April 2025 Auction

Nikka Taketsuru 35 Year Old

Nikka was founded in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, a former Suntory employee who had studied at the University of Glasgow, and later trained as a blender at the now lost Hazelburn distillery in Campbeltown. Taketsuru opened the Yoichi distillery in the same year as establishing the company, followed by the Nishinomaya and Miyagikyo distilleries in 1959 and 1969, respectively. Since 1989 the company has also has also had a stake in the Scotch whisky industry after they purchased the struggling Ben Nevis distillery. Today they are one of the second largest whisky producer in Japan.

The Nikka Taketsuru range marries single malt Japanese whisky produced at the company's Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries.

This 35 year old is the oldest available and originally reserved for the Japanese market.

One of only 1,000 bottles.

Nikka Taketsuru 35 Year Old

Nikka was founded in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, a former Suntory employee who had studied at the University of Glasgow, and later trained as a blender at the now lost Hazelburn distillery in Campbeltown. Taketsuru opened the Yoichi distillery in the same year as establishing the company, followed by the Nishinomaya and Miyagikyo distilleries in 1959 and 1969, respectively. Since 1989 the company has also has also had a stake in the Scotch whisky industry after they purchased the struggling Ben Nevis distillery. Today they are one of the second largest whisky producer in Japan.

The Nikka Taketsuru range marries single malt Japanese whisky produced at the company's Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries.

This 35 year old is the oldest available and originally reserved for the Japanese market.

One of only 1,000 bottles.

Nikka Taketsuru 35 Year Old

Nikka was founded in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, a former Suntory employee who had studied at the University of Glasgow, and later trained as a blender at the now lost Hazelburn distillery in Campbeltown. Taketsuru opened the Yoichi distillery in the same year as establishing the company, followed by the Nishinomaya and Miyagikyo distilleries in 1959 and 1969, respectively. Since 1989 the company has also has also had a stake in the Scotch whisky industry after they purchased the struggling Ben Nevis distillery. Today they are one of the second largest whisky producer in Japan.

The Nikka Taketsuru range marries single malt Japanese whisky produced at the company's Yoichi and Miyagikyo distilleries.

This 35 year old is the oldest available and originally reserved for the Japanese market.

One of only 1,000 bottles.

Inchgower 1966 SMWS 35 Year Old 18.15

'Curry Powder and Dark Rum'

Inchgower was built in 1871 by Alexander Wilson, using equipment rescued from the disused Tochineal distillery nearby. When his family went bankrupt, the distillery was bought by the town council, who sold it to Arthur Bell in 1937. As you would expect, it has been a key constituent in the Bell's blend ever since. As with Blair Athol and Dufftown, Arthur Bell & Sons took an early interest in bottling its single malt, with official releases appearing from the 1970s. These disappeared when Guinness bought Bell's in 1985 however, and it was not until United Distillers launched the Flora & Fauna brand in 1991 that the former Bell's stable would receive distillery bottlings again. Nowadays important to the Johnnie Walker blend too, other official releases of Inchgower are rare, and it is with independent releases like this where it enjoys the prominence it deserves.

This Inchgower was distilled in May 1966 and matured in a single cask for 35 years. It was bottled by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in June 2001.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) was founded in 1983 by a group of friends lead by tax accountant Phillip ‘Pip’ Hills as a private members club. The concept behind the society was to source casks from all over Scotland which would then be bottled and made available exclusively to its members. Perhaps the most famous feature of these bottles are the unique codes. Each distillery is represented by a different number and the following digits indicate that particular release. That same year, the SMWS set up its first location in Leith’s Vault buildings in Edinburgh where it still stands today.

Indri Peated Single PX Cask #24 / Diwali Collector's Edition 2023

Indri distillery lies at the foot of  the Himalayan mountains near the Yamuna basin, and has been producing single malt whisky since 2012. 

This peated Indri was matured in single Pedro Ximenez cask #24, and was bottled in January 2024 as the distillery's Diwali Collector's Edition 2023. The box and presentation have been produced in collaboration with Indian fashion designer, Krsnaa Mehta.

