The Perfect Collection Part One

Talisker 1934 Berry Brothers and Rudd

For a long time, Talisker was the sole distillery on Scotland’s iconic Isle of Skye. Renowned for the quality of its output, the distillery has rarely changed hands, joining DCL (now Diageo) back in 1916. Despite this, releases were not the most common. An 8 year old was bottled officially and Gordon & MacPhail produced what are now classic and sought after vintage bottlings under official license from the distillery. When a 10 year old expression became a founding pillar of United Distillers’ Classic Malts range, the popularity of the distillery exploded, and it is now one of the most revered and exported in Scotland. As such, independent bottlings like this are scarce, and particularly sought after when they appear. 

This is a spectacular old 1934 vintage from Berry Brothers and Rudd, bottled at some point in the 1950s.

Berry Brothers & Rudd is a firm steeped in history. They were established in the late 17th century, and received a Royal Warrant from King Edward VII in 1903. The company has been bottling single malt whisky from almost as early as that, and produced their first ever blend, Cutty Sark, in 1923.

Talisker 1956 Intertrade 31 Year Old

Intertrade was established in Italy in the early 1980s by Nadi Fiori, the owner of the Taverna degli Artisti bar in Rimini. The company was a collaboration with beer distributors, the Turatello Brothers, and the Intertrade name appears on Fiori's bottlings up to around 1989. Fiori selected his whiskies from the Gordon & MacPhail catalogue, but as a collector himself, and a contemporary of his fellow connoisseur countrymen, Silvano Samaroli and Ernesto Mainardi, he knew the importance striking label designs and requested many of his bottlings at cask strength. Whether under the Intertrade, Turatello or High Spirits banner, Fiori's bottlings are some of the most sought after on the market.

This is a very rare indepdent bottling of Talisker, distilled in 1956 and bottled in 1987.

For a long time, Talisker was the sole distillery on Scotland’s iconic Isle of Skye. Renowned for the quality of its output, the distillery has rarely changed hands, joining DCL (now Diageo) back in 1916. Despite this, releases were not the most common. An 8 year old was bottled officially and Gordon & MacPhail produced what are now classic and sought after vintage bottlings under official license from the distillery. When a 10 year old expression became a founding pillar of United Distillers’ Classic Malts range, the popularity of the distillery exploded, and it is now one of the most revered and exported in Scotland. As such, independent bottlings like this are scarce, and particularly sought after when they appear. 

Tamnavulin 1966 R.W. Duthie for Europvin 22 Year Old

Tamnavulin distillery was opened in 1966 by Invergordon Distillers as a response to the increasing demands for their blends, and such provision has always been the distillery's focus. Despite this, Invergordon Distillers were always interested in bottling their single malts, and Tamnavulin was no different. They even boasted the legendary Moon Import are their Italian agents in the later 1980s. When Invergordon were bought over by Whyte & Mackay in 1995, the distillery was mothballed, but eventually re-opened in 2007. It now has a more prominent range for its single malt brand and earlier bottlings, even from independents are becoming something of a rarity. 

R.W. Duthie & Co of Aberdeen are a subsidiary company of Wm. Cadenhead, and handle the majority of the physical bottling operations for the company. In addition to this, they also provided casks to a number of international distributors, including the sought after portfolios of the Corti Brothers in the US, and early Samaroli releases.

This is part of a several bottle series produced for Europvin in 1989, a French wine and spirits company based in Bordeaux. In the end, Europvin actually exported these bottles to Japan and the US, and they are incredibly rare as a result.

Distilled in 1966 and bottled at 22 years old. The sought after series also incudes a Bowmore, Glenlivet and a Rosebank.

