisky. The 36 years in a Bourbon barrel have given it an incredibly smooth mouth feel and a flavour bursting with sweetness.

Tasting notes for North Star Spirits 36 Year OldBlended Scotch Grain Whisky

Bottle cost: £127.47

The nose begins with smoky notes of char and lovely rich orchard fruit flavours. Pears, plums and damson berries come through, with a hint of malted grain in the background.

The palate is sweet and full of caramel. There is a lightness to the body. Marzipan, vanilla cake and oak wood all abound.

The finish is long and brims with salted caramel.

North Star have really brought out a champion grain whisky with this bottling and we can only be thankful that they did!

Do you enjoy North star bottlings? Or what about grain whisky, are you a fan? Start the conversation in the comments!

Tags: 36 Year Oldblended ScotchGrain WhiskyNorth Star

Greg

My name is Greg, and I’m a brand strategy consultant, writer, speaker, host and judge specialising in premium spirits. My mission is to experience, share and inspire with everything great about whisky, whiskey, gin, beer and fine dining through my writing, my brand building and my whisky tastings.