One of 421 bottles.

Irish Single Malt 1988 Whisky Agency 26 Year Old / ACLA Selection

The Whisky Agency was founded in Germany by Carsten Ehrlich, who is also the driving force behind The Whisky Fair in Limburg, one of the world's most renowned annual whisky gatherings. Their passion is unquestionable, and they have a regular release schedule of high quality single casks, often in collaboration with some of the most respected whisky bars and retailers. The Whisky Agency's labels include The Perfect Dram, Liquid Library, Private Stock, and Liquid Sun.

This is a unnamed Irish single malt that was distilled in 1988 and aged in a refill barrel for 26 years. It was bottled at cask strength by The Whisky Agency in conjunction with Swiss duty free-retailer, ACLA. The cask was selected for the 2014 Whiskyschiff in Zurich.

One of 183 bottles.

No Age Declared by Silvano Samaroli Blended Malt Cuvée 2016

The No Age Declared blend is a vatting of some spectacular vintage from some similarly sought after distilleries, including 1960s Springbank, 1970s Ardbeg, 1973 Longrow, and 1970s Glen Garioch to name but a few.

Previous editions of the blend were bottled by the Samaroli company, but this 2016 edition was bottled by Silvano himself from his own private stocks as he had handed the running of his brand to Antonio Bleve two years earlier. This is a precursor style to what would become the Masam independent bottler, run by his wife Maryse following his death in 2017.

Samaroli is perhaps Italy's most revered independent bottler of Scotch whisky. With an impeccable taste in single cask whiskies, (if not English spelling at times!), he is regarded by many as a visionary. Many of his bottles now occupy deserved sports on the pantheon of whisky greats.

North of Scotland 'Alloa' 1964 Rare & Old Selection 43 Year Old / Alambic Classique

North of Scotland began production in 1958, and was the first venture from George P. Christie, who later opened the Speyside distillery as well. North of Scotland originally distilled malt whisky as well, known as Strathmore, but its pot still were removed after just one year to focus on its grain production. Sadly the distillery was short-lived, shut down by Christie in 1980 in anticipation of the era of oversupply, also referred to as the \"whisky loch.\" The site was sold to DCL in 1982 and is nowadays used as a bond and warehousing operation by Diageo. Primarily tasked with provision for blends, there are very few releases of North of Scotland grain. An official 50 year old was bottled in 2017 in partnership with Elixir Distillers, but the majority of independent bottlings are from independent labels like this.

This is a 1964 vintage bottling of single grain from North of Scotland distillery, bottled under the name, Alloa, after its hometown.

One of only 121 bottles. 

Irish Single Malt 1989 Whisky Agency 27 Year Old / Eiling Lim - Signed

The Whisky Agency was founded in Germany by Carsten Ehrlich, who is also the driving force behind The Whisky Fair in Limburg, one of the world's most renowned annual whisky gatherings. Their passion is unquestionable, and they have a regular release schedule of high quality single casks, often in collaboration with some of the most respected whisky bars and retailers. The Whisky Agency's labels include The Perfect Dram, Liquid Library, Private Stock, and Liquid Sun.

This single malt was distilled at an undisclosed Irish distillery in 1989 and matured in a single barrel for 27 years. It was bottled by The Whisky Agency in 2016, in collaboration with Eiling Lim.

One of 177 bottles.

This particular bottle has been signed by Eiling Lim.

North of Ireland 1988 Whisky Agency 27 Year Old / ACLA Selection

This is a unnamed Irish single malt whiskey which was distilled in 1988 and aged in a single cask for 27 years. It was bottled at cask strength in 2015. It is unclear whether \"North of Ireland\" refers to Old Bushmills in Northern Ireland or Cooley, the northernmost distillery in the Republic of Ireland.

The Whisky Agency was founded in Germany by Carsten Ehrlich, who is also the driving force behind The Whisky Fair in Limburg, one of the world's most renowned annual whisky gatherings. Their passion is unquestionable, and they have a regular release schedule of high quality single casks, often in collaboration with some of the most respected whisky bars and retailers. The Whisky Agency's labels include The Perfect Dram, Liquid Library, Private Stock, and Liquid Sun.