Talisker 1973 Single Cask 28 Year Old #4633 / Oddbins

For a long time, Talisker was the sole distillery on Scotland’s iconic Isle of Skye. Renowned for the quality of its output, the distillery has rarely changed hands, joining DCL (now Diageo) back in 1916. Despite this, releases were not the most common. An 8 year old was bottled officially and Gordon & MacPhail produced what are now classic and sought after vintage bottlings under official license from the distillery. When a 10 year old expression became a founding pillar of United Distillers’ Classic Malts range in 1988, the popularity of the distillery exploded, and it is now one of the most revered and exported in Scotland.

At the time of release, the 100 bottles of this were from the oldest casks at Talisker.  Exclusive to Oddbins, this very, very limited release sold out within hours and has been one of the rarest since.

Bottle 41 of the hundred drawn from cask number #4633.

Yoichi 1984 Single Cask 15 Year Old #103440 75cl 

A very rare bottling from Nikka's flagship distillery in Hokkaido, Japan. 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, modelling its pot stills on the long-necked design of the Longmorn stills in Speyside.  

This is a 1984 vintage single cask, bottled in April 2000.

Talisker 1973 Single Cask 28 Year Old #4633 / Oddbins

For a long time, Talisker was the sole distillery on Scotland’s iconic Isle of Skye. Renowned for the quality of its output, the distillery has rarely changed hands, joining DCL (now Diageo) back in 1916. Despite this, releases were not the most common. An 8 year old was bottled officially and Gordon & MacPhail produced what are now classic and sought after vintage bottlings under official license from the distillery. When a 10 year old expression became a founding pillar of United Distillers’ Classic Malts range in 1988, the popularity of the distillery exploded, and it is now one of the most revered and exported in Scotland.

At the time of release, the 100 bottles of this were from the oldest casks at Talisker.  Exclusive to Oddbins, this very, very limited release sold out within hours and has been one of the rarest since.

Bottle 67 of the hundred drawn from cask number #4633.

Tamdhu 1963 R.W. Duthie for Europvin 26 Year Old

Tamdhu is a historic Speyside producer, and for many years was alone with Springbank and Glen Ord as being the only fully self-sufficient distilleries in Scotland. It was the first in Scotland to install Saladin boxes for malting and today it is the last distillery to still use them, which in its years being owned by Edrington, also supplied malt to Glenrothes and Highland Park. Traditionally, Tamdhu was mostly used in blends such as Cutty Sark and The Famous Grouse, but it has always been regarded as a great single malt, and new owners, Ian Macleod Distillers, are now focussing on this. 

R.W. Duthie & Co of Aberdeen are a subsidiary company of Wm. Cadenhead, and handle the majority of the physical bottling operations for the company. In addition to this, they also provided casks to a number of international distributors, including the sought after portfolios of the Corti Brothers in the US, and early Samaroli releases.

This is part of a several bottle series produced for Europvin in 1989, a French wine and spirits company based in Bordeaux. In the end, Europvin actually exported these bottles to Japan and the US, and they are incredibly rare as a result.

Distilled in 1963 and bottled at 26 years old. The sought after series also incudes a Bowmore, Glenlivet and a Rosebank.

Port Ellen 1979 22 Year Old 1st Release

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown, closed down by DCL (now Diageo) in 1983 due to an oversupply of peated whisky for blending and a perceived lack of interest in it as a single malt. It has developed a legendary status in the years since. A very rare 12 year old bottled for attendees of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1980 is believed to have been the only distillery bottling produced in its years of operation. Diageo then bottled the first publicly available distillery bottlings as part of the Rare Malts Selection, followed by these annual special releases.

This is the first of them, released in 2001. It is a 1979 vintage, aged for 22 years with an outturn of 6000 bottles.

Port Ellen 1979 22 Year Old 1st Release

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown, closed down by DCL (now Diageo) in 1983 due to an oversupply of peated whisky for blending and a perceived lack of interest in it as a single malt. It has developed a legendary status in the years since. A very rare 12 year old bottled for attendees of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1980 is believed to have been the only distillery bottling produced in its years of operation. Diageo then bottled the first publicly available distillery bottlings as part of the Rare Malts Selection, followed by these annual special releases.

