The Perfect Collection Part Two

Johnnie Walker '1805' Celebration Blend 75cl / US Import

Johnnie Walker is arguably the most popular and recognisable blended Scotch on the market. Its core range includes the standard Red Label and Black Label, introduced in 1909 and named, quite simply, after their packaging. The iconic “striding man” motif was first drawn by Tom Browne the year prior. The premium Blue Label brand was introduced in 1992, and is composed using malt whisky from some of the most sought after distilleries in Diageo’s extensive portfolio. Today, many of these distilleries are only still with us due to their importance to the Johnnie Walker blends during the difficult 1980s period for the industry. A true champion of the whisky world. 

The 1805 is a near mythical bottle of Johnnie Walker, created by Jim Beveridge as one of the rarest and exclusive whiskies to mark the 200th anniversary of John Walker's birthday.

This was never intended for public sale as all of the bottles were gifted to people who (in the company's opinion) ‘made a significant contribution to modern life,’ the company has never divulged this list.

This very limited whisky was produced from only 9 casks, all aged between 45 and 70 years old and limited to only 200 bottles.  

Jura 1966 Signatory Vintage 32 Year Old / 10th Anniversary

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 1966 vintage Jura was bottled to mark the company's 10th anniversary in 1998. It is one of 248 bottles drawn from cask #1485.

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 back 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. 

Van Winkle 12 Year Old Special Reserve pre-2007 / Applejack Liquors

The Old Rip Van Winkle brand was a pre-prohibition bourbon label, revived by the Van Winkle family after they were forced to sell their Stitzel-Weller distillery by its board of directors. New owners, Somerset Imports, granted Julian Van Winkle II (son of the famous 'Pappy') the continued use of an office at the distillery, and first option on purchasing casks to bottle his new brand with. When he died and the business passed to his son, Julian III, this courtesy was no longer extended, and he moved bottling to the old Hoffman distillery in Lawrenceburg in 1983, renaming it Old Commonwealth. He was still able to buy Stitzel-Weller stock though, and introduced the famous Pappy Van Winkle range in homage to his grandfather, using well-aged barrels from the distillery the now-legendary figure once so lovingly ran. When Stitzel-Weller was closed down by United Distillers in 1992, it was only a matter of time before stock would run out. This necessitated a partnership between Julian Van Winkle III and Buffalo Trace distillery in 2002, seeing all bottling move there, initially using the remaining Stitzel-Weller barrels, with these eventually replaced by Buffalo Trace distilled stock. The product from all eras is revered, and the brand is considered to be the first premium bourbon line to have been produced in the US.

The 12 year old Special Reserve is one of the original products bottled by Julian Van Winkle III at his facility in Lawrenceburg. He first bottled it in 1991, using 1979 vintage Stitzel-Weller bourbon, a one-time release called 'Lot A.' The subsequent and inaugural release of the Lot B was bottled the same year, and has been a permanent part of the range ever since.

This is a Buffalo Trace bottling, pre-dating its use of laser codes, meaning this was filled between 2002 and 2007. Bottling of the 12 year old from this period could be wheated bourbon distilled at either Stitzel-Weller (earlier releases), Bernheim or George T. Stagg.

This was a special selection for AppleJack Liquors, whether or not it is also a single barrel (as is common for \"store picks\") in unclear.

Killyloch 1967

A very rare bottling of whisky from Killyloch. The distillery existed within the long lost Moffat distilling complex, which was constructed by Inver House Distillers between 1964 and 1965. Inver House was a subsidiary of US drinks giant, Publiker, and the Moffat complex was designed to provide both malt and grain for their blending operations. The primary malt was Glen Flagler, an unpeated spirit, although a separate set of stills were used to produce peated and heavily peated single malts, called Killyloch and Islebrae, respectively. These stills were set aside in their own distillery within the complex, which took its named from the lesser-peated, Killyloch (around 3ppm, according to Malt Maniacs). The stills at Killyloch were switched off in the 1970s, with Glen Flagler and the Garnheath grain distillery following suit in 1985 and 1986, leaving the whole complex in silence.

This 36 year old official release from Inver House is a vatting of the six of the last remaining casks that  the former proprietors of the distillery had left in their care. 

One of 371 bottles.

Jameson's Bow Street 1963 Cadenhead's 27 Year Old 75cl / 150th Anniversary

Mis-spelled on the label at \"Jamieson's,\" this is an Irish whiskey from the Jameson Bow Street distillery.

