The Perfect Collection Part One

Tomatin 'Gordon Highlander' 12 Year Old Fox Hunting Decanter 1 Litre

Not to be confused with The Gordon Highlanders blend from William Grant & Sons, this is a collectible decanter from Gordon Highlander Ltd, part of their Collector's Sporting Series. The whisky is a 12 year old Tomatin single malt, and the decanter depicts images of the archaic old sport of fox hunting.

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. 

Mannochmore 1982 Cooper's Choice 12 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Mannochmore was built in 1971 by DCL (now Diageo) on the site of its sister distillery, Glenlossie, to assist with the increasing demand for blended Scotch in the international market. Its output remains blend focussed to this day, and as such is more commonly bottled as a single malt by independent labels. Occasional official releases have appeared over the years though, in the Flora & Fauna and Rare Malts series, and as the infamous “black whisky,” Loch Dhu. 

A 1982 vintage bottling, this is part of the premium Cooper's Choice series from The Vintage Malt Whisky Co.

The Vintage Malt Whisky Company is a family-owned firm in Glasgow, founded in 1992 by Brian Crook. In addition to their Cooper's Choice series, they also bottle number of their own single malt brands, such as Finlaggan (an Islay) and Tantallan (a Highland), using whisky sourced from unspecified distilleries.

Talisker 1988 Milroys 8 Year Old

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 1988 vintage from Milroys of Soho, bottled in 1996.

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.

Tormore 1990 Blackadder Raw Cask 75cl / US Import

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.

This is a Raw Cask release of Tormore single malt, distilled in 1990 and bottled December 2000.

Tormore is one of Speyside's most aesthetically pleasing distilleries, designed in 1959 by Sir Albert Richardson (then president of the Royal Academy). It was built by the Schenley company in order to provide malt for their Long John blends. Despite this, its single malt has been bottled by all of its owners over the years, including as part of the short-lived Caledonian Malts range from Allied Distillers, alongside Laphroaig and Glendronach. Despite this, distillery bottlings are still something of a rarity, and independent releases like this tend to be the most common.  

Talisker 10 Year Old Map Label 75cl / US Import

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.

This is the first iteration of said 10 year old, introduced in 1988 in what is now affectionately referred to as the \"map label\" livery. It replaced the 8 year old expression that had previously been marketed in the Ascot Malt Cellar, introduced by DCL in 1982 and considered the spiritual predecessor to the Classic Malts.

Talisker 10 Year Old Map Label 75cl / US Import

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.

This is the first iteration of said 10 year old, introduced in 1988 in what is now affectionately referred to as the \"map label\" livery. It replaced the 8 year old expression that had previously been marketed in the Ascot Malt Cellar, introduced by DCL in 1982 and considered the spiritual predecessor to the Classic Malts.

Talisker 10 Year Old Map Label 75cl / US Import

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.

This is the first iteration of said 10 year old, introduced in 1988 in what is now affectionately referred to as the \"map label\" livery. It replaced the 8 year old expression that had previously been marketed in the Ascot Malt Cellar, introduced by DCL in 1982 and considered the spiritual predecessor to the Classic Malts.

Talisker 10 Year Old Map Label 75cl / US Import

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.

This is the first iteration of said 10 year old, introduced in 1988 in what is now affectionately referred to as the \"map label\" livery. It replaced the 8 year old expression that had previously been marketed in the Ascot Malt Cellar, introduced by DCL in 1982 and considered the spiritual predecessor to the Classic Malts.

Macallan 12 Year Old 37.5cl / US Import

It may be hard to imagine today, but for much of the 20th century, Macallan was primarily a constituent malt in blends. It was not until the 1980s downturn in the market that the distillery decided to focus on its single malt brand. Fortuitously, this coincided with the crest of a wave of enthusiasm for the high quality releases that the distillery had licensed to Campbell, Hope & King and Gordon & MacPhail in the 1960s and 1970s. These remain some of the most collectible on the market. While global single malt sales volume is still lead by Speyside neighbours, Glenfiddich and Glenlivet, Macallan is easily the most sought after. So much so in fact, that they had to open a brand new distillery in 2018, a subterranean architectural masterpiece within the Easter Elchies estate, boasting 36 copper pot stills.  

When Macallan assumed the rsponsibility for their own bottlings from Campbell, Hope & King in 1980, they inherited both an 8 and 12 year old age-statement release, quickly adding a new 10 year old into the mix as well. The 12 year old however was the firm favourite, and is the only of the three still in production today.