One of 201 bottles produced in collaboration with ACLA Selection.

North of Ireland 1991 Whisky Agency 24 Year Old / ACLA Selection

The Whisky Agency was founded in Germany by Carsten Ehrlich, who is also the driving force behind The Whisky Fair in Limburg, one of the world's most renowned annual whisky gatherings. Their passion is unquestionable, and they have a regular release schedule of high quality single casks, often in collaboration with some of the most respected whisky bars and retailers. The Whisky Agency's labels include The Perfect Dram, Liquid Library, Private Stock, and Liquid Sun.

Distilled in 1991 and matured for 24 years in a bourbon barrel before being bottled in 2015.

It is unclear whether \"North of Ireland\" refers to Old Bushmills in Northern Ireland or Cooley, the northernmost distillery in the Republic of Ireland.

One of only 218 bottles. 

Imperial 1969 Gordon and MacPhail 14 Year Old

Built in the last years on the 19th century, Imperial is a distillery with a sadly chequered history, spending almost as much time in mothballs as it did distilling. Its longest period of production came between 1955 and 1985 under the ownership of DCL (now Diageo). Allied Distillers bought it in 1989, opening it again two years later, but only for another seven. It was under their tenure that the only distillery bottling of its single malt appeared, but thankfully a number of increasingly sought after independent releases like this have been produced over the years. Imperial was demolished in 2013 and the site now houses the new distillery, Dalmunach.

This Imperial was distilled in 1969 and matured for 14 years. It was bottled by Gordon & MacPhail under their Connoisseurs Choice label.

Gordon & MacPhail are one of the largest and most recognisable whisky companies in the world. Although they began distilling at the newly refurbished Benromach distillery in 1998, for most of their history they were an independent bottler. Their labels are recognised by whisky lovers the world over, and their licensed bottlings from distillery's like Macallan and Talisker in the 1970s and 1980s, when the companies were not bottling themselves, are a huge part of the success of those distillers today.

The Connoisseurs Choice label is one of the most recognisable independent bottlings on the market. It was initially created for renowned Italian importer, Edoardo Giaccone in the early 1970s, but became a mainstay of the core Gordon & MacPhail portfolio in 1979.

Ichiro's Malt and Grain Single Cask #14056 / Chichibu Whisk(e)y Matsuri 2025

The Ichiro's Malt brand is produced by Japanese firm, Venture Whisky, and is named after their founder, Ichiro Akuto. Venture Whisky was established in 2004 after Ichiro acquired the remaining unblended stocks of single malt from his grandfather's Hanyu distillery. Ichiro's Malt was born the following year, with the release of the original 'Card' series single casks of Hanyu. The company then opened its own distillery in 2008, the increasingly sought-after Chichibu. In addition to bottling these two single malts, the Ichiro's Malt brand has also produced a number of sought after blended whiskies like this over the years.

This is a blend from Ichiro Akuto that has been matured in single Sherry Butt #14056. Bottled for the Chichibu Whisk(e)y Matsuri 2025.

One of 768 bottles.

North British 1962 Hunter Laing 50 Year Old Sovereign

Hunter Laing & Co was established in 2013 by Stewart Laing. Having co-managed his father's Douglas Laing company with his brother Fred since 1982, the two eventually decided to split the company assets and strike out on their own with two separate enterprises. Stewart was joined by his two sons, Andrew and Scott, absorbing their Edition Spirits company in the process. Hunter Laing had grand ambitions beyond its traditional independent bottling roots, and announced its plans to open Ardnahoe distillery on Islay in 2016. The first casks were filled there two years later under the guidance of the legendary Jim McEwan.

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.

This North British was distilled in 1962 and bottled an impressive 50 years later in August 2013.