This was distilled in 1963, just three years before the amalgamation of Jameson with fellow Dublin firm, Powers, and Cork Distillers to form the Irish Distillers group. Part of the plan for this new company was to consolidate all distilling operations at a new distillery in Midleton, adjacent to Cork Distillers' Old Midleton. This site opened in 1975, with Bow Street closing in preparation for it in 1971. It has developed a legendary status in Irish history since.

This was bottled in 1991 as a commemoration for the 150th anniversary of Wm. Cadenhead, which would be marked the following year.

This and a number of releases from other closed distilleries are the first incarnations of Cadenhead's Authentic Collection, now its flagship brand.

Killyloch 1972 Signatory Vintage 22 Year Old

A very rare bottling of whisky from Killyloch.  The distillery existed within the long lost Moffat distilling complex, which was constructed by Inverhouse Distillers between 1964 and 1965. Inverhouse was a subsidiary of US drinks giant, Publiker, and the Moffat complex was designed to provide both malt and grain for their blending operations. The primary malt was Glen Flagler, an unpeated spirit, although a seperate set of stills were used to produce peated and heavily peated single malts, called Killyloch and Islebrae, respectively. These stills were set aside in their own distillery within the complex, which took its named from the lesser-peated, Killyloch (around 3ppm, according to Malt Maniacs). The stills at Killyloch were switched off in the 1970s, with Glen Flagler and the Garnheath grain distillery following suit in 1985 and 1986, leaving the whole complex in silence. 

This 22 year old independent release from Signatory Vintage was distilled on the 21st March 1972 and bottled in June 1994 from single sherry cask # 206413.

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.

Bottle number 213 of 230.

John Jameson 1949 Averys 37 Year Old

Averys of Bristol are a historic English wine-merchant and distributor, always famed for their forward-thinking outlook on wine and spirits. They were early champions of new world wines, and the first to import what are now recognised household names like Wolf Blass and Penfolds Grange. Similarly, they were also ahead of the curve with whisky, bottling single malts as early as the 1930s. There has been little output from the firm since the 1980s, but in their heydey they produced some incredibly sought after whisky and rum, including Macallan, Highland Park, and an elegantly labelled series for the Corti Brothers of Sacramento.

This single cask is from a batch of John Jameson whisky purchased by the company in 1949. At this time the only way to acquire Jameson whisky was to buy it in cask and bottle it under license from the Dublin company. It was not until the 1960s when it became part of the Irish Distillers group that Jameson was first sold by the bottle by the distillery.

This will have been produced at the historic Bow Street in Dublin, the last distillery to close there in 1971 after Ireland's three great distillers (Jameson, Powers and Cork Distillers) amalgamated their operations in 1966, eventually consolidting production at the New Midleton distillery in 1975.

This is the last cask of this parcel of 1949 vintage casks to be bottled by Averys, in 1987. By this point the Jameson brand had become a blend of Irish malt and grain whiskies. This therefore was an opportunity to sample the historic single pot still style produced at Bow Street.

Killyloch 1972 Signatory Vintage 22 Year Old

A very rare bottling of whisky from Killyloch.  The distillery existed within the long lost Moffat distilling complex, which was constructed by Inverhouse Distillers between 1964 and 1965. Inverhouse was a subsidiary of US drinks giant, Publiker, and the Moffat complex was designed to provide both malt and grain for their blending operations. The primary malt was Glen Flagler, an unpeated spirit, although a seperate set of stills were used to produce peated and heavily peated single malts, called Killyloch and Islebrae, respectively. These stills were set aside in their own distillery within the complex, which took its named from the lesser-peated, Killyloch (around 3ppm, according to Malt Maniacs). The stills at Killyloch were switched off in the 1970s, with Glen Flagler and the Garnheath grain distillery following suit in 1985 and 1986, leaving the whole complex in silence. 

This 22 year old independent release from Signatory Vintage was distilled on the 21st March 1972 and bottled in June 1994 from single sherry cask # 206413.

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.

Bottle number 128 of 230.

Kinclaith 1965 Cadenhead's 20 Year Old Sherry Wood

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

This is a 1965 vintage Kinclaith, bottled from sherry wood in March 1985.