Mitchell's 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky 75cl / US Import

J & A Mitchell are a whisky company with an incredible pedigree. The family firm have been owner-operators of the legendary Springbank distillery since 1837 and are the parent company of Scotland's oldest independent bottler, Wm. Cadenhead. Through these channels alone, their output is nothing short of reverential, and this is before you even consider the casks they sold to independent companies like Samaroli through their R.W. Duthie arm, and to Japan via their Eaglesome company's Kingsbury brands. Many if not all of these are legendary. The company now owns a second distillery in Campbeltown, Glengyle, which is the home of Kilkerran single malt. 

This is a blended Scotch, likely containing a proportion of Springbank single malt, and bottled using the company's trademark \"parchment\" style labels of the 1990s.

Miltonduff 12 Year Old 1970s

Miltonduff is located in Speyside and is perhaps best known as one of the key malts in the Ballantine's blends. It was purchased by Hiram Walker in the 1930s, who installed the Lomond stills that briefly produced the now sought after Mosstowie single malts in 1964, but these were removed again in 1981. The distillery passed through the hands Allied Distillers before arriving with current owners, Pernod-Ricard, and despite its continued requirements for Ballantine's blends, official bottlings of its single malt have been deemed worthy of bottling by each of its proprietors.  

A 12 year old age-statement, this was produced in the the Hiram Walker era, and borrowed heavily from the familiar Ballantine's branding, as the single malt does again today.

Talisker 10 Year Old Map Label 75cl / US Import

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.

This is the first iteration of said 10 year old, introduced in 1988 in what is now affectionately referred to as the \"map label\" livery. It replaced the 8 year old expression that had previously been marketed in the Ascot Malt Cellar, introduced by DCL in 1982 and considered the spiritual predecessor to the Classic Malts.

Macallan 1980 Signatory Vintage 14 Year Old 37.5cl / US Import

It may be hard to imagine today, but for much of the 20th century, Macallan was primarily a constituent malt in blends. It was not until the 1980s downturn in the market that the distillery decided to focus on its single malt brand. Fortuitously, this coincided with the crest of a wave of enthusiasm for the high quality releases that the distillery had licensed to Campbell, Hope & King and Gordon & MacPhail in the 1960s and 1970s. These remain some of the most collectible on the market. While global single malt sales volume is still lead by Speyside neighbours, Glenfiddich and Glenlivet, Macallan is easily the most sought after. So much so in fact, that they had to open a brand new distillery in 2018, a subterranean architectural masterpiece within the Easter Elchies estate, boasting 36 copper pot stills.  

This is a Signatory Vintage bottling, distilled in 1980 and bottled for the US market in 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.

Tormore 1984 Cadenhead's 13 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 1984 vintage Tormore was bottled for the US market in September 1997.

Tormore is one of Speyside's most aesthetically pleasing distilleries, designed in 1959 by Sir Albert Richardson (then president of the Royal Academy). It was built by the Schenley company in order to provide malt for their Long John blends. Despite this, its single malt has been bottled by all of its owners over the years, including as part of the short-lived Caledonian Malts range from Allied Distillers, alongside Laphroaig and Glendronach. Despite this, distillery bottlings are still something of a rarity, and independent releases like this tend to be the most common. 

Tomintoul 8 Year Old 1980s

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 a 1980s bottling of the long-serving core range 8 year old expression. It was eventually replaced by a new 10 year old entry level product by Angus Dundee in 2002.

Tamdhu 10 Year Old 1980s

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 is a 1980s bottling of the core-range 10 year old expression. This replaced the original 8 year old distillery bottling which was first launched in 1976.

Tobermory Malt Scotch Decanter 1980s

The Isle of Mull's Tobermory distillery was first opened way back in 1798, and was known as Ledaig, which was the case for much of its history. It was dormant for the majority of the 20th century, shut down by DCL in 1930, and when it re-opened in 1972, it did so as again as Ledaig distillery. Its revival was only brief however, closing down in 1975. When the distillery was re-opened in 1979, it was now known as Tobermory. Its production in former years had generally been peated whisky, but the newly revived company began producing non-peated as well, for the provision of a blended malt which they marketed under the Tobermory name. Burn Stewart discontinued the blend when they took over in 1993, opting to continue the production of both styles as two distinct single malt brands. The un-peated single malt took over the Tobermory brand, while the traditional peated style fittingly retained the historic Ledaig name.

