The Perfect Collection Part One

Scottish Parliament 12 Year Old Single Malt

This single malt whisky was released to celebrate the vote on the 11th September 1997 when the people of Scotland voted for the reconstitution of the first Scottish Parliament since 1707.

A limited edition of only 5000 bottles.

Old Grand-Dad 114 Proof Bourbon / Lot No.1

The stories behind America's bourbon brands are some of the greatest in whisky history, and no other traces the narrative of Kentucky distilling as closely as Old Grand-dad. Bourbon historian Chuck Cowdery describes the brand's story as \"one of the richest in bourbon country,\" with distilling dynasties such as the Beam, Dant, Hayden, Taylor, Medley and Wathen families all having a hand in its production over the years.

The original old Grand-dad was Basil Hayden, who's second generation descendents named their primary brand in his honour (he still features on the label today). They built the original Old Grand-dad distillery at Hobbs Station, not far from where Jim Beam's Clermont distillery now sits today. They bought the Hobbs Station distillery its brands in 1899, and developed a successful business out of it. Even with the Prohibition Act looming on the horizon, the Wathen family were shrewd, and re-organised their company as the American Medicinal Spirits Co. This allowed them to exploit a loophole in the Prohibition laws, which had banned the production and sale of alcohol, but permitted the continued bottling of whiskey for medicinal purposes and as a weekly baker's ration. Otto Wathen consolidated much of Kentucky's distilling, filling his warehouses with bonded stock and acquiring brands such as Hill & Hill, Bourbon de Luxe and Old Crow.

The AMS Co were eventually bout over by National Distillers, who went on to become one of the biggest post-repeal distilling companies in the US. The original Old Grand-dad distillery at Hobbs Station never re-opened after Prohibition however, with National Distillers buying what is the more familiar Old Grand-dad distillery in Frankfort in 1933. It and National Distillers were acquired by Jim Beam in 1987, who produced this at Clermont, a return (almost) to its spiritual home. The National Distillers era Old  Grand-dad distillery is now a Beam bottling plant. This was likely filled there in 2002.

Waitrose 12 Year Old Islay Single Malt

A mystery Islay single malt, aged 12 years and bottled for upmarket UK supermarket chain, Waitrose.

Talisker Gordon and MacPhail 70 Proof Miniature 1970s

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. 

Balblair Elements

Balblair distillery in situated in the northern Highland region, currently under the ownership of Inver House Distillers and previously part of the Hiram Walker empire before it became Allied Distillers. Allied sold it to Inver House in 1996, who introduced the much-loved vintage-dated core range in 2007.

This non-age statement distillery bottling was the introductory malt in the early Inver House era portfolio, and was discontinued with the introduction of the first vintage releases.

Glenandrew 15 Year Old Highland Single Malt 75cl / US Import

A mystery 15 year old Highland single malt, produced for the US market.

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 this one, Finlaggan (an Islay) and Tantallan (a Highland), using whisky sourced from unspecified distilleries.

Usquaebach Reserve Scotch Whisky 75cl / US Import

Produced for the 'Twelve Stone Flagons Ltd' the Usquaebach Reserve refers to Burn's immortalisation of \"the water of life\" on the rear of the label.

Glengoyne 10 Year Old

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. 

The 10 year old expression is the introductory single malt from the core range.

Waitrose 12 Year Old Islay Single Malt

A mystery Islay single malt, aged 12 years and bottled for upmarket UK supermarket chain, Waitrose.

Waitrose 12 Year Old Islay Single Malt

A mystery Islay single malt, aged 12 years and bottled for upmarket UK supermarket chain, Waitrose.

Glenglassaugh 12 Year Old 1990s

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.

This is a rare distillery bottling of their 12 year old single malt, released by then-owners Highland Distillers in the 1990s after they had closed it.

Highland Fusilier 8 Year Old 1980s

Gordon & MacPhail is an Elgin-based family run business, established in 1895 and owned by the Urquhart family. They are perhaps best known for their independent bottlings of single malt, such as the instantly recognisable Connoisseurs Choice brand, and increasingly as distillers in their own right, having acquired Benromach distillery in 1993. The company also has a stake in the blending business though, and has produced a number of well-regarded products over the years.

This 8 year old blended malt is named after Scottish infantry regiment, The Royal Highland Fusiliers.

Glenlivet 12 Year Old

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 an 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’, encoouraging 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.  

The 12 year old was the entry level Glenlivet expression for many decades, eventually being replaced by the Founder's Reserve in 2015, before returning in an elevated spot in the core range in 2018.