Kinclaith is another of the short-lived malt distilleries that were built, mostly by American owners, within grain distilleries in the mid-20th century. On this occasion it was the Schenley company, who bought the parent firm of Strathclyde distillery, Seager Evans, in 1957. It built the Kinclaith malt distillery within the Strathclyde complex the same year, and they operated it until 1975 when Whitbread bought Strathclyde and ripped them back out again. Nearly all of the Kinclaith output was used for the Long John blends, and it was never officially bottled as a single malt. Some casks did make their way to the independent companies though, and an elusive batch of bottlings like this has been brought to market.

Knappogue Castle 1951 / US Import

A single malt Irish whiskey produced at the long-lost B. Daly distillery, former home of Tullamore Dew before it's 1960's transfer to Powers at John's Lane. The distillery closed 3 years later and this whiskey stock was discovered in the basement of Knappogue Castle by it's new owner, Mark Edwin Andrews.

Distilled in 1951 and bottled in 1987 under the castle's name.

Imported into the US by Great Spirits Company, Manhasset, NY.

Knappogue Castle 1951 Single Cask 36 Year Old #9 / US Import

A single malt Irish whiskey produced at the long-lost B. Daly distillery, former home of Tullamore Dew before it's 1960's transfer to Powers at John's Lane. The distillery closed 3 years later and this whiskey stock was discovered in the basement of Knappogue Castle by its new owner, Mark Edwin Andrews.

Distilled in 1951 and bottled in 1987 under the castle's name.

A single pot still, this was bottled at 36 years old from cask #9

Imported into the US by Castle Brands, NY.

Knappogue Castle 1951 Single Cask 36 Year Old #9 / US Import

A single malt Irish whiskey produced at the long-lost B. Daly distillery, former home of Tullamore Dew before it's 1960's transfer to Powers at John's Lane. The distillery closed 3 years later and this whiskey stock was discovered in the basement of Knappogue Castle by its new owner, Mark Edwin Andrews.

Distilled in 1951 and bottled in 1987 under the castle's name.

A single pot still, this was bottled at 36 years old from cask #9

Imported into the US by Castle Brands, NY.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label 100 Year of the Striding Man 75cl / US Import

Johnnie Walker is arguably the most popular and recognisable blended Scotch on the market. Its core range includes the standard Red Label and Black Label, introduced in 1909 and named, quite simply, after their packaging. The iconic “striding man” motif was first drawn by Tom Browne the year prior. The premium Blue Label brand was introduced in 1992, and is composed using malt whisky from some of the most sought after distilleries in Diageo’s extensive portfolio. Today, many of these distilleries are only still with us due to their importance to the Johnnie Walker blends during the difficult 1980s period for the industry. A true champion of the whisky world. 

This is a 2008 special release of the Blue Label blend, bottled to commemorate the centery of the \"striding man\" logo. The instantly-recognisable motif underwent several design iterations over those years, most notably in 1999 when his direction of travel was changed from striding right-to-left, to left-to-right, part of their \"Keep Walking\" advertising campaign, and emblematic of a feeling of positivity heading into the new millennium.

John Jameson and Son Redbreast 12 Year Old 1980s

Redbreast is a single pot still whiskey, for which a combination of malted and un-malted barley are triple distilled in copper pot stills. The brand was created by W.A. Gilbey & Co, and bottled using whiskey sourced from Jameson's Bow Street distillery in Dublin. When Jameson amalgamated with Powers and Cork Distillers to form the Irish Distillers group, the Dublin distilleries were closed down, with all production moved to New Midleton distillery in Cork in 1975. Gilbey's discontinued the brand ten years later, but agreed to sell it to Irish Distillers who relaunched it in 1991.

This is an old early 1980s version of the Gilbey's product, one of the last to bear their name and will contain whiskey produced int he last years of production at Jameson's Bow Street.

Jefferson's Reserve 15 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon

A bourbon brand inspired by former US president and founder father, Thomas Jefferson's curiosity, experimental spirit and good taste.

Jefferson's Reserve is a blend produced by Castle Brands, historically from whisky sourced from various distilleries. The company now owns the Kentucky Artisan Distillery in Crestwood though, and is increasingly warehousing more of its own stock.

Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve 2007 Edition 75cl / US Import

The Jameson brand is named for its founder, John Jameson, a Scot who was married into the famous Haig distilling dynasty. Jameson was one of the original Dublin whiskies, and is synonymous with its spiritual ex-home, the Bow Street distillery in Ireland's capital. The Irish Wars of Independence, subsequent trade war with Britain, and US Prohibition, all hit the whiskey industry there hard in the mid-20th century. The solution was the creation of the Irish Distillers group, a merger between Jameson, Powers and Cork Distillers in 1966. Now a Pernod Ricard subsidiary, Irish Distillers continue to produce Jameson at the New Midleton distillery in Cork, built in 1975. Today it is best-selling Irish whiskey in the world.

