The Perfect Collection Part One

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. 

Frasers Reserve Islay Single Malt

A mystery Islay single malt, selected and bottled by Strathnairn Whisky Ltd of Inverness, a subsidiary company of Gordon & MacPhail. The Frasers Reserve brand appeared as a single malt from various regions over the years.

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 Dew Single Malt 75cl / US Import

A Highland region single malt from an undisclosed distillery. This was bottled by Ewen & Company for their Highland Dew brand, part of their wider Dew Collection.

Clontarf Reserve Irish Whiskey 75cl / US Import

The Reserve expression of Clontarf, filtered through Atlantic Irish oak charcoal and aged in bourbon casks. Named after the historic battle of 1014 that saw King Brian Boru fend off Viking invaders to the Emerald Isle.

Clontarf is produced for Castle Brands, who also market the Knappogue Castle whiskies. The latter is produced using whisky sourced from Cooley, so this is likely no different given there is also a single malt variant available.

Inverarity Ancestral 14 Year Old Speyside Single Malt 75cl / US Import

Inverarity Ancestral is normally a 14 year old mystery Speyside whisky, which has been an Aultmore and rumoured to have been all of the following: Glenlivet, Mortlach and Balmenach. The constituent single malt varies depending on when it was bottled. 

Bottled for the US market by Inverarity Vaults.

Caol Ila 1980 Gordon and MacPhail Cask Strength Miniature 

Caol Ila distillery was built in 1846 by Hector Henderson, who was bought out from the venture a little over 10 year later by Bulloch Lade. The blending firm merged with DCL (now Diageo) in 1927, who still run the distillery today. In 1972 the original site was demolished and replaced by a new one. When distilling resumed in 1974, Caol Ila was the largest producer of single malt on the Isle of Islay. Despite this, due to its importance in popular blends such as Johnnie Walker, its single malt brand disappeared under United Distillers, and it was not until 2002 that it would return, when the 12 year old was revived by Diageo. The Flora & Fauna release was well-regarded in the meantime, but it was independent releases like this that gave the best opportunity to sample this much-loved single malt.    

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

Caol Ila 1972 Gordon and MacPhail Miniature 

Caol Ila distillery was built in 1846 by Hector Henderson, who was bought out from the venture a little over 10 year later by Bulloch Lade. The blending firm merged with DCL (now Diageo) in 1927, who still run the distillery today. In 1972 the original site was demolished and replaced by a new one. When distilling resumed in 1974, Caol Ila was the largest producer of single malt on the Isle of Islay. Despite this, due to its importance in popular blends such as Johnnie Walker, its single malt brand disappeared under United Distillers, and it was not until 2002 that it would return, when the 12 year old was revived by Diageo. The Flora & Fauna release was well-regarded in the meantime, but it was independent releases like this that gave the best opportunity to sample this much-loved single malt.

This is a 1972 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.

Clynelish 12 Year Old Ainslie and Heilbron Miniature 1980s

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.

Presented here with the classic brown and orange label, first used on a special Edward & Edward bottling for the legendary Edoardo Giaccone in 1973, before becoming the official livery in 1977.

Gordon & MacPhail became the official licensed bottlers for Clynelish in 1984, but appear to have been producing official miniatures prior to this.

Caol Ila 1972 Gordon and MacPhail Miniature 

Caol Ila distillery was built in 1846 by Hector Henderson, who was bought out from the venture a little over 10 year later by Bulloch Lade. The blending firm merged with DCL (now Diageo) in 1927, who still run the distillery today. In 1972 the original site was demolished and replaced by a new one. When distilling resumed in 1974, Caol Ila was the largest producer of single malt on the Isle of Islay. Despite this, due to its importance in popular blends such as Johnnie Walker, its single malt brand disappeared under United Distillers, and it was not until 2002 that it would return, when the 12 year old was revived by Diageo. The Flora & Fauna release was well-regarded in the meantime, but it was independent releases like this that gave the best opportunity to sample this much-loved single malt.

This is a 1972 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.

Benriach 1976 Gordon and MacPhail Miniature 

Benriach is a distillery with long-standing transatlantic connections. It was procured by Seagram in 1978, the former Canadian drinks empire, and is now in the hands of the Brown-Forman corporation, via Billy Walker who rescued it from a brief mothballing in 2002. Walker bottled some of the peated whisky that Seagram had begun producing there for its blends in 1983, and the positive reaction to these means the distillery now produces both a peated and unpeated single malt. Benriach is one of only seven distilleries in Scotland to still operate its own in-house floor maltings. 

This is a 1976 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.

Highland & Speyside Miniatures x 3

• Craigellachie 1972 Signatory Vintage 17 year old 46% 5cl
• Glen Keith 10 year old 43% 5cl
• Blair Athol 70 proof

Imperial 1979 Gordon and MacPhail Miniature 

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

This is a Gordon & MacPhial bottling, part of their Distillery Labels series.

Speyside Dew Single Malt 75cl / US Import

A Speyside region single malt from an undisclosed distillery. This was bottled by Ewen & Company for their Highland Dew brand, part of their wider Dew Collection.