Prior to 1885, Scottish blenders were only able to acquire grain whisky from DCL. This changed when the firms of John Crabbie, Andrew Usher, William Sanderson and John Watson collaborated to open the North British distillery in Edinburgh. Production began two years later on a single coffey still, and the distillery continued to grow, flourishing in the post-war period. In 1993 it was taken over by Lothian Distillers, a partnership between IDV and Robertson & Baxter, the modern iterations of which, Diageo and Edrington, retain a controlling stake in today. Occasional distillery bottlings have appeared over the years, but the majority of examples of its single grain come from independent labels like this.

North Port 1970 Gordon and MacPhail 17 Year Old

The Brechin distillery was built in 1820 by the Guthrie family, who changed its named to North Port at some point later that century. It was acquired by DCL (now Diageo) in 1922, who closed it down six years later. Production briefly resumed for two years before the war, but it was not until 1945 that regular distilling recommenced. North Port was one of the nine distilleries closed by DCL in 1983 after a market downturn meant their blends were oversupplied. It never re-opened and the site now houses a supermarket. Its single malt is very rare, and was never officially bottled in its lifetime. Diageo have produced only a handful of distillery bottlings, the first of which were in the Rare Malts Selection. Rare and increasingly sought after independent releases like this have also appeared over the years though.

This was distilled in 1970 and bottled within Connoisseur's Choice range.

The Connoisseurs Choice label is one of the most recognisable independent bottlings on the market. It was initially created for renowned Italian importer, Edoardo Giaccone in the early 1970s, but became a mainstay of the core Gordon & MacPhail portfolio in 1979.

North Port-Brechin 1976 First Cask 24 Year Old #3907

The Brechin distillery was built in 1820 by the Guthrie family, who changed its named to North Port at some point later that century. It was acquired by DCL (now Diageo) in 1922, who closed it down six years later. Production briefly resumed for two years before the war, but it was not until 1945 that regular distilling recommenced. North Port was one of the nine distilleries closed by DCL in 1983 after a market downturn meant their blends were oversupplied. It never re-opened and the site now houses a supermarket. Its single malt is very rare, and was never officially bottled in its lifetime. Diageo have produced only a handful of distillery bottlings, the first of which were in the Rare Malts Selection. Rare and increasingly sought after independent releases like this have also appeared over the years though.

This North Port was distilled in December 1976 and matured in single cask #3907 for 24 years. It was bottled by Direct Wines as part of their First Cask series.

The First Cask range is a no-frills collection of independent releases, simplistically labelled but with a real focus on high quality cask selection. The brand was produced by Direct Wines, a firm established in Windsor in 1973 and the casks are provided by Signatory Vintage. Often sold in mixed cases through Direct Wines' global distribution network, these bottles can be found all over the world yet have retained the allure of being a relatively boutique label, with many examples incredibly sought after.

Nikka 2003 Coffey Malt Single Cask #130541

Distilled 6th March 2003 and bottled on 11th July 2014, this is Malt whisky that has been produced in a Coffey still and then matured in a single re-charred hogshead. 

Islay Single Malt 1990 Swell de Spirits 32 Year Old 50cl

This is a unnamed single malt from the Isle of Islay which was distilled in November 1990 and aged in a single refill barrel. It was bottled after 32 years of maturation by Swell de Spirits in December 2022.

North of Scotland 1963 Scott's Selection

North of Scotland began production in 1958, and was the first venture from George P. Christie, who later opened the Speyside distillery as well. North of Scotland originally distilled malt whisky as well, known as Strathmore, but its pot still were removed after just one year to focus on its grain production. Sadly the distillery was short-lived, shut down by Christie in 1980 in anticipation of the era of oversupply, also referred to as the \"whisky loch.\" The site was sold to DCL in 1982 and is nowadays used as a bond and warehousing operation by Diageo. Primarily tasked with provision for blends, there are very few releases of North of Scotland grain. An official 50 year old was bottled in 2017 in partnership with Elixir Distillers, but the majority of independent bottlings are from independent labels like this.

This North of Scotland whisky was distilled in 1963. It was bottled at cask strength in 1998 as part of the Scott's Selection range.