This is the 1980s version of the Tobermory brand, a vatted malt produced using whisky distilled at Ledaig in the early 1970s, and younger malts from elsewhere. Confusingly, Burn Stewart would continue to use this aesthetic for the brand when they took over in 1993, despite the product now being a single malt. It retained this look until 2007.

Marlfield 1946 Olde Irish Liqueur Whiskey

A bottle of whiskey, straight from the Irish whiskey history books. This liqueur was produced using whiskey distilled in 1946 at Daly's distillery, the historic home of Tullamore Dew. The distillery closed less than a decade later.

The barrels were aged in the Suir Valley, and 1000 bottles were produced bearing the name of Marlfield, a ruined three-centuries old distillery, elements of which are still visible to this day.

Talisker 1988 Douglas Laing 11 Year Old

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 particularly rare bottling then, distilled in 1988 and bottled in 1999.

The Old Malt Cask series is one of the most established independent labels on the market. It was launched by Douglas Laing in 1998 and bottled by them until 2013 when the brand became part of the Hunter Laing portfolio instead.

Mannochmore 1982 Adelphi 15 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Adelphi has a rich history, operating as a distillery in the Gorbals district of Glasgow from 1825, producing spirit from the waters of Loch Katrine. The distillery ceased production in the early 20th century however and several changes in ownership culminating in a takeover by Distillers Company Ltd in 1902. The Adelphi name was revived in 1993 by Jamie Walker, great-grandson of former distillery owner Archibald. With a lineage of whisky expertise he operated Adelphi as private bottling company, which now in the hands of Keith Falconer and David Houston, continues the fine work he began of bottling top quality expressions from Scotland's finest distilleries. The company is now also distilling their own whisky at Ardnamurchan distillery in Glenbeg.

This 1982 vintage Mannochmore was bottled for their US customers in 1997.

Mannochmore was built in 1971 by DCL (now Diageo) on the site of its sister distillery, Glenlossie, to assist with the increasing demand for blended Scotch in the international market. Its output remains blend focussed to this day, and as such is more commonly bottled as a single malt by independent labels. Occasional official releases have appeared over the years though, in the Flora & Fauna and Rare Malts series, and as the infamous “black whisky,” Loch Dhu. 

Macallan 12 Year Old 37.5cl / US Import

It may be hard to imagine today, but for much of the 20th century, Macallan was primarily a constituent malt in blends. It was not until the 1980s downturn in the market that the distillery decided to focus on its single malt brand. Fortuitously, this coincided with the crest of a wave of enthusiasm for the high quality releases that the distillery had licensed to Campbell, Hope & King and Gordon & MacPhail in the 1960s and 1970s. These remain some of the most collectible on the market. While global single malt sales volume is still lead by Speyside neighbours, Glenfiddich and Glenlivet, Macallan is easily the most sought after. So much so in fact, that they had to open a brand new distillery in 2018, a subterranean architectural masterpiece within the Easter Elchies estate, boasting 36 copper pot stills.  

When Macallan assumed the rsponsibility for their own bottlings from Campbell, Hope & King in 1980, they inherited both an 8 and 12 year old age-statement release, quickly adding a new 10 year old into the mix as well. The 12 year old however was the firm favourite, and is the only of the three still in production today.

Macduff 1975 Gordon and MacPhail 15 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Production began at Macduff distillery in 1963, and it was eventually purchased by William Lawson, the Scotch whisky arm of Italian giants, Martini & Rossi. In addition to provision for the William Lawson blend, the company also set about bottling its single malt, selecting the name \"Glen Deveron,\" and youthful 5 and 8 year old age statements so make it more marketable in Italy, where its Glen Grant equivalents were best-sellers. Glen Deveron disappeared after Bacardi took over the distillery ownership in 1993, but eventually returned as simply The Deveron. Macduff-labelled single malts were widely bottled by independent companies in the meantime, and continue to be today. 

This 1975 vintage is a Gordon & MacPhail bottling, aged 15 years.

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.

MacDonald's Glencoe 8 Year Old 100 Proof 1980s

Ben Nevis distillery was built by \"Long\" John MacDonald in 1825, and was so popular by the end of the 19th century that at one point the estate employed over 200 people. After a series of closure and re-openings at the beginning of the 20th, it was eventually bought by former Canadian bootlegger, Joseph Hobbs. He installed a coffey still there in 1955, making Ben Nevis Scotland's first dual-operation distillery, and began to blend its malt and grain before filling it to cask. Sporadic closures again followed Hobb's death, with stability finally ensured in 1989 when it was bought by long-term customers, Nikka Whisky of Japan.