This is the first of them, released in 2001. It is a 1979 vintage, aged for 22 years with an outturn of 6000 bottles.

Pure Malt Scotch Whisky 1900 John Lupton and Son

A fascinating old bottle of blended Scotch from a period where very little today still survives in bottle. This was produced from whiskies distilled back in 1900, and bottled by John Lupton & Son, and wine and spirits importer and distributor who had shops in Park Row, Leeds, and Cheapside, Bradford. Old newspaper adverts show the firm operating from as early 1870, and as late as the 1950s. The company held a Royal Warrant too, as evidenced by the label, but which of the three British Kings and Queens who sat on throne in this period between then and when this was likely bottled (around the 1930s at the latest), is unclear.

The late 19th century was a boom period for blended Scotch with distilleries and blenders established all over the country. As a result, this could contain whiskies from any number of them, including many that have since closed.

Unusually for the time, this was bottled at its natural strength. Although common today, the appeal of cask strength whiskies only began to find traction, first in Italy, in the 1970s.

Talisker 1955 Gordon and MacPhail 37 Year Old Cask Strength

For a long time, Talisker was the sole distillery on Scotland’s iconic Isle of Skye. Renowned for the quality of its output, the distillery has rarely changed hands, joining DCL (now Diageo) back in 1916. Despite this, releases were not the most common. An 8 year old was bottled officially and Gordon & MacPhail produced what are now classic and sought after vintage bottlings under official license from the distillery. When a 10 year old expression became a founding pillar of United Distillers’ Classic Malts range, the popularity of the distillery exploded, and it is now one of the most revered and exported in Scotland. As such, independent bottlings like this are scarce, and particularly sought after when they appear. 

This is a rare 1990s bottling of Talisker from Gordon & MacPhail. Despite their close association in the 1970s and 1980s, the Eglin bottlers access to casks from the Isle of Skye has dried up in recent years, meaning most releases are necessarily very old vintages like this.

This is part of the Cask Strength range, a more recent version of the Original 'Cask' series, which represented their first foray into cask strength bottlings in order to keep up with the market trend in preference for these in the late 1980s.

Tamdhu 1970 Signatory Vintage 27 Year Old

Tamdhu is a historic Speyside producer, and for many years was alone with Springbank and Glen Ord as being the only fully self-sufficient distilleries in Scotland. It was the first in Scotland to install Saladin boxes for malting and today it is the last distillery to still use them, which in its years being owned by Edrington, also supplied malt to Glenrothes and Highland Park. Traditionally, Tamdhu was mostly used in blends such as Cutty Sark and The Famous Grouse, but it has always been regarded as a great single malt, and new owners, Ian Macleod Distillers, are now focussing on this. 

This 1970 vintage is an independent release from Signatory Vintage, bottled in 1997 from a single sherry butt.

Signatory Vintage were established in 1988 by Andrew Symington and are one of Scotland's most prolific independent bottlers. Their offices and bottling facility are located next to Edradour distillery, which they have also owned since 2002.

Talisker 1951 Gordon and MacPhail 21 Year Old / Edward and Edward

This Talisker was distilled on Skye in 1951 and bottled as 21 year old by Gordon and MacPhail ​​​​​​.

The black and red labelled Connoisseurs Choice labels were the very first. The range was devised for Edoardo Giaccone in Italy in the early 1970s, and became part of the main Gordon & MacPhail portfolio in 1979. It is now one of the most widely recognised independent whisky labels in the world.

Giaccone was something of a trailblazer, and was importing specially bottled official single malts for his bar from the late 1960s, this is one of his earliest. He opened the famous venue in 1958, and it has been called a few different things over the years, including Garten, Edward & Edward (during the period this was imported), and La Taverna del Comandante.