A very well respected and rare Jameson, including some of their oldest and rarest vintages. Some of which is pot-still whisky matured in a Port Pipe. 

Jura 1967 Stillman's Dram 27 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 back 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. 

This was bottled within The Stillman's Dram series of whiskies, a premium range of limited editions which showcased impressive age-statements from the Whyte & Mackay distillery portfolio, which also includes Dalmore, Tamnavulin and at the time, Bruichladdich.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label 100 Year of the Striding Man 75cl / US Import

Johnnie Walker is arguably the most popular and recognisable blended Scotch on the market. Its core range includes the standard Red Label and Black Label, introduced in 1909 and named, quite simply, after their packaging. The iconic “striding man” motif was first drawn by Tom Browne the year prior. The premium Blue Label brand was introduced in 1992, and is composed using malt whisky from some of the most sought after distilleries in Diageo’s extensive portfolio. Today, many of these distilleries are only still with us due to their importance to the Johnnie Walker blends during the difficult 1980s period for the industry. A true champion of the whisky world. 

This is a 2008 special release of the Blue Label blend, bottled to commemorate the centery of the \"striding man\" logo. The instantly-recognisable motif underwent several design iterations over those years, most notably in 1999 when his direction of travel was changed from striding right-to-left, to left-to-right, part of their \"Keep Walking\" advertising campaign, and emblematic of a feeling of positivity heading into the new millennium.

Jameson 15 Year Old Limited Edition

The Jameson brand is named for its founder, John Jameson, a Scot who was married into the famous Haig distilling dynasty. Jameson was one of the original Dublin whiskies, and is synonymous with its spiritual ex-home, the Bow Street distillery in Ireland's capital. The Irish Wars of Independence, subsequent trade war with Britain, and US Prohibition, all hit the whiskey industry there hard in the mid-20th century. The solution was the creation of the Irish Distillers group, a merger between Jameson, Powers and Cork Distillers in 1966. Now a Pernod Ricard subsidiary, Irish Distillers continue to produce Jameson at the New Midleton distillery in Cork, built in 1975. Today it is best-selling Irish whiskey in the world.

This is a pure pot still whiskey in the style historically produced by John Jameson & Son at Bow Street. Aged 15 years and bottled at the turn of the millennium.

John Begg's Gold Cap circa 1920s

Gold Cap was a premium blend produced by John Begg, the founder and at this time, proprietor of Royal Lochnagar distillery. This was bottled around the 1920s, and bears the royal warrant of King George V, and a Betts & Co foil capsule, patented the decade previously. Lochnagar distillery's royal connections date back as far as Queen Victoria, who awarded it its first Royal Warrant after just three years of operation, in 1848.

John Begg has been acquired by John Dewar & Sons by the time this was produced, and was shortly to becoe part of the DCL fold, who's modern iteratiom, Diageo, still run Royal Lochnagar to this day.

Kinclaith 1967 Gordon and MacPhail

Kinclaith is another of the short-lived malt distilleries that were built, mostly by American owners, within grain distilleries in the mid-20th century. On this occasion it was the Schenley company, who bought the parent firm of Strathclyde distillery, Seager Evans, in 1957. It built the Kinclaith malt distillery within the Strathclyde complex the same year, and they operated it until 1975 when Whitbread bought Strathclyde and ripped them back out again. Nearly all of the Kinclaith output was used for the Long John blends, and it was never officially bottled as a single malt. Some casks did make their way to the independent companies though, and an elusive batch of bottlings like this has been brought to market.

This 1967 vintage was bottled by Gordon & MacPhail in the 1980s.

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.

Jack Daniel's '1914' Gold Medal Series 2001

Jack Daniel's is the best-selling American whiskey in the world. Despite that fact it can legally be categorised as a straight bourbon, it has always shunned this title, preferring to market itself as a Tennessee Whiskey. These are similar to straight bourbons but have the additional requirement of having been filtered through maple wood charcoal, a practice known as the Lincoln County Process. History has not always given the distillery an easy ride though. Tennessee was an early adopter of Prohibition in 1910, and one of the last to repeal it in 1938 (five years later than the repeal at Federal level). Even today the distillery is still located in a \"dry\" county, meaning none of its products are sold in its hometown or those around it. The distillery was then only operational for four years before being forced to close again during the second world war. Ten years later it was purchased by the Brown-Forman corporation and its fortunes turned for good. Its classic black-labelled Old No.7 brand (named after the distillery’s original DSP number) is now a globally recognised product.

