We explore three venerable Caledonian single grains, aged between 29 and 48 years. The youngest, if we can call it that way, hails from That Boutique-y Whisky Company, while the two venerable elders – a 46- and 48-year-old – come from Scott’s Selection. This long-closed distillery, known for its grain whiskies, deserves a closer look.
Caledonian Distillery
Caledonian Distillery, often called ‘The Cally’, operated from 1855 to 1988 in Edinburgh’s Haymarket area, becoming Scotland’s largest grain whisky producer for much of its life. Graham Menzies & Co. built it on five acres near Haymarket station and the Forth & Clyde Canal, using canal water for cooling during the 1850s patent-still boom.
Positioned for rail and water transport, it quickly dominated output, securing 41.5% of Scotland’s grain market share in a 1856 cartel with peers like Carsebridge. In 1867 it added pot stills for “Irish-style” grain whisky, which blenders demanded for consistency; these ran until around 1900. Menzies joined Distillers Company Ltd (DCL) in 1884, boosting the group’s capacity to 8.8 million gallons annually under William Menzies, DCL’s second chairman.
Through wars, depressions and mergers—Scottish Grain Distillers in 1966, then United Distillers—it churned out neutral grain spirit for blends until consolidation closed it in 1988. Most buildings were demolished for housing, but its 300ft chimney endures as a Victorian monument. Surviving Caledonian whisky appears in old blends or rare independents, a footnote to Edinburgh’s grain era.
Caledonian Batch 2 29-year-old That Boutique-y Whisky Company (2017) Review
We start with the ‘young’ one, just 29 years of age. This Caledonian Batch 2 from That Boutique-y Whisky Company was bottled in 2017 in their classic 500 ml bottles, with an outturn of just 310 bottles. They were filled at 47.7% ABV (probably not cask strength), without chill filtration nor added colour. Their release price was £75, and a German website asks for almost €200 for a bottle, but it seems it’s worth half that at auction if I trust Whiskybase.
Colour:
Deep gold.
Nose:
Neat: Polished wood and furniture lacquer mingle with sweet grain: honeyed cereals, Honey Nut Loops and vanilla porridge with a drizzle of honey. White chocolate, soft solvent or varnish notes, milk chocolate, hazelnuts, and a hint of eggnog and bourbon vanilla add a creamy, dessert‑like side. A touch of steeped tea and light dustiness give an aged, cupboard‑like character.
Palate:
Neat: Creamy and juicy, offering vanilla custard and bright roasted cereals, with slightly sour citrus cutting through the sweetness. Chocolatey tones appear alongside hints of salted pretzels, waxy lime peel and a subtle savoury, lightly woody core. Wood polish/varnish remains present but well integrated, framing the grain’s sweetness rather than dominating it.
Finish:
Long for a grain, emphasising sour fruit, oak and a faint sprinkle of salt over lingering vanilla. Warming Christmas‑style spice and gentle cereal notes fade slowly.
Comments:
Really nice, and not overly grainy for a single grain. It offers fresh, spicy notes with a touch of solvent, but this integrates seamlessly without any disruption. It avoids excessive sweetness too, thanks to balancing hints of sourness and bitterness. As I said, really nice.
Rating: 6.5/10
Caledonian 1964 46-year-old Scott’s Selection (2010) Review
Next, we have the first of two 1964 Caledonian releases from Scott’s Selection. Scott’s bottled this one in 2010 at 46 years old, at cask strength (41.7% ABV), with no chill filtration or added colour, after maturation in a cask (or casks?) of an undisclosed type. This bottling has long since disappeared from the market.
Colour:
Light brown.
Nose:
Neat: Warm embrace with soft caramel, demerara sugar, candle sticks and a hint of citrus. Honey, sweet vanilla, coconut and ginger with oak hints, banana and white fruit. Maple butter, nutmeg, cinnamon, banana chips, orange zest jam and hardwood furniture.
Palate:
Neat: Oaky with a peppery coating, slightly dry, vanilla, caramel and some banana. Full and creamy, bourbonny with honey sweet vanilla, coconut and ginger. Gently toasted oak staves, prunes and nutmeg, almond paste and hot toddy with a buttery mouthfeel.
Finish:
Medium long with oak, pepper and caramel, keeps marching on the same path, becoming drier with simple syrup notes. Lifted and clean.
Comments:
You can feel the time spent in oak, and the cask does all the lifting, which is not unusual with grain whisky. I’m not saying that it’s bad, just as there’s nothing unexpected. All in all, this Caledonian is tasty, rich, and ‘bourbonny’.
Rating: 6.5/10
Caledonian 1964 48-year-old Scott’s Selection (2012) Review
This second 1964 Caledonian, probably a sister cask (it seems it’s from a bourbon barrel) of the previous one, was bottled in 2012 this time, at 48 years of age. It is bottled at cask strength as well, coincidentally with the same 41.7% ABV. Like its sibling, this release is sold out.
Colour:
Light brown
Nose:
Neat: Perfumy with old sweaty socks and twigs, evolving to fruity, some wood and oranges. Spray paint, Demerara sugar, treacle, tart plums, warm vanilla, soft caramel and candle sticks. Coconut, ginger, maple butter, nutmeg, banana chips and orange zest jam. Not that far from the 46-year-old.
Palate:
Neat: Slightly spicy, fruity, and pleasantly sour with a little wood; slightly oily and gentle. Oaky peppery coating, slightly dry vanilla, caramel and banana; raspberry, dark spices, ginger cake and citrus. Bourbonny like its younger sibling, with honey, sweet vanilla, coconut, ginger and prunes.
Finish:
Lasting with a delicious finish; medium long drying with plastic, wax, coffee, nuttiness, glue and pepper. Light spices of ginger and cinnamon and fresh vegetal note towards green‑pepper chilli‑masala.
Comments:
Two years older, but not all that different. The nose opens with a brief, light off note before settling in, and the caramel feels a little less pronounced here. Even so, both bottlings are remarkably similar overall, so the rating remains much the same.