Edoardo set the stage for later legendary bottlers such as Silvano Samaroli, Nadi Fiori and Ernesto Mainardi. Moon Import founder, Pepi Mongiardino said, \"he was the first person I visited\" when he became the distributor for Bruichladdich in 1981. Giaccone did not have any of his own labels or series, but was the first person in Italy to have official bottlings produced exclusively for him. Through his bar, Italy was treated to exclusive releases from Clynelish, Bowmore, Dalmore, Highland Park and even Jack Daniel's.

These particular bottlings all scored between 90 and 94 points when reviewed by Serge Valentin for WhiskyFun. Very impressive indeed!

Pride of Strathspey 1938 Gordon and MacPhail 48 Year Old ' Book of Kells' Decanter

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.

Rumour has it that these undisclosed Pride of Strathspey malts were in fact Macallan, but this has never been confirmed.

The decanter label bears artwork based on the mediaeval, illuminated manuscript for which these releases are named.

Pride of Strathspey 1938 Gordon and MacPhail 48 Year Old

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.

Rumour has it that these undisclosed Pride of Strathspey malts were in fact Macallan, but this has never been confirmed.

Port Ellen 1977 Sestante for Il Carato 16 Year Old / Van Gogh Collection

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown, closed down by DCL (now Diageo) in 1983 due to an oversupply of peated whisky for blending and a perceived lack of interest in it as a single malt. It has developed a legendary status in the years since. A very rare 12 year old bottled for attendees of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1980 is believed to have been the only distillery bottling produced in its years of operation. Diageo have bottled more since, but it is the independent companies that have given the whisky world the best chance to sample this sought after single malt. 

This is a very rare example for Ristorante il Carato, an enoteca in the town of Brescia. This is part of the ornately labelled Van Gogh Collection, bottled between 1992 and 1993 and includes another Port Ellen and a Dallas Dhu.

Distilled in 1978 and matured in sherry wood, this was imported under to Italy under the Sestante brand.

The Sestante import company was founded in the 1970s by Ernesto Mainardi, and he bottled his first single casks under the name in 1985. Alongside his contemporary, Silvano Samaroli, Mainardi pioneered giving his customers a choice of both standard 40-46% bottlings, and cask strength releases from the same casks. Along with his other brand, Silver Seal, Mainardi's bottlings are incredibly sought after.

Tamdhu 1950 23 Year Old

Tamdhu is a historic Speyside producer, and for many years was alone with Springbank and Glen Ord as being the only fully self-sufficient distilleries in Scotland. It was the first in Scotland to install Saladin boxes for malting and today it is the last distillery to still use them, which in its years being owned by Edrington, also supplied malt to Glenrothes and Highland Park. Traditionally, Tamdhu was mostly used in blends such as Cutty Sark and The Famous Grouse, but it has always been regarded as a great single malt, and new owners, Ian Macleod Distillers, are now focussing on this. 

A 1950 vintage was bottled in 1973 by Highland Distillers, the owners of the distillery at the time. The company also bottled a similarly labelled Glenrothes around this time, as they were looking to capitalise on the emerging single malt market that was spreading out from Italy.

Tamdhu 1963 Cadenhead's 29 Year Old / 150th Anniversary

The Authentic Collection was launched by Wm. Cadenhead in 1991, and included whiskies from several rare closed Scottish and Irish distilleries, bottled for the company's 150th anniversary. It would later go on to become a mainstay of their portfolio, as the cask strength alternative to the Original Collection, which replaced their famous \"dumpy\" bottlings in the early 1990s. The Authentic Collection is now the flagship Cadenhead brand, and one of the most recognisable independent labels on the market.

This 29 year old Tamdhu is one of the original 150th anniversary releases.

Tamdhu is a historic Speyside producer, and for many years was alone with Springbank and Glen Ord as being the only fully self-sufficient distilleries in Scotland. It was the first in Scotland to install Saladin boxes for malting and today it is the last distillery to still use them, which in its years being owned by Edrington, also supplied malt to Glenrothes and Highland Park. Traditionally, Tamdhu was mostly used in blends such as Cutty Sark and The Famous Grouse, but it has always been regarded as a great single malt, and new owners, Ian Macleod Distillers, are now focussing on this. 

Tomatin 1958 Cadenhead's 23 Year Old

Wm. Cadenhead are Scotland's oldest independent bottler, operating for over 175 years, but perhaps none of their bottlings are as sought after as these 'dumpy' style bottles. These were produced with brown glass and an iconic black label (white for the occasional grain whisky), with each distillery given its own letterpress font in homage to William Cadenhead's early career in the printing business.

This is a 1958 vintage from Tomatin, bottled in September 1982.

Tomatin was once the largest distillery in Scotland, with an expansion in 1976 bringing its still count to a whopping 23 (with a capacity for 10 million litres). An over-stretch at the time, it was forced into liquidation in 1985, never having run at full capacity. The following year it became Scotland's first ever Japanese-owned distillery after it was saved by a consortium of long-term customers. Nowadays it provides the heart to the popular Antiquary blend in addition to continuing to produce a highly regarded single malt. 

Port Ellen 1977 Sestante for Il Carato 16 Year Old / Van Gogh Collection

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown, closed down by DCL (now Diageo) in 1983 due to an oversupply of peated whisky for blending and a perceived lack of interest in it as a single malt. It has developed a legendary status in the years since. A very rare 12 year old bottled for attendees of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1980 is believed to have been the only distillery bottling produced in its years of operation. Diageo have bottled more since, but it is the independent companies that have given the whisky world the best chance to sample this sought after single malt. 

This is a very rare example for Ristorante il Carato, an enoteca in the town of Brescia. This is part of the ornately labelled Van Gogh Collection, bottled between 1992 and 1993 and includes another Port Ellen and a Dallas Dhu.

Distilled in 1978 and matured in sherry wood, this was imported under to Italy under the Sestante brand.

The Sestante import company was founded in the 1970s by Ernesto Mainardi, and he bottled his first single casks under the name in 1985. Alongside his contemporary, Silvano Samaroli, Mainardi pioneered giving his customers a choice of both standard 40-46% bottlings, and cask strength releases from the same casks. Along with his other brand, Silver Seal, Mainardi's bottlings are incredibly sought after.

Tamdhu 1963 Cadenheads 30 Year Old 75cl / US Import

The Authentic Collection was launched by Wm. Cadenhead in 1991, and included whiskies from several rare closed Scottish and Irish distilleries, bottled for the company's 150th anniversary. It would later go on to become a mainstay of their portfolio, as the cask strength alternative to the Original Collection, which replaced their famous \"dumpy\" bottlings in the early 1990s. The Authentic Collection is now the flagship Cadenhead brand, and one of the most recognisable independent labels on the market.

This 1963 vintage Tamdhu was bottled in October 1993.

Tamdhu is a historic Speyside producer, and for many years was alone with Springbank and Glen Ord as being the only fully self-sufficient distilleries in Scotland. It was the first in Scotland to install Saladin boxes for malting and today it is the last distillery to still use them, which in its years being owned by Edrington, also supplied malt to Glenrothes and Highland Park. Traditionally, Tamdhu was mostly used in blends such as Cutty Sark and The Famous Grouse, but it has always been regarded as a great single malt, and new owners, Ian Macleod Distillers, are now focussing on this. 

Port Ellen 1978 Rare Malt 22 Year Old / 60.50%

The Rare Malt Selection was a historic selection of single malt whiskies from operational and lost distilleries that were released by Diageo between 1995 and 2005. As with the Flora & Fauna series, they were often from lesser-seen single malt distilleries.

This Port Ellen was distilled in 1978 and bottled in October 2000. The distillery has become a collector's favourite since its closure in 1983.

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown, closed down by DCL (now Diageo) in 1983 due to an oversupply of peated whisky for blending and a perceived lack of interest in it as a single malt. It has developed a legendary status in the years since. A very rare 12 year old bottled for attendees of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1980 is believed to have been the only distillery bottling produced in its years of operation. Diageo bottled the first publicly available distillery bottlings as part of the Rare Malts Selection, this is one of two in the series.