The Scott's Selection range was launched in the 1990s and was originally bottled from casks hand-selected by former Speyside distillery Master Distiller, Robert Scott. They are always filled un-chillfiltered and at a natural cask strength.

Inchgower 1974 A.D. Rattray 36 Year Old

Inchgower was built in 1871 by Alexander Wilson, using equipment rescued from the disused Tochineal distillery nearby. When his family went bankrupt, the distillery was bought by the town council, who sold it to Arthur Bell in 1937. As you would expect it has been a key constituent in the Bell's blend ever since. As with Blair Athol and Dufftown, Arthur Bell & Sons took an early interest in bottling its single malt, with official releases appearing from the 1970s. These disappeared when Guinness bought Bell's in 1985 however, and it was not until United Distillers launched the Flora & Fauna brand in 1991 that the former Bell's stable would receive distillery bottlings again. Nowadays important to the Johnnie Walker blend too, this is the only permanent release, and other distillery bottlings of Inchgower are rare.

This was distilled in 1974 and bottled in 2010 from single bourbon cask #7762. 

One of 229 bottles. 

Invergordon 1972 The Nectar of the Daily Drams 43 Year Old / 10th Anniversary

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.

This whisky was distilled in 1972 and aged for 43 years before being bottled in 2016 to celebrate The Nectar's 10th anniversary.

The Nectar was founded in Belgium in 2006 by Mario Groteklaes and Jan Broekmans. In addition to being a well-respected independent bottler, they are also one of Belgium's largest wine and spirit importers.

Ichiro's Malt and Grain Symphony Allegro Single Cask #14915 / Spirits Of Salud

The Ichiro's Malt brand is produced by Japanese firm, Venture Whisky, and is named after their founder, Ichiro Akuto. Venture Whisky was established in 2004 after Ichiro acquired the remaining unblended stocks of single malt from his grandfather's Hanyu distillery. Ichiro's Malt was born the following year, with the release of the original 'Card' series single casks of Hanyu. The company then opened its own distillery in 2008, the increasingly sought-after Chichibu. In addition to bottling these two single malts, the Ichiro's Malt brand has also produced a number of sought after blended whiskies like this over the years.

This blended single cask whisky was matured in single cask #12132 and finished in a first-fill sherry hogshead. It was bottled exclusively for Spirits of Salud in 2024 as part of the Symphony series.

One of only 270 bottles.

Ichiro's Malt and Grain Symphony Allegro Single Cask #14915 / Spirits Of Salud

The Ichiro's Malt brand is produced by Japanese firm, Venture Whisky, and is named after their founder, Ichiro Akuto. Venture Whisky was established in 2004 after Ichiro acquired the remaining unblended stocks of single malt from his grandfather's Hanyu distillery. Ichiro's Malt was born the following year, with the release of the original 'Card' series single casks of Hanyu. The company then opened its own distillery in 2008, the increasingly sought-after Chichibu. In addition to bottling these two single malts, the Ichiro's Malt brand has also produced a number of sought after blended whiskies like this over the years.

This blended single cask whisky was matured in third-fill bourbon barrel #14915 and finished in an ex-peated cask. It was bottled exclusively for Spirits of Salud in 2024 as part of the Symphony series.

One of only 240 bottles.

Irish Single Malt 1989 LWI 28 Year Old / The Monkey Series Vol.1

This Irish whiskey was distilled in 1989 and matured for 28 years in a single Bourbon cask. It was bottled by Limited Whisky Investment in 2017 in collaboration with Sansibar Whisky.

Sansibar Whisky is a German independent bottler, specialising in Scotch, Japanese whisky and rum. Founded by connoisseur, Jens Drewitz, he tastes and hand-selects almost every cask he purchases, on site at the distilleries. An impressive eye for quality, Sansibar have also supported other small independents, acting as the exclusive German distributor for Glasgow's North Star, and Hidden Spirits in Italy.

One of only 164 bottles.

