The Perfect Collection Part One

Glen Grant 1965 Signatory Vintage 31 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Glen Grant is one of Speyside's most recognised distilleries. It was built in 1839 by James and John Grant, and was a huge facility for its time. Its size increased exponentially over time, in the hands of John's son, John \"The Major\" Grant (who also built the short-lived Caperdonich next-door), and twice in the 1970s following the merger with The Glenlivet Distillers and its subsequent takeover by Seagram. Glen Grant was bottled as a single malt as early as the late-19th century, and developed a global export market. None perhaps as important as in Italy, where their agent in the 1960s, Armando Giovinetti, turned it into the nation's favourite whisky, after discovering the palate preferences of his countrymen for very young single malts. So loved is Glen Grant in Italy, that the distillery is now owned by Gruppo Campari, who bought it from Pernod Ricard in 2006. 

This is a Signatory Vintage bottling, distilled in 1965 and bottled from a sherry cask in 1996.

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.

Glenugie 1966 Signatory Vintage 31 Year Old / Silent Stills

A rare Signatory Vintage bottling of Glenugie. Part of Signatory Vintage's Silent Stills series which highlights Scotland's lost distilleries (some however, such as Glenglassaugh, have since returned).

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.

Distilled on 31st of December 1966 and bottled on the 5th of June 1998 at 31 years old.

A well-regarded distillery in its time, Glenugie was primarily tasked with providing single malt for the Long John blends. Oversupply in the 1980s saw it close, along with many others, in 1983. The distillery has long since been dismantled, with its stock and brand name under ownership of Chivas Brothers. Despite this, there have been very few official bottlings, and those from independents like this are highly prized. 

This is bottle number 55 of 206. 

Glenglassaugh 1967 Signatory Vintage 31 Year Old / Silent Stills

Situated just north of thre Speyside region border, Glenglassaugh is an interesting single malt. So interesting in fact, that it proved difficult for blenders to marry with other whiskies, and it closed down in 1986, deemed surplus to requirements in the era of oversupply in the whisky industry. With the evolution of the single malt market in the years that followed, the distillery made a surprise comeback in 2008 when it was revived by a group of private investors. It then found its feet as part of the Benriach Distillery Company, and is now part of the Brown-Forman stable. Releases from both sides of its 22 year hiatus are very well regarded.

Distilled on 5th June 1967, this was bottled within Signatory Vintage's Silent Stills range, which showcased Scotland's finest discontinued single malts. Glenglassaugh, at the time was one of these.

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.

One of 217 bottles drawn from cask #2893.

Glen Moray 1966 26 Year Old

A lovely old Glen Moray, distilled in 1966 while the distillery was operated by MacDonald & Muir, and undertook its own in-house malting using a Saladin box. The distillery's maltings were decommissioned in 1978, and the Glenmorangie company (the new face of MacDonald & Mair) relegated Glen Moray to its budget single malt in the 1990s, a reputation it is now beginning to recover from under new ownership.

These old 1960s vintages however, have always been regarded as exceptional single malts.

Glenrothes 1979 Adelphi 20 Year Old

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 20 year old Glenrothes was distilled in 1979 and bottled in 1999.

Earmarked from an early stage an ideal component in blended Scotch whiskies, Glenrothes has long been a key part of big brands such as Cutty Sark and Famous Grouse. Its relationship with the former, lead to a two decade-long association with London wine-merchants, Berry Brothers & Rudd, when they traded their famous blend for the rights to the Glenrothes single malt brand in 2010. The distillery itself remained with Edrington through, and the two were reunited when the now hugely successful brand was returned in 2017. Releases from independent labels like this have also always been highly regarded.

Compass Box Hedonism 75cl / US Import

Compass Box is a blending company founded in 2000 by John Glaser, a former marketing director for the Johnnie Walker brand. Their core range consists of The Spice Tree, The Peat Monster, Oak Cross, Asyla and Hedonism blends, and they regularly produce limited editions as well. The company prides itself on its boundary-pushing approach to its creations, and on occasion, boundary-crossing creations, such as the original Spice Tree in 2005 which was banned for its use of suspended staves in casks. 

The Hedonism is a \"vatted\" grain whisky, or a blended grain. The term vatted has been outlawed since the production of this bottle.

The blend is comprised of 8 to 15 casks of single grain, from distilleries such as Cameronbridge and the closed Cambus. Most of the whiskies come from first fill American oak.

Glendronach 1970 Signatory Vintage 20 Year Old​

Glendronach was built in 1826 by James Allardice, and rebuilt following a fire in 1852 by an individual named Walter Scott (although not the one you might be thinking of). It eventually passed into the hands of perhaps Scotland's greatest distilling dynasty, the Grant's of Glenfiddich. Charles, the youngest son of William Grant procured the then-silent distillery from the government in 1920, and it remained in the family until they sold it to Wm. Teacher 40 years later. The Grant's and Teacher's were early champions of the single malt category, and distillery bottlings of Glendronach were produced for most of the 20th century until it was mothballed by Allied Distillers in 1996. The distillery was revived in 2002, and has since become one of the strongest single malt brands in the world.

This is an independent release, distilled in February 1970 and bottled after 20 years of the distillery's signature sherry cask maturation. This is a vatting of six.

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.

Glen Grant 1972 Signatory Vintage 23 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Glen Grant is one of Speyside's most recognised distilleries. It was built in 1839 by James and John Grant, and was a huge facility for its time. Its size increased exponentially over time, in the hands of John's son, John \"The Major\" Grant (who also built the short-lived Caperdonich next-door), and twice in the 1970s following the merger with The Glenlivet Distillers and its subsequent takeover by Seagram. Glen Grant was bottled as a single malt as early as the late-19th century, and developed a global export market. None perhaps as important as in Italy, where their agent in the 1960s, Armando Giovinetti, turned it into the nation's favourite whisky, after discovering the palate preferences of his countrymen for very young single malts. So loved is Glen Grant in Italy, that the distillery is now owned by Gruppo Campari, who bought it from Pernod Ricard in 2006. 

This Signatory Vintage bottling was distilled in 1972 and bottled in July 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.

Clynelish 17 Year Old Manager's Dram 1998

The Manager’s Dram series of whiskies were bottled exclusively for employees of what is now known as Diageo. These whiskies were selected by the respective distillery managers within Diageo malt distilling and bottled at natural cask strength. The selections were taken very seriously by each distillery, a point of principle, and the result has become a series of rare, sought after and highly regarded single malts.

1998 was the turn of Clynelish, and their distillery manager selected this 17 year old, matured in sherry casks.

Clynelish distillery as it is recognised today, was built in 1967 to replace the smaller distillery next-door, which was the original site of that name. The first distillery was closed, but later re-opened, changing its name to Brora (but that’s another story). Clynelish is part of the Diageo stable, having been taken over by DCL in 1912. Despite being an important part of the Johnnie Walker blends, it has long been bottled as a single malt.  

Glenugie 1978 Cadenhead's 13 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 13 year old Glenugie is one of the original 150th anniversary releases.

A well-regarded distillery in its time, Glenugie was primarily tasked with providing single malt for the Long John blends. Oversupply in the 1980s saw it close, along with many others, in 1983. The distillery has long since been dismantled, with its stock and brand name under ownership of Chivas Brothers. Despite this, there have been very few official bottlings, and those from independents like this are highly prized. 

Glenkinchie 1966 Cadenhead's 25 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 25 year old Glenkinchie is one of the original 150th anniversary releases.

Glenkinchie distillery was built in 1837 by the Rate brothers, who had previously operated another site called Milton, situated nearby. Glenkinchie was expanded to its current size in 1890, under the watch of Major James Grey. In 1914 they formed the Scottish Malt Distillers group, alongside Rosebank, St. Magdalene, Grange and Clydesdale, which in turn was folded into DCL (now Diageo) in 1925. It was an important constituent in many of their blends, particularly Johnnie Walker (of which it now the Lowland 'home' of the brand), and as such, did not have an official single malt brand until 1988, when United Distillers favoured it over Rosebank as the Lowland representative in the Classic Malts stable in 1988. Independent labels like this has been bottling it for many years, however.

Glendronach 1970 Signatory Vintage 20 Year Old​

Glendronach was built in 1826 by James Allardice, and rebuilt following a fire in 1852 by an individual named Walter Scott (although not the one you might be thinking of). It eventually passed into the hands of perhaps Scotland's greatest distilling dynasty, the Grant's of Glenfiddich. Charles, the youngest son of William Grant procured the then-silent distillery from the government in 1920, and it remained in the family until they sold it to Wm. Teacher 40 years later. The Grant's and Teacher's were early champions of the single malt category, and distillery bottlings of Glendronach were produced for most of the 20th century until it was mothballed by Allied Distillers in 1996. The distillery was revived in 2002, and has since become one of the strongest single malt brands in the world.

This is an independent release, distilled in February 1970 and bottled after 20 years of the distillery's signature sherry cask maturation. This is a vatting of six.

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.

Glenugie 1966 Signatory Vintage 33 Year Old 75cl / Silent Stills - US Import

A rare Signatory Vintage bottling of Glenugie. Part of Signatory Vintage's Silent Stills series which highlights Scotland's lost distilleries (some of these, such as Glenglassaugh, have since returned however).

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.

Distilled on 31st of December 1966 and bottled on the 15th of August 2000 at 33 years old.

A well-regarded distillery in its time, Glenugie was primarily tasked with providing single malt for the Long John blends. Oversupply in the 1980s saw it close, along with many others, in 1983. The distillery has long since been dismantled, with its stock and brand name under ownership of Chivas Brothers. Despite this, there have been very few official bottlings, and those from independents like this are highly prized. 

Glen Grant 1964 Moon Import / The Animals

Moon Import was founded by Pepi Mongiardino in 1980 and he bottled his first whisky in 1982. Always beautifully labelled, Pepi is acclaimed for designing the packaging for Moon Import bottles himself, often using images found in old books. These iconic designs, coupled with the quality of the liquid saw Moon Import steadily grow in popularity. The company is still going strong, and their early releases are some of the brightest gems in any whisky collection.

Distilled in Speyside in 1964, this was matured in butt 1-2-3 and bottled in 1989. The Animals series was bottled between 1989 and 1990, however three Japanese exclusives were added in 2001.

Bottle number 290 of 600. 

Glen Grant is one of Speyside's most recognised distilleries. It was built in 1839 by James and John Grant, and was a huge facility for its time. Its size increased exponentially over time, in the hands of John's son, John \"The Major\" Grant (who also built the short-lived Caperdonich next-door), and twice in the 1970s following the merger with The Glenlivet Distillers and its subsequent takeover by Seagram. Glen Grant was bottled as a single malt as early as the late-19th century, and developed a global export market. None perhaps as important as in Italy, where their agent in the 1960s, Armando Giovinetti, turned it into the nation's favourite whisky, after discovering the palate preferences of his countrymen for very young single malts. So loved is Glen Grant in Italy, that the distillery is now owned by Gruppo Campari, who bought it from Pernod Ricard in 2006. 

Glenlivet 1967 Cellar Collection 75cl / US Import

Well-known as the oldest licensed distillery in Scotland, for many years ‘Glenlivet’ was a byword for quality, with many single malts using the Glenlivet suffix in attempt to reap the benefits of associating themselves with the Banffshire distillery. Indeed, owners Pernod Ricard now put a heavy focus on the brand being ‘The Glenlivet’, encouraging their consumers not to accept any imitations. Glenlivet is in a long-running battle with Glenfiddich for the title of best-selling single malt, with both now selling over a million cases a year.  

This is part of the Glenlivet Cellar Collection, selected from casks specially set aside by distillery managers from the wider warehouses, and placed for safekeeping in the Glenlivet cellar. The casks for this release were chosen by Jim Cryle, distillery manager there in th 1990s.

Distilled 1967 and bottled 2000, this is sample code #2GC8001.

Glen Garioch 1970 Single Cask 27 Year Old #256 75cl / US Import

Glen Garioch is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. For most of the 20th century it was self-sufficient, malting its own barley using peat from Pitsligo, giving it a unique smoky character. In fact, in 1968 it was short-listed by then-owners DCL, to convert to heavily peated production in order to make up for a shortfall on Islay caused by a drought. In an odd twist of fate, the decision was instead made to re-open Brora for the job, and close Glen Garioch down. Morrison Bowmore then spring to its rescue, restarting production in 1973. The maltings and distillery were closed down again by Beam Suntory in 1995, and only the latter resumed operations two years later, with contemporary Glen Garioch becoming an un-peated single malt. These pre-1995 vintages are worth investigating while you can. 

This is a single cask, bottled in the first year of resumed operations at the distillery under Beam Suntory. Hogshead #256 was distilled in 1970 and bottled for the US market as a 27 year old.

Glencadam 1979 Cadenhead's 17 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 rare Glencadam, distilled in 1989 and bottle from sherry wood in December 1996.

Despite being nearly 200 years old, Glencadam is still a lesser-known single malt. For the majority of the 20th century it was owned by blenders, first Gilmour Thompson, and then Hiram Walker who bought it in 1954. Over the next half century a series of amalgamations brought the distillery into the hands of Allied Distillers. Despite being the home of the Stewarts Cream of the Barley blend, it was shut down in 2000. Allied Distillers experimented with a brief distillery bottling of Glencadam single malt in the 1980s, but it was not until Angus Dundee re-opened it in 2003 that it was pushed as a single malt brand. Prior this, independent releases like this were the only real chance to try this well-regarded spirit. 

Glenglassaugh 1967 Signatory Vintage 31 Year Old / Silent Stills

Situated just north of thre Speyside region border, Glenglassaugh is an interesting single malt. So interesting in fact, that it proved difficult for blenders to marry with other whiskies, and it closed down in 1986, deemed surplus to requirements in the era of oversupply in the whisky industry. With the evolution of the single malt market in the years that followed, the distillery made a surprise comeback in 2008 when it was revived by a group of private investors. It then found its feet as part of the Benriach Distillery Company, and is now part of the Brown-Forman stable. Releases from both sides of its 22 year hiatus are very well regarded.

Distilled on 5th June 1967, this was bottled within Signatory Vintage's Silent Stills range, which showcased Scotland's finest discontinued single malts. Glenglassaugh, at the time was one of these.

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.

One of 217 bottles drawn from cask #2893.

Glenlivet 1951 Gordon and MacPhail

Well-known as the oldest licensed distillery in Scotland, for many years ‘Glenlivet’ was a byword for quality, with many single malts using the Glenlivet suffix in attempt to reap the benefits of associating themselves with the Banffshire distillery. Indeed, owners Pernod Ricard now put a heavy focus on the brand being ‘The Glenlivet’, encouraging their consumers not to accept any imitations. Glenlivet is in a long-running battle with Glenfiddich for the title of best-selling single malt, with both now selling over a million cases a year.  

Bottled here using the classic George & J.G. Smith's branding, licensed out by the distillery to a number of companies in the mid-to-later 20th century in order to bottle their single malt. Gordon & MacPhail are perhaps the most prolific of these, and continue to use the branding today as part of their Distillery Labels series. 

This is a fantastic 1951 vintage.

Glengoyne 1967 Christmas Day Reserve 29 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Built in 1833, what is now known as Glengoyne is a Highland distillery so close to the Lowland region border that its warehouses across the road actually fall into the latter geographical category. The distillery was owned by the Lang Brothers for 89 years, who used it as provision for their blends. In that time it was also important to those of Robertson & Baxter, who would eventually acquire the site in 1966, and bottled it as a single malt for the first time in the 1970s. It was not until the 1990s that the single malt brand became the distillery’s main focus however. An eventual restructuring by Robertson & Baxter’s parent company, Edrington, saw its operations quieted, and Glengoyne was sold to Ian Macleod Distillers in 2003. 

This was distilled on Christmas day 1967 and the bottled in August 1992.

Glen Grant 1952 Gordon and MacPhail

Glen Grant is one of Speyside's most recognised distilleries. It was built in 1839 by James and John Grant, and was a huge facility for its time. Its size increased exponentially over time, in the hands of John's son, John \"The Major\" Grant (who also built the short-lived Caperdonich next-door), and twice in the 1970s following the merger with The Glenlivet Distillers and its subsequent takeover by Seagram. Glen Grant was bottled as a single malt as early as the late-19th century, and developed a global export market. None perhaps as important as in Italy, where their agent in the 1960s, Armando Giovinetti, turned it into the nation's favourite whisky, after discovering the palate preferences of his countrymen for very young single malts. So loved is Glen Grant in Italy, that the distillery is now owned by Gruppo Campari, who bought it from Pernod Ricard in 2006.

Glen Grant licensed its brand to a number of bottlers in the mid to late 20th century, the most prominent of which was Gordon & MacPhail. 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. The preference of the Italian parent firm at the distillery today for its younger output, often means that Gordon & MacPhail are given access to some impressively aged casks.

This is a 1952 vintage. Gordon & MacPhail's continued use of these classic liveries is now referred to as their Distillery Labels series.

Glendronach 1970 Signatory Vintage 20 Year Old​

Glendronach was built in 1826 by James Allardice, and rebuilt following a fire in 1852 by an individual named Walter Scott (although not the one you might be thinking of). It eventually passed into the hands of perhaps Scotland's greatest distilling dynasty, the Grant's of Glenfiddich. Charles, the youngest son of William Grant procured the then-silent distillery from the government in 1920, and it remained in the family until they sold it to Wm. Teacher 40 years later. The Grant's and Teacher's were early champions of the single malt category, and distillery bottlings of Glendronach were produced for most of the 20th century until it was mothballed by Allied Distillers in 1996. The distillery was revived in 2002, and has since become one of the strongest single malt brands in the world.

This is an independent release, distilled in February 1970 and bottled after 20 years of the distillery's signature sherry cask maturation. This is a vatting of six.

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.

Glendronach 1970 Signatory Vintage 20 Year Old​

Glendronach was built in 1826 by James Allardice, and rebuilt following a fire in 1852 by an individual named Walter Scott (although not the one you might be thinking of). It eventually passed into the hands of perhaps Scotland's greatest distilling dynasty, the Grant's of Glenfiddich. Charles, the youngest son of William Grant procured the then-silent distillery from the government in 1920, and it remained in the family until they sold it to Wm. Teacher 40 years later. The Grant's and Teacher's were early champions of the single malt category, and distillery bottlings of Glendronach were produced for most of the 20th century until it was mothballed by Allied Distillers in 1996. The distillery was revived in 2002, and has since become one of the strongest single malt brands in the world.

This is an independent release, distilled in February 1970 and bottled after 20 years of the distillery's signature sherry cask maturation. This is a vatting of six.

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.

Glen Grant 10 Year Old George Strachan 1970s

Glen Grant is one of Speyside's most recognised distilleries. It was built in 1839 by James and John Grant, and was a huge facility for its time. Its size increased exponentially over time, in the hands of John's son, John \"The Major\" Grant (who also built the short-lived Caperdonich next-door), and twice in the 1970s following the merger with The Glenlivet Distillers and its subsequent takeover by Seagram. Glen Grant was bottled as a single malt as early as the late-19th century, and developed a global export market. None perhaps as important as in Italy, where their agent in the 1960s, Armando Giovinetti, turned it into the nation's favourite whisky, after discovering the palate preferences of his countrymen for very young single malts. So loved is Glen Grant in Italy, that the distillery is now owned by Gruppo Campari, who bought it from Pernod Ricard in 2006. 

This incredibly rare independent release was aged 10 years and bottled in the 1970s.

George Strachan was a delicatessen and general store founded in Deeside in 1926. They bottled some incredibly well regarded single malts between the 1960s and 1980s, many of which were sought out by Italian importers for their quality.

Glenlivet 1969 Vintage 75cl / US Import​

Well-known as the oldest licensed distillery in Scotland, for many years ‘Glenlivet’ was a byword for quality, with many single malts using the Glenlivet suffix in attempt to reap the benefits of associating themselves with the Banffshire distillery. Indeed, owners Pernod Ricard now put a heavy focus on the brand being ‘The Glenlivet’, encouraging their consumers not to accept any imitations. Glenlivet is in a long-running battle with Glenfiddich for the title of best-selling single malt, with both now selling over a million cases a year.  

A vintage release, this was distilled in 1969 and bottled in 1998 at cask strength. 

Sample code: 2LVF801.

Glenlivet 1961 Gordon and MacPhail

Well-known as the oldest licensed distillery in Scotland, for many years ‘Glenlivet’ was a byword for quality, with many single malts using the Glenlivet suffix in attempt to reap the benefits of associating themselves with the Banffshire distillery. Indeed, owners Pernod Ricard now put a heavy focus on the brand being ‘The Glenlivet’, encouraging their consumers not to accept any imitations. Glenlivet is in a long-running battle with Glenfiddich for the title of best-selling single malt, with both now selling over a million cases a year.  

This is a 1961 vintage, bottled in the 1980s.

Bottled here using the classic George & J.G. Smith's branding, licensed out by the distillery to a number of companies in the mid-to-later 20th century in order to bottle their single malt. Gordon & MacPhail are perhaps the most prolific of these, and continue to use the branding today as part of their Distillery Labels series.

Glen Moray 1962 24 Year Old​

A lovely old Glen Moray, distilled in 1962 while the distillery was operated by MacDonald & Muir, and undertook its own in-house malting using a Saladin box. The distillery's maltings were decommissioned in 1978, and the Glenmorangie company (the new face of MacDonald & Mair) relegated Glen Moray to its budget single malt in the 1990s, a reputation it is now beginning to recover from under new ownership.

These old 1960s vintages however, have always been regarded as exceptional single malts.

Glenturret 1965 Cadenhead's 25 Year Old 

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 25 year old Glenturret is one of a handful of bottlings that actually predate the original 150th anniversary releases.

Glenturret claims to be one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland, although it was dismantled for over 25 years before James Fairlie built a new facility within the walls of the former site in 1959, using old equipment procured from Perthshire neighbours, Tullibardine. Despite using traditional whisky-making methods, the distillery was also a pioneer, opening Scotland’s second ever visitor centre in 1981. It was then transformed into the home of The Famous Grouse by Edrington in 2002, before changing hands again in 2018 when it was bought by the owner of Lalique crystal, with premium collaborations between it and this previously lesser-seen single malt expected in the future.  

Compass Box Eleuthera 75cl / US Import

Compass Box is a blending company founded in 2000 by John Glaser, a former marketing director for the Johnnie Walker brand. Their core range consists of The Spice Tree, The Peat Monster, Oak Cross, Asyla and Hedonism blends, and they regularly produce limited editions as well. The company prides itself on its boundary-pushing approach to its creations, and on occasion, boundary-crossing creations, such as the original Spice Tree in 2005 which was banned for its use of suspended staves in casks. 

This is an early Compass Box release from a time when \"vatted malt\" was still a legally accepted term. This was actually their first blended malt, and the recipe contains 15 year old Clynelish from re-charred casks, and a 12 year old single malt from the Port Askaig area of Islay. The blend was eventually retired when the Clynelish needed became unavailable.

Glenlochy 1969 Rare Malt 26 Year Old 75cl / 58.8% - SA Import

A rising demand for imported Scotch in 1930s America saw Glenlochy acquired and re-opened after many years of closure, by National Distillers in 1937. National Distillers were one of the \"big 4\" American distilling companies to emerge after the repeal of Prohibition, but they were hit hard by the second world war, eventually selling off their assets in the Scottish whisky industry. Glenlochy was purchased by DCL (now Diageo) in 1954, who ran it for two briefs stints to provide malt for their blends, but closed it for good, like many others, in 1983. Glenlochy is extremely rarely seen as a single malt, and no official bottlings were produced in its lifetime. The Rare Malt Selections are the only distillery bottlings produced by Diageo, and examples from the independent labels are increasingly sought after. 

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 1969 vintage was bottled for the South African market.

Glenlochy 1969 Rare Malt 25 Year Old 75cl / 62.08% - US Import

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.

Distilled in 1969 and bottled as a 25 year old, this is one of the rarer releases in the series.

A rising demand for imported Scotch in 1930s America saw Glenlochy acquired and re-opened after many years of closure, by National Distillers in 1937. National Distillers were one of the \"big 4\" American distilling companies to emerge after the repeal of Prohibition, but they were hit hard by the second world war, eventually selling off their assets in the Scottish whisky industry. Glenlochy was purchased by DCL (now Diageo) in 1954, who ran it for two briefs stints to provide malt for their blends, but closed it for good, like many others, in 1983. Glenlochy is extremely rarely seen as a single malt, and no official bottlings were produced in its lifetime. The Rare Malt Selections are the only distillery bottlings produced by Diageo, and examples from the independent labels are increasingly sought after. 

This was bottled for the US market.

Glen Keith 1967 Cadenhead's 22 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. All of these were produced with brown glass and an iconic black label, with each distillery given its own letterpress font in homage to William Cadenhead's early career in the printing business.

Distilled at Glen Keith in 1967 at the time when they were triple distilling their whiskies, this was bottled in January 1990.

Glen Keith was built by Canadian drinks giant, Seagram, in the late 1950s to supply malt for their Chivas, 100 Pipers and Passport blends. The distillery was an experimental facility, with a range of different stila, trialling different mash and yeast types, and methods of peat smoking. One of the peated variants it produced was the rare Glenisla. Seagram collapsed in the early 2000s, and Glen Keith was perhaps an early indication of its ill-fate, closing in 1999. It was re-opened in 2013 by Chivas Brothers, who continue its experimental traditions by housing their lab there. Despite its importance to Seagram blends, Glen Keith was always deemed worthy of bottling as a single malt, both by the distillery and by independent companies.