Tomintoul 1966 John Milroy 34 Year Old

Tomintoul distillery was built in Speyside in 1965 by two whisky brokering companies. It was later acquired by the parent firm of Whyte & Mackay, and folded in to their portfolio in 1973. While its main function was the provision of its blends, as with all of its distilleries, Whyte & Mackay also had faith in its appeal as a single malt. It was introduced in the iconic \"perfume bottles\" at the end of the 1970s. The single malt brand was given more of a focus when the distillery was bought by Angus Dundee in 2000, who also introduced a peated variant called Old Ballantruan in 2005.

This is an independent bottling from MIlroys of Soho, named after one of its founders. A 1966 vintage, it was bottled in May 2000.

Milroys of Soho is a legendary bottle shop located on Greek Street in London. The store was foundered by John & Mary Milroy in 1964, but it was not until John's brother Wallace joined the company four years later that their focus on whisky was to catch up with their interest in wine. In that year alone, their single malt catalogue increased from just three to well over 30. Their dedication to this unfashionable style of whisky (at the time) continues to be rewarded today, with the Greek Street store still a cornerstone of London's whisky world.

Pride of Strathspey 1938 Gordon and MacPhail

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.

Rumour has it that these undisclosed Pride of Strathspey malts were in fact Macallan, but this has never been confirmed. This 1938 vintage was bottled in the 1970s.

Port Ellen 1976 Signatory Vintage 18 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown, closed down by DCL (now Diageo) in 1983 due to an oversupply of peated whisky for blending and a perceived lack of interest in it as a single malt. It has developed a legendary status in the years since. A very rare 12 year old bottled for attendees of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1980 is believed to have been the only distillery bottling produced in its years of operation. Diageo have bottled more since, but it is the independent companies that have given the whisky world the best chance to sample this sought after single malt.

This is a Signatory Vintage bottling, distilled in 1976 and bottled in August 1995.

Signatory Vintage were established in 1988 by Andrew Symington and are one of Scotland's most prolific independent bottlers. Their offices and bottling facility are located next to Edradour distillery, which they have also owned since 2002.

Port Ellen 1982 Dun Eideann

Dun Eideann is an independent whisky label produced by Andrew Symington of Signatory Vintage. It was devised as a means to allow him to sell whisky in different markets using competing distibutors. For example, the French distributor for Signatory Vintage was La Maison du Whisky, while Dun Eideann was imported by Auxil. Similarly, in Italy the two brands were distributed by Velier and Donato, respectively. There are over 250 bottlings under the Dun Eideann banner, which is the Scots gaelic term for ‘Edinburgh.’

This 1982 vintage Port Ellen was bottled in 1996 from a vatting of four casks.

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown, closed down by DCL (now Diageo) in 1983 due to an oversupply of peated whisky for blending and a perceived lack of interest in it as a single malt. It has developed a legendary status in the years since. A very rare 12 year old bottled for attendees of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1980 is believed to have been the only distillery bottling produced in its years of operation. Diageo have bottled more since, but it is the independent companies that have given the whisky world the best chance to sample this sought after single malt.

Talisker 1953 Gordon and MacPhail 24 Year Old / Edward and Edward

This Talisker was distilled on Skye in 1953 and bottled as 24 year old by Gordon and MacPhail ​​​​​​.

The black and red labelled Connoisseurs Choice labels were the very first. The range was devised for Edoardo Giaccone in Italy in the early 1970s, and became part of the main Gordon & MacPhail portfolio in 1979. It is now one of the most widely recognised independent whisky labels in the world.

Giaccone was something of a trailblazer, and was importing specially bottled official single malts for his bar from the late 1960s, this is one of his earliest. He opened the famous venue in 1958, and it has been called a few different things over the years, including Garten, Edward & Edward (during the period this was imported), and La Taverna del Comandante.