This is a limited bottle of Jack Daniel's, released in 2001 as the fourth part of the Gold Medal Series, which celebrated each of those won buy the distillery.

This is the 1914 version, celebrating the medal won at the Anglo-American Exposition that year. Despite the state of Tennessee being an early adopter of Prohibition, Lem Motlow (Jack Daniel's nephew) still had high hopes for the distillery. His faith was rewarded by the batch he sent to competition in London that year.

Knockdhu 21 Year Old Cask Strength

Knockdhu could be considered by many to be the genesis of what is now the whisky giant, Diageo. Then known as DCL, a consortium of Lowland grain distillers, they built Knockdhu distillery in their first foray into malt whisky distilling in 1893. They operated the distillery until 1983 when, like much of their portfolio, they closed it down due to an oversupply resulting from the Scotch market downturn of the period. The distillery was bought and re-opened by Inver House in 1988, who quickly turned out the first official single malt bottlings. The product was swiftly rebranded as AnCnoc in 1993 however, purportedly to avoid confusion with the similarly named Knockando.

This 1999 distillery bottling is a a cask strength 21 year old. This is particulalrly rare in that it bears the traditional distillery name on the label.

Knappogue Castle 15 Year Old Very Limited Edition 75cl / US Import

A very limited edition of this single malt Irish whiskey produced at Cooley distillery. Produced by vatting together single malt from three different vintages: 1990, 1991 and 1992. Each bottle was hand signed and numbered by Mark Andrews This is bottle number 467 of 600. 

Cooley distillery was opened in 1987 after it was converted from a pototo alcohol plant by John Teeling. It now operates two pot and three column stills, generally double distilling as opposed the more familiar triple distillation that most Irish producers favour. It was bought by Beam Inc. in 2011, with its former owners now operating the Teeling distillery in Dublin. Cooley's core range includes the Kilbeggan blends and a peated and unpeated single malt, called Connemara and Tyrconnell, respectively. In addition to this, they have a massive contract distilling operation, providing whisky to a number of independent labels like this.

Imported by Castle Brands, NY.

Knockando 1973 Single Cask 21 Year Old #569 75cl / US Import

Knockando is a late 19th century distillery, purchased by W & A Gilbery in 1904, alongside Strathmill and Glen Spey during its expansion into the whisky business. When Gilbey's became part of IDV in the 1960s, Knockando became the home of the Justerini & Brooks blends, and remains so to this day under the ownership of Diageo. Despite its importance to such a big-selling blended Scotch, Knockando has always been regarded as a fine single malt in its own right, and has a history of official distillery bottlings dating back to the 1970s, but very little has ever been spared for the independent bottlers. 

This is a rare single cask release, bottled for the US market. Cask #569 was distilled in 1973 and bottled in 1996.

Knockando 1965 Extra Old Reserve / US Import

Knockando is a late 19th century distillery, purchased by W & A Gilbery in 1904, alongside Strathmill and Glen Spey during its expansion into the whisky business. When Gilbey's became part of IDV in the 1960s, Knockando became the home of the Justerini & Brooks blends, and remains so to this day under the ownership of Diageo. Despite its importance to such a big-selling blended Scotch, Knockando has always been regarded as a fine single malt in its own right, and has a history of official distillery bottlings dating back to the 1970s, but very little has ever been spared for the independent bottlers. 

This premium distillery bottling was distilled in 1965 and bottled in 1990. The label also has a 21 year age statement however, which is likely erroneous.

Imported to the US market by The Paddington Corp, NJ.

Jameson 18 Year Old Master Selection 75cl / US Import

The Jameson brand is named for its founder, John Jameson, a Scot who was married into the famous Haig distilling dynasty. Jameson was one of the original Dublin whiskies, and is synonymous with its spiritual ex-home, the Bow Street distillery in Ireland's capital. The Irish Wars of Independence, subsequent trade war with Britain, and US Prohibition, all hit the whiskey industry there hard in the mid-20th century. The solution was the creation of the Irish Distillers group, a merger between Jameson, Powers and Cork Distillers in 1966. Now a Pernod Ricard subsidiary, Irish Distillers continue to produce Jameson at the New Midleton distillery in Cork, built in 1975. Today it is best-selling Irish whiskey in the world.