Strathconon 12 Year Old Malt Whisky 1970s

Strathconon is a blended malt first produced by DCL in the 1970s through James Buchanan & Co. James Buchanan founded the blending company in 1884, merging it was John Dewar & Sons in 1915. It became part of the DCL family when they acquired Buchanan-Dewar ten years later. The Strathconon brand was aimed at the emerging single malt market in Italy, giving prominence to phrase on its label. It is believe the composition included Mortlach, Glenlossie, Aultmore and Glentauchers.

This is an early example of the product. DCL later packaged Strathconon in its Ascot Malt Cellar in 1982, a range generally believed to be a precursor to the Classic Malts six years later, but considered as a somewhat half-hearted attempt to compete on the single malt stage with Macallan and Glenfiddich. So half-hearted in fact, that out of the six releases, two were still blends, this and the Glenleven brand from Haig's.

Glen Moray 12 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Originally built as a brewery, Glen Moray was converted into a whisky distillery during the market boom of the late 19th century. The subsequent slump saw it mothballed, before being bought by MacDonald & Muir in 1923, who later became the Glenmorangie Company in 1996. In the latter days of their ownership it was sadly treated as their budget single malt, but it has always been a high quality whisky, and its reputation it is now beginning to recover under the ownership of La Martiniquaise, who took over in 2008.

This is an early bottling of the 12 year old age-statement, which first appeared in the 1980s and has never left the distillery portfolio since.

Dufftown 1997 Douglas McGibbon 11 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Douglas McGibbon & Co were established in 1947 becoming a subsidiary of independent bottler, Douglas Laing, in 1950. They are perhaps best known for their McGibbon's blend and its golf-themed decanters, but for many years produced this Provenance brand for single malts as well. When Douglas Laing was carved up between brothers Stewart and Fred in 2013, the McGibbon's and Provenance brands were retained by Fred as part of Douglas Laing firm, with other notable labels such as the Old Malt Cask going the other way, to Stewart's newly founded Hunter Laing. Nowadays the Provenance brand is part of the main Douglas Laing portfolio, with Douglas McGibbon the named bottler on Clan Denny releases.

This is a 1997 vintage from Dufftown distillery, bottled in 2001.

Dufftown was built in 1896, becoming part of the Arthur Bell & Sons portfolio in 1933. As with Blair Athol, Dufftown was regularly bottled as a single malt, despite its importance to the Bell's blends. When the company was bought by Guinness in 1985, these bottlings stopped, but a Dufftown distillery bottling returned in 1991 as part of United Distillers’ Flora & Fauna series, later becoming part of The Singleton stable. Prior to the construction of Roseisle, Dufftown was Diageo's largest distillery. 

Jura 16 Year Old

The Isle of Jura is one of the most isolated in the Hebridean archipelago, and by all logical accounts an unusual place to build a distillery. However, the historic site was re-opened in the 1960s, in part to provide jobs to what was a declining population at the time. The rebuilding of the distillery was backed by blenders Charles Mackinlay & Co, so like Bruichladdich, despite the island being covered in peat, it produced an un-peated spirit to meet the needs of their blends. This continued into the 1990s when Whyte & Mackay became its owners, although they did eventually introduce some peated malt to their distilling, launching the Jura Superstition in 2003. 

Although an important constituent of many blends, Jura has long been bottled as a single malt. An 8 year old expression was produced through the 1970s and 1980s, eventually being replaced by this 10 year old in the core range by Whyte & Mackay, alongside this 16 year old, and a 21 year old expression.

Glen Keith 10 Year Old 75cl / US Import

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. 

This is an older US market bottling of the 10 year old expression, which replaced the 1983 vintage as the core distillery bottling in the mid-1990s.

Port Ellen 1980 Gordon and MacPhail Miniature 

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 1980 vintage from Gordon & MacPhail.

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.

Port Ellen 1983 Signatory Vintage 14 Year Old Miniature​ 

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.

This is a 1983 vintage from Port Ellen, bottled in April 1997.

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. 

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.

Tullibardine 5 Year Old 1970s / Sposetti & Paparone Import

Tullibardine distillery in Perthshire was built in 1949 and was quickly acquired by blending firm, Brodie Hepburn. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, the distillery came under ownership of Whyte & Mackay in 1993, who shut it down following year. In the preceding decades, its large production capacity had filled its even larger warehouses. In addition to selling the stock to third-party blenders, Whyte & Mackay used it for their own products, including some well-regarded official single malt releases. Among these are some exceptional single casks, and several additions to the sought after Stillman's Dram series.  