Edoardo set the stage for later legendary bottlers such as Silvano Samaroli, Nadi Fiori and Ernesto Mainardi. Moon Import founder, Pepi Mongiardino said, \"he was the first person I visited\" when he became the distributor for Bruichladdich in 1981. Giaccone did not have any of his own labels or series, but was the first person in Italy to have official bottlings produced exclusively for him. Through his bar, Italy was treated to exclusive releases from Clynelish, Bowmore, Dalmore, Highland Park and even Jack Daniel's.

These particular bottlings all scored between 90 and 94 points when reviewed by Serge Valentin for WhiskyFun. Very impressive indeed!

Pride of Strathspey 1942 Gordon and MacPhail

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.

Rumour has it that these undisclosed Pride of Strathspey malts were in fact Macallan, but this has never been confirmed.

Pride of Strathspey 1940 Gordon and MacPhail

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.

Rumour has it that these undisclosed Pride of Strathspey malts were in fact Macallan, but this has never been confirmed.

Port Ellen 1974 Signatory Vintage 22 Year Old / Silent Stills

Port Ellen is the lost jewel in the Islay crown, closed down by DCL (now Diageo) in 1983 due to an oversupply of peated whisky for blending and a perceived lack of interest in it as a single malt. It has developed a legendary status in the years since. A very rare 12 year old bottled for attendees of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II in 1980 is believed to have been the only distillery bottling produced in its years of operation. Diageo have bottled more since, but it is the independent companies that have given the whisky world the best chance to sample this sought after single malt.

Distilled on 30th November 1974, this was bottled within Signatory Vintage's Silent Stills range, which at the time showcased Scotland's finest discontinued single malts (some, such as Glenglassaugh, have since returned).

One 260 bottles were drawn from cask #6754.

Signatory Vintage were established in 1988 by Andrew Symington and are one of Scotland's most prolific independent bottlers. Their offices and bottling facility are located next to Edradour distillery, which they have also owned since 2002.

Talisker 1947 Gordon and MacPhail

For a long time, Talisker was the sole distillery on Scotland’s iconic Isle of Skye. Renowned for the quality of its output, the distillery has rarely changed hands, joining DCL (now Diageo) back in 1916. Despite this, releases were not the most common. An 8 year old was bottled officially and Gordon & MacPhail produced what are now classic and sought after vintage bottlings under official license from the distillery. When a 10 year old expression became a founding pillar of United Distillers’ Classic Malts range, the popularity of the distillery exploded, and it is now one of the most revered and exported in Scotland. As such, independent bottlings like this are scarce, and particularly sought after when they appear. 

Although their access to casks of Talisker has dried up in recent years, Gordon & MacPhail regularly bottled these \"eagle label\" releases through the 1970s and 1980s. These are regarded as being of exceptional quality, and are highly sought after.  

This is a 1947 vintage, bottled in the 1980s.

Tomatin 1968 Sestante 21 Year Old / Antica Casa Marchesi Spinola

Tomatin was once the largest distillery in Scotland, with an expansion in 1976 bringing its still count to a whopping 23 (with a capacity for 10 million litres). An over-stretch at the time, it was forced into liquidation in 1985, never having run at full capacity. The following year it became Scotland's first ever Japanese-owned distillery after it was saved by a consortium of long-term customers. Nowadays it provides the heart to the popular Antiquary blend in addition to continuing to produce a highly regarded single malt. 

This 21 year old single malt was distilled in 1968 and is part of a Sestante series, bottled in 1990 for the Antica Casa Marchesi Spinola.

The Sestante import company was founded in the 1970s by Ernesto Mainardi, and he bottled his first single casks under the name in 1985. Alongside his contemporary, Silvano Samaroli, Mainardi pioneered giving his customers a choice of both standard 40-46% bottlings, and cask strength releases from the same casks. Along with his other brand, Silver Seal, Mainardi's bottlings are incredibly sought after.