Braes of Glenlivet 1979 Signatory Vintage 15 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 1979 vintage Braes of Glenlivet, bottled from two casks in May 1995.

Braes of Glenlivet was built by Seagram in 1973, who reportedly were seeking to replicate the quality of the neighbouring Glenlivet distillery. So much so in fact, that the distillery name needed to be changed to Braeval in 1994 to avoid any confusion between the two. Pernond-Ricard acquired the distillery in 2001 after Seagram collapsed, and promptly mothballed it until 2008. Occasional distillery bottlings have appeared since, but there has never been a permanent range, and most of its single malt has been bottled by independent labels like this. 

Banff 1974 Gordon and MacPhail Miniature 

A distillery almost as synonymous with fire as it is with whisky, Banff experienced four separate blazes during its chequered history, including a bombing by the Luftwaffe in 1941. The distillery operated until 1983 when it was closed by DCL (now Diageo) after a downturn in the market lead to an oversupply. Unsurprisingly, it caught fire in the process of being dismantled and has never re-opened. Its malt was predominantly reserved for blending in its time, but it has contributed to some particularly sought after independent releases over the 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.

Glen Mhor 1978 Gordon and MacPhail Cask Strength Miniature 

Glen Mhor was one of three distilleries based in Inverness along with Millburn and Glen Albyn, all of which closed within two years of each other. Glen Mhor was one of the earlier, in 1983, and it was demolished just three years later. A historically significant malt, this was just a small two still operation, but was bottled both as a single malt in the late 19th and early 20th century, as well as making its way into high profile blends such as the one discovered in ice under Ernest Shackleton's hut. The owners for the majority of its history were Mackinlays, who produced several official releases for the emerging Italian single malt market in the late 1960s, but this stopped when DCL took over 1972. They licensed the brand to Gordon & MacPhail until its closure, and Diageo later included it in the Rare Malts Selection series, all of which remain rare and increasingly sought after. Bottlings from independent labels like this are equally so.

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

Dunglass 5 Year Old Miniature

Littlemill was one of Scotland's oldest distilleries in its time, with distilling rumoured to have taken place there as far back as the late 18th century. It has a turbulent history of ownership changes and mothballings, as well as briefly experimenting with producing a lightly and heavily peated single malt as well, called Dunglass and Dumbuck, respectively. Barton Brands, the owners at the time, called a halt to these in 1971 however. The distillery closed again for a time in the 1980s, with its still falling silent for the final time in 1994. The distillery buildings were then lost in a fire in 1996, bringing an end to the its tumultuous story. ​​​​​​​

This is a 5 year old bottling of the briefly produced Dunglass.

Director's Special Black Deluxe Whisky 75cl / US Import

A blended whisky produced by Shaw Wallace in India. This is batch 398, bottled in December 2002.

Director's Special was the company's biggest whisky brand, alongside Royal Challenge. The firm are perhaps best known as the distributor for the Sega Mega Drive video game system in the 1990s however.

Cragganmore 1976 Gordon and MacPhail Cask Strength Miniature 

Cragganmore distillery was built by John Smith at the end of the 19th century. An astute businessman, he selected the location of his distillery to facilitate easy trade with his customers, and produced spirit geared fully towards the needs of the blending companies. It was not long before it was considered one of the finest for such a purpose, and the distillery was eventually acquired by White Horse Distillers. When White Horse were bought by DCL, its subsequent iteration, United Distillers, selected it as part of their Classic Malts series in 1988, officially launching its single malt brand. Despite this, its importance to Diageo's blends means that other distillery bottlings are scarce, and it remains somewhat of a hidden gem. Thankfully, the occasional casks have been made available to independent bottlers over the years. 

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

Director's Special Whisky 75cl / US Import

A blended whisky produced by Shaw Wallace in India at the Maharashtra Distilleries. This is batch #0235, bottled in July 2001.

Director's Special was the company's biggest whisky brand, alongside Royal Challenge. The firm are perhaps best known as the distributor for the Sega Mega Drive video game system in the 1990s however.

Benriach 1982 Gordon and MacPhail Cask Strength Miniature 

Benriach is a distillery with long-standing transatlantic connections. It was procured by Seagram in 1978, the former Canadian drinks empire, and is now in the hands of the Brown-Forman corporation, via Billy Walker who rescued it from a brief mothballing in 2002. Walker bottled some of the peated whisky that Seagram had begun producing there for its blends in 1983, and the positive reaction to these means the distillery now produces both a peated and unpeated single malt. Benriach is one of only seven distilleries in Scotland to still operate its own in-house floor maltings. 

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

Benromach 1970 Gordon and MacPhail Miniature 

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 widely distributed single malt brand, but for many years independent releases like this were the only rare opportunities to try this well-regarded whisky. 

This is a 1970 vintage from Gordon & MacPhail, bottled priot to their ownership of the distillery.

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.

Colonel's Special 75cl / US Import

This is a whisky-style spirit drink from India, produced using various spices and coloured with caramel.

It was distilled and bottled by Mohan Meakin, who were founded in 1855 with the establishment of the country's first brewery.