This blended malt Scotch was produced there and it provides the majority of the spirit for it. The brand is named Glencoe, after the spiritual home of the MacDonald clan.

Marlfield 1946 Olde Irish Liqueur Whiskey

A bottle of whiskey, straight from the Irish whiskey history books. This liqueur was produced using whiskey distilled in 1946 at Daly's distillery, the historic home of Tullamore Dew. The distillery closed less than a decade later.

The barrels were aged in the Suir Valley, and 1000 bottles were produced bearing the name of Marlfield, a ruined three-centuries old distillery, elements of which are still visible to this day.

Mannochmore 1984 Gordon and MacPhail

Mannochmore was built in 1971 by DCL (now Diageo) on the site of its sister distillery, Glenlossie, to assist with the increasing demand for blended Scotch in the international market. Its output remains blend focussed to this day, and as such is more commonly bottled as a single malt by independent labels. Occasional official releases have appeared over the years though, in the Flora & Fauna and Rare Malts series, and as the infamous “black whisky,” Loch Dhu. 

This 1984 vintage was bottled by Gordon & MacPhail in 1994.

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.

Tomintoul 1985 Cadenhead's 10 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 is a 1985 vintage Tomintoul, bottled in March 1996.

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. Bottles from independent labels have also been common over the years.

Tamdhu 8 Year Old Gordon and MacPhail 1980s

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. 

Despite having launched an 8 year old distillery bottling in 1974, Highland Distillers also licensed the Tamdhu brand to Gordon & MacPhail in the 1970s and 1980s. They were labelled in a very similar fashion to their sister distilleris at the time, Glenrothes and Highland Park.

This is also an 8 year old, from the early 1980s.

Tomintoul 12 Year Old Perfume Bottle 75cl / US Import

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 a late 1980s bottling of the core range 12 year old expression. It was eventually replaced by a new 10 and 16 year old by Angus Dundee in 2002.

Mortlach 15 Year Old Gordon and MacPhail 75cl / US Import

Mortlach was founded in 1823 and was the first of Dufftown's \"Seven Stills\" to be licensed. It rose to pre-eminence under George Cowie & Son, who's unique distillation regime produced a famously \"meaty\" whisky, which was highly prized by blenders. It was for this reason that it was acquired by John Walker & Sons, and so important to them was it that little stock was left available for bottling as a single malt. The Flora & Fauna release was the first official distillery bottling, but it was not until 2014 that Mortlach was bottled under its own fully fledged single malt brand.  Thankfully, there have been many spectacular releases from independent labels like this over the years. 

Mortlach was one of the distilleries that licensed its brand to Gordon & MacPhail to produce official releases in the 1970s and 1980s, not having the capacity to do so itself at the time. This good standing with the distillery furnished the Elgin-based independent firm with a steady supply of high quality casks, and subsequently, high quality releases.

This 15 year old is part of what is now known as the Distillery Labels series.

Mosstowie 1976 Signatory Vintage 21 Year Old Miniature / Silent Stills

Mosstowie is a long-discontinued single malt that was produced at the Miltonduff distillery in Speyside using Lomond stills. The stills were installed in the 1960s by owners Hiram Walker, who had done likewise at their Scapa, Inverleven and Glenburgie distilleries. The experiment was short-lived, with Miltonduff's Lomond stills ripped out and replaced by traditional pot stills in 1981. Primarlily used as a constituent in Ballantine's blends, Mosstowie is rarely seen as a single malt, and sought after when it is.

Distilled on 20th October 1976, 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).

Bottled on 28th May 1998 at 21 years of age. Cask #12886 yielded 242 full size and miniature bottles.

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.

Millburn 1974 Signatory Vintage 22 Year Old Miniature / Silent Stills

Millburn was the oldest of the three distilleries based in Inverness, the others being Glen Mhor and Glen Albyn, all of which closed within two years of each other. Millburn was the last, in 1985. The distillery was brought to prominence under the ownership of the Haig family at the end of the 19th century, but was always a smnall operation. It passed via the hands of Booth's (a London-based gin distillery), to DCL (now Diageo) in 1937. Its small stature made it an easy pick for closure during the era of oversupply in the 1980s, and sadly it has never returned. Never officially bottled in its time, the only distillery bottlings are within the Rare Malt Selection, and elusive independent releases like this are incredibly sought after.

Distilled on 12th 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).

Cask #4614 produced 290 full size and miniature bottles.

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.

Tomintoul 16 Year Old 75cl / US Import

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.  

The 16 year old was introduced to the distillery's permanent core range in 2003.