Irish Single Malt 1989 LWI 28 Year Old / The Monkey Series Vol.1

This Irish whiskey was distilled in 1989 and matured for 28 years in a single Bourbon cask. It was bottled by Limited Whisky Investment in 2017 in collaboration with Sansibar Whisky.

Sansibar Whisky is a German independent bottler, specialising in Scotch, Japanese whisky and rum. Founded by connoisseur, Jens Drewitz, he tastes and hand-selects almost every cask he purchases, on site at the distilleries. An impressive eye for quality, Sansibar have also supported other small independents, acting as the exclusive German distributor for Glasgow's North Star, and Hidden Spirits in Italy.

One of only 164 bottles.

Imperial 1976 Blackadder Limited Editions

Built in the last years on the 19th century, Imperial is a distillery with a sadly chequered history, spending almost as much time in mothballs as it did distilling. Its longest period of production came between 1955 and 1985 under the ownership of DCL (now Diageo). Allied Distillers bought it in 1989, opening it again two years later, but only for another seven. It was under their tenure that this only distillery bottling of its single malt appeared. Imperial was demolished in 2013 and the site now houses the new distillery, Dalmunach.

This Imperial was distilled in October 1976 and matured in single cask #7652. It was bottled by Blackadder in August 1996 as part of their Limited Editions series.

Blackadder International were founded in 1995 by whisky writers, Robin Tucek and John Lamond, authors of the 1987 publication, The Malt Whisky File: The Essential Guide for the Malt Whisky Connoisseur. The company has gained great affection from whisky enthusiasts for its Raw Cask series, which is deliberately drawn un-filtered from the cask so as to retain all cask sediment along with any natural oils and fats. The company is credited with a key role in the popularisation of cask strength whiskies since its inception.

One of 500 bottles.

Inchgower 2000 Carn Mor / Jarek Buss Chapter 14

Inchgower was built in 1871 by Alexander Wilson, using equipment rescued from the disused Tochineal distillery nearby. When his family went bankrupt, the distillery was bought by the town council, who sold it to Arthur Bell in 1937. As you would expect, it has been a key constituent in the Bell's blend ever since. As with Blair Athol and Dufftown, Arthur Bell & Sons took an early interest in bottling its single malt, with official releases appearing from the 1970s. These disappeared when Guinness bought Bell's in 1985 however, and it was not until United Distillers launched the Flora & Fauna brand in 1991 that the former Bell's stable would receive distillery bottlings again. Nowadays important to the Johnnie Walker blend too, other official releases of Inchgower are rare, and it is with independent releases like this where it enjoys the prominence it deserves.

This whisky was distilled in 2000 and laid to rest in sherry wood until 2022. One of 251 bottles.

This is a Celebration of the Cask bottling, the single cask sub-category of Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers’ Càrn Mòr label. Formerly Morrison & Mackay, they are a Perth-based company producing a number of whisky liqueurs as well as independent single malts and blends, including the popular recently revived Old Perth. In 2017 the firm completed the construction of the Aberargie distillery in the town of the same name.

Imperial 1979 Gordon and MacPhail

Built in the last years on the 19th century, Imperial is a distillery with a sadly chequered history, spending almost as much time in mothballs as it did distilling. Its longest period of production came between 1955 and 1985 under the ownership of DCL (now Diageo). Allied Distillers bought it in 1989, opening it again two years later, but only for another seven. It was under their tenure that the only distillery bottling of its single malt appeared, but thankfully a number of increasingly sought after independent releases like this have been produced over the years. Imperial was demolished in 2013 and the site now houses the new distillery, Dalmunach. 

Gordon & MacPhail are one of the largest and most recognisable whisky companies in the world. Although they began distilling at the newly refurbished Benromach distillery in 1998, for most of their history they were an independent bottler. Their labels are recognised by whisky lovers the world over, and their licensed bottlings from distillery's like Macallan and Talisker in the 1970s and 1980s, when the companies were not bottling themselves, are a huge part of the success of those distillers today.

North Port 1970 Gordon and MacPhail

The Brechin distillery was built in 1820 by the Guthrie family, who changed its named to North Port at some point later that century. It was acquired by DCL (now Diageo) in 1922, who closed it down six years later. Production briefly resumed for two years before the war, but it was not until 1945 that regular distilling recommenced. North Port was one of the nine distilleries closed by DCL in 1983 after a market downturn meant their blends were oversupplied. It never re-opened and the site now houses a supermarket. Its single malt is very rare, and was never officially bottled in its lifetime. Diageo have produced only a handful of distillery bottlings, the first of which were in the Rare Malts Selection. Rare and increasingly sought after independent releases like this have also appeared over the years though.

This was distilled in 1970 and bottled within Connoisseur's Choice range.

The Connoisseurs Choice label is one of the most recognisable independent bottlings on the market. It was initially created for renowned Italian importer, Edoardo Giaccone in the early 1970s, but became a mainstay of the core Gordon & MacPhail portfolio in 1979.

Inverleven 1979 Duncan Taylor 27 Year Old

Inverleven was a single malt distillery located within the Dumbarton grain complex. Dumbarton had been built by Canadian giants, Hiram Walker, in 1936 in order to provide whisky for its newly acquired Ballantine's brand. The distillery consisted of two copper pot stills and, later, a lomond still which was actually considered to be a separate distillery, simply called Lomond. The latter was decommissioned in 1985, with Inverleven following suit in 1991 and the wider Dumbarton complex in 2002. The whole site has now been demolished. Inverleven's legacy lives on however, most prominently in its still set. The Lomond still now produces The Botanist gin at Bruichladdich, and the spirit and wash stills are now in situ at Waterford distillery in Ireland. Its legacy is less prominent in its output, with most of its whisky reserved for blends. Occasional distillery bottlings were produced, but the majority are rare independent releases like this.

This Inverleven was distilled in December 1979 and matured in single cask #5664 for 27 years. It was bottled by Duncan Taylor in October 2007 under their Rarest of the Rare label.

Duncan Taylor was founded in Glasgow in 1938 as a cask broker and trading company. Its modern history began in 2001 when a former Glendronach employee, Euan Shand, purchased the firm and moved it to Huntly in Aberdeenshire, using the impressive cask portfolio it has amassed over the 20th century to become one of the premier independent bottlers in Scotland.

One of 189 bottles.

Invergordon 1972 The Whisky Angel 44 Year Old

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.

The Whisky Agency was founded in Germany by Carsten Ehrlich, who is also the driving force behind The Whisky Fair in Limburg, one of the world's most renowned annual whisky gatherings. Their passion is unquestionable, and they have a regular release schedule of high quality single casks, often in collaboration with some of the most respected whisky bars and retailers. The Whisky Agency's labels include The Perfect Dram, Liquid Library, Private Stock, and Liquid Sun.

An independent single grain bottling from Invergordon distillery. Distilled in 1972 and matured for 44 years until being bottled in 2016.

Selected by La Maison du Whisky.

Imperial 1982 First Cask 24 Year Old #3970

Built in the last years on the 19th century, Imperial is a distillery with a sadly chequered history, spending almost as much time in mothballs as it did distilling. Its longest period of production came between 1955 and 1985 under the ownership of DCL (now Diageo). Allied Distillers bought it in 1989, opening it again two years later, but only for another seven. It was under their tenure that the only distillery bottling of its single malt appeared, but thankfully a number of increasingly sought after independent releases like this have been produced over the years. Imperial was demolished in 2013 and the site now houses the new distillery, Dalmunach.

This Imperial was distilled in June 1982 and matured in single cask #3970 for 24 years. It was bottled by Direct Wines as part of their First Cask series.

The First Cask range is a no-frills collection of independent releases, simplistically labelled but with a real focus on high quality cask selection. The brand was produced by Direct Wines, a firm established in Windsor in 1973 and the casks are provided by Signatory Vintage. Often sold in mixed cases through Direct Wines' global distribution network, these bottles can be found all over the world yet have retained the allure of being a relatively boutique label, with many examples incredibly sought after.