This is the 18 year old Master Selection, bottled prior to its replacement by the Limited Reserve.

Knockando 1964 Extra Old Reserve

Knockando is a late 19th century distillery, purchased by W & A Gilbery in 1904, alongside Strathmill and Glen Spey during its expansion into the whisky business. When Gilbey's became part of IDV in the 1960s, Knockando became the home of the Justerini & Brooks blends, and remains so to this day under the ownership of Diageo. Despite its importance to such a big-selling blended Scotch, Knockando has always been regarded as a fine single malt in its own right, and has a history of official distillery bottlings dating back to the 1970s, but very little has ever been spared for the independent bottlers.

This is an 1964 vintage of the old Extra Old Reserve release, bottled in 1988.

John Jameson 12 Year Old 1970s / Soffiantino Import

With one eye on warehouses full of ageing stock, and another across the Atlantic to a United States of America set to repeal the Prohibition Act, a 12 Year Old Jameson was first bottled in 1932. This premium expression was distilled in the quintessential Irish style, from a mash of malted and unmalted cereals in traditional copper pots.

The first Jameson 12 year old blend, like this one, represents a significant change in Irish distilling at the time, one that likely saved the industry. The Jameson, Powers and Cork distilling companies had banded together as Irish Distillers in an effort to pool resources and capitalise on what was about to become a hugely expanded export market. Jameson was pushed as the poster boy and in an effort to appeal to international tastes at the time, the old Irish pot still whiskeys would henceforth become the modern blends that we recognise today.

This particular blend is a marriage of both of Irelands great closed distilleries, Jameson's Bow Street, and Powers' John's Lane. The pure pot still content is from Bow Street, and the grain, since Jameson's did not have a patent still, came from John's Lane. There is some serious Irish distilling history captured in this bottle. We hear it doesn't taste too bad either!

Based on the glass stamp, this bottles dates to sometime in or just after 1977.

John Jameson 15 Year Old 1970s

The Jameson brand is named for its founder, John Jameson, a Scot who was married into the famous Haig distilling dynasty. Jameson was one of the original Dublin whiskies, and is synonymous with its spiritual ex-home, the Bow Street distillery in Ireland's capital. The Irish Wars of Independence, subsequent trade war with Britain, and US Prohibition, all hit the whiskey industry there hard in the mid-20th century. The solution was the creation of the Irish Distillers group, a merger between Jameson, Powers and Cork Distillers in 1966. Now a Pernod-Ricard subsidiary, Irish Distillers continue to produce Jameson at the New Midleton distillery in Cork, built in 1975. Today it is best-selling Irish whiskey in the world.

These first Jameson blended Irish whiskies represented a significant change in Irish distilling at the time, one that likely saved the industry. When the Jameson, Powers and Cork Distillers companies had banded together as Irish Distillers in an effort to pool resources and capitalise on what was about to become a hugely expanded export market, Jameson was pushed as the poster boy and in an effort to appeal to international tastes at the time. The old Irish pot still whiskeys would henceforth become the modern blends that we recognise today.

This particular 15 year old blend is a marriage of both of Irelands great closed distilleries, Jameson's Bow Street, and Powers' John's Lane. The pure pot still content is from Bow Street, and the grain, since Jameson's did not have a patent still, came from John's Lane. There is some serious Irish distilling history captured in this bottle. 

1970s import by Soffiantino for the Italian market.

Knockando 1976 18 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Knockando is a late 19th century distillery, purchased by W & A Gilbery in 1904, alongside Strathmill and Glen Spey during its expansion into the whisky business. When Gilbey's became part of IDV in the 1960s, Knockando became the home of the Justerini & Brooks blends, and remains so to this day under the ownership of Diageo. Despite its importance to such a big-selling blended Scotch, Knockando has always been regarded as a fine single malt in its own right, and has a history of official distillery bottlings dating back to the 1970s, but very little has ever been spared for the independent bottlers.

Unusually for a core-range single malt, those from Knockando have traditionally always featured the vintage on the label. For a brief period this was instead referred to in Americanised terms as the distillation \"season.\" 

Jura 26 Year Old Stillman's Dram

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 back 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. 

This was bottled within The Stillman's Dram series of whiskies, a premium range of limited editions which showcased impressive age-statements from the Whyte & Mackay distillery portfolio, which also includes Dalmore, Tamnavulin and at the time, Bruichladdich.