The Perfect Collection Part Two

Clynelish 1965 Signatory Vintage 28 Year Old

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 1965 vintage Clynelish, bottled from a sherry cask in 1993.

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.

This will contain pre-closure single malt from the original Clynelish. This distillery was closed in 1968, re-opening as Brora the following year to produce heavily peated whisky for the DCL blends after a drought on Islay left them short of stock. Clynelish single malts from the first distillery are particularly revered.

Caol Ila 15 Year Old Manager's Dram 1990

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.

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. 

Prior limited releases like this are increasingly sought after, and this sherry casked Manager's Dram is the most so of this series.

Talisker 1973 Single Cask 28 Year Old #4633 / Oddbins

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 what has now become 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 the Classic Malts range, the popularity of the distillery exploded, and it is now one of the most revered and exported in Scotland.  

At the time of release, the 100 bottles of this were from the oldest casks at Talisker.  Exclusive to Oddbins, this very, very limited release sold out within hours and has been one of the rarest since.

Bottle 39 of the hundred drawn from cask number #4633.

Yoichi 1984 Single Cask 15 Year Old #103440 75cl 

A very rare bottling from Nikka's flagship distillery in Hokkaido, Japan. Nikka was founded in 1934 by Masataka Taketsuru, a former Suntory employee who had studied at the University of Glasgow, and later trained as a blender at the now lost Hazelburn distillery in Campbeltown.  Taketsuru opened the Yoichi distillery in the same year as establishing the company, modelling its pot stills on the long-necked design of the Longmorn stills in Speyside.  

This is a 1984 vintage single cask, bottled in April 2000.

Talisker 1973 Single Cask 28 Year Old #4633 / Oddbins

For a long time, Talisker was the sole distillery on Scotland’s iconic Isle of Skye. Renowned for the quality of its output, the distillery has rarely changed hands, joining DCL (now Diageo) back in 1916. Despite this, releases were not the most common. An 8 year old was bottled officially and Gordon & MacPhail produced what are now classic and sought after vintage bottlings under official license from the distillery. When a 10 year old expression became a founding pillar of United Distillers’ Classic Malts range in 1988, the popularity of the distillery exploded, and it is now one of the most revered and exported in Scotland.

At the time of release, the 100 bottles of this were from the oldest casks at Talisker.  Exclusive to Oddbins, this very, very limited release sold out within hours and has been one of the rarest since.

Bottle 86 of the hundred drawn from cask number #4633.

Clynelish 12 Year Old Ainslie and Heilbron Cask Strength 1973 / Edward and Edward

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.

As was often the case with the distilleries in the DCL portfolio, Clynelish was licensed to one of the blening company's within its portfolio. In this case it was Ainslie & Heilbron, a constituent of whom, James Ainslie & Co, had owned the distillery until 1912. When DCL were succeeded by United Distillers, one of the new company's first orders of business was to regain control of the distribution of its single malts, taking the licenses back from the blending houses. Clynelish single malt was not bottled again until 1991 when it became part of the Flora & Fauna range, and it would not be until 2002 that it was bottled with its own unique brand again.

This will contain pre-closure single malt from the original Clynelish. This distillery was closed in 1968, re-opening as Brora the following year to produce heavily peated whisky for the DCL blends after a drought on Islay left them short of stock. Clynelish single malts from the first distillery are particularly revered.

This was bottled on behalf of the legendary Italian bar owner, Edoardo Giaccone.

Giaccone was something of a trailblazer, and was importing specially bottled official single malts for his bar from the late 1960s, this is one of his earliest. He opened the famous venue in 1958, and it has been called a few different things over the years, including Garten, Edward & Edward (during the period this was imported), and La Taverna del Comandante.

Edoardo set the stage for later legendary bottlers such as Silvano Samaroli, Nadi Fiori and Ernesto Mainardi. Moon Import founder, Pepi Mongiardino said, \"he was the first person I visited\" when he became the distributor for Bruichladdich in 1981. Giaccone did not have any of his own labels or series, but was the first person in Italy to have official bottlings produced exclusively for him. Through his bar, Italy was treated to exclusive releases from Clynelish, Bowmore, Dalmore, Highland Park and even Jack Daniel's.

This 12 year old was bottle at a cask strength of 56.9%, at his request. Clynelish bottled three batches of this for Giaccone in 1969, 1971 and 1973. This particular release is the first outing for the new orange and brown label style, that would become the official Clynelish livery in 1977.

Talisker 1955 Gordon and MacPhail Cask Strength

For a long time, Talisker was the sole distillery on Scotland’s iconic Isle of Skye. Renowned for the quality of its output, the distillery has rarely changed hands, joining DCL (now Diageo) back in 1916. Despite this, releases were not the most common. An 8 year old was bottled officially and Gordon & MacPhail produced what are now classic and sought after vintage bottlings under official license from the distillery. When a 10 year old expression became a founding pillar of United Distillers’ Classic Malts range in 1988, the popularity of the distillery exploded, and it is now one of the most revered and exported in Scotland.

This is a rare 1990s bottling of Talisker from Gordon & MacPhail. Despite their close association in the 1970s and 1980s, the Eglin bottlers access to casks from the Isle of Skye has dried up in recent years, meaning most releases are necessarily very old vintages like this.

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.

Tamdhu 1970 Signatory Vintage 27 Year Old 75cl / US Import

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 very rare bottling of Tamdhu, distilled in January 1970 and matured in sherry butt #375. Bottled in March 1997, this is one of 230 bottles. 

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 focusing on this.

Teaninich 1957 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. 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 Teaninch was distilled in May 1957 and bottled in June 1979 .

Teaninich was built in the early 19th century and was eventually bought by blenders, Munro & Cameron, