Invergordon 1988 27 Year Old (cask 11853) - The Sovereign (Hunter Laing) (70cl, 51.1%) ***sold***
From Hunter Laing's Sovereign range this Invergordon single grain has been aged for 27 years, from 1988 to 2015, in a single refill hogshead. It was then bottled at cask strength with an outturn of 299 bottles.
Invergordon began distilling in 1961. Traditionally Scottish grain producers were located in the Lowland region, where the variety of crops gave more diverse flavour profiles, and the market in England for grain neutral spirits for gin provided them with additional income. Invergordon broke the mould, capitalising on its nearby port, proximity to the malt distilleries of Glenmorangie and Dalmore, and an upturn in the Scotch market in the US. It was not long before it had moved into the blending business, opening the Ben Wyvis and Tamnavulin distilleries a few years later. Invergordon Distillers were acquired by Whyte & Mackay in 1993, and the distillery remains part of that portfolio today.
Douglas Laing & Co was established in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing, affectionately known as “FDL.” The company started out as a blending business, but over time their focus shifted towards independently bottlings single malts. Fred died in 1982, leaving the business to his two sons, Stewart and Fred Jr, who eventually carved it up in 2013, with Stewart leaving to establish Hunter Laing. Fred Jr and his daughter Cara now run Douglas Laing, which continues to bottle single malt and has also revived its blending business. Additionally, the company has recently moved into distilling as well, announcing plans to construct the new Clutha distillery in Glasgow, and taking over Strathearn in Perthshire in 2019.
The Sovereign is a range of premium single cask, single grain whiskies from Hunter Laing, bottled at cask strength and often of an incredible age.