This is a bottling for the Italian market, in the form of a youthful 5 year old age-statement that was the market preference. The Italian love of younger single malt was the discovery of Armando Giovinetti, the agent for Glen Grant in the 1960s. He, correctly, hypothesised that the lighter flavours of a 5 year old malt would be better suited to the grappa-loving palate of his countrymen, and the contined success of the Glen Grant 5 year old there today is testament to his foresight.

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 into 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 old 1980s bottling from the Whyte & Mackay era core range, bottled in a regular glass bottle as opposed the perfume style container that was also used at the time.

Cardhu 12 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Cardhu is the Speyside home of Johnnie Walker, and the distillery contributes much of its production to the world famous blend. So much so in fact that the distillery bottling was changed to a vatted \"pure malt\" for a brief period in 2002 to ease pressure on its stock, but quickly reverted back to a single malt in 2004 following widespread criticism. The incident saw the rewriting of the rulebook for single malt whisky, and the birth of the term \"blended malt,\" adding some infamy to the Cardhu history books in the process.

This version contains malt whisky that was completely produced at Cardhu distillery, unlike the controversial 'Pure Malt' version which included whiskies from other distilleries. 

Cardhu 12 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Cardhu is the Speyside home of Johnnie Walker, and the distillery contributes much of its production to the world famous blend. So much so in fact that the distillery bottling was changed to a vatted \"pure malt\" for a brief period in 2002 to ease pressure on its stock, but quickly reverted back to a single malt in 2004 following widespread criticism. The incident saw the rewriting of the rulebook for single malt whisky, and the birth of the term \"blended malt,\" adding some infamy to the Cardhu history books in the process.

This version contains malt whisky that was completely produced at Cardhu distillery, unlike the controversial 'Pure Malt' version which included whiskies from other distilleries. 

Highland Single Malt 1984 Oddbins 13 Year Old

A mystery single malt from a series of releases from Oddbins, all colour coded by their flavour profile. This Highland region single malt has been selected to represent \"salt,\" and is noted as having been distilled at a distillery on the northern Scottish coast...

Benromach 12 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Benromach distillery in Speyside was built at the end of the 19th century, and spent much of the next providing malt for the blends of its owners, who included Macdonald Greenlees, Joseph Hobbs and latterly, DCL (now Diageo), who were the first to produce a distillery bottling of its single malt as part of the Rare Malts Selection. DCL closed the distillery in 1983, selling it to current proprietors, Gordon & MacPhail, ten years later. They then had to spend the next five rebuilding it from scratch, as little remained other than the shell of the buildings. It has since become a well-regarded and widely distributed single malt. 

This is a 12 year old distillery bottling from the early days of Gordon & MacPhail ownership, bottled using pre-closure distilled casks. The first age-statement release produced using spirit distilled by Gordon & MacPhail was the 10 year old in 2009.

Aberlour 5 Year Old 1980s / Ramazzoti Import

Aberlour is a picturesque Speyside distillery, owned nowadays by Pernod Ricard. The reverence for the sherry-casked A'Bunadh, launched in 1997, greatly boosted the popularity of the distillery, and its output from all eras is increasingly sought after. 

This is a bottling for the Italian market, in the form of a youthful 5 year old age-statement that was the market preference. The Italian love of younger single malt was the discovery of Armando Giovinetti, the agent for Glen Grant in the 1960s. He, correctly, hypothesised that the lighter flavours of a 5 year old malt would be better suited to the grappa-loving palate of his countrymen, and the contined success of the Glen Grant 5 year old there today is testament to his foresight.

Glen Eden Single Malt 75cl / US Import

A mystery single malt, bottled under the Glen Eden brand for the US market.

Glenlivet 12 Year Old 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 an 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’, encoouraging 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.  

The 12 year old was the entry level Glenlivet expression for many decades, eventually being replaced by the Founder's Reserve in 2015, before returning in an elevated spot in the core range in 2018.

Tamdhu Single Malt

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 an old version of the non-age statement core product, replaced by a sherry casked 10 year old when the distillery was bought over by Ian Macleod.

Tullibardine 10 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Tullibardine distillery in Perthshire was built in 1949 and was quickly acquired by blending firm, Brodie Hepburn. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, the distillery came under ownership of Whyte & Mackay in 1993, who shut it down following year. In the preceding decades, its large production capacity had filled its even larger warehouses. In addition to selling the stock to third-party blenders, Whyte & Mackay used it for their own products, including some well-regarded official single malt releases. Among these are some exceptional single casks, and several additions to the sought after Stillman's Dram series.

This is a 1990s bottling of the official 10 year old, discontinued after the distillery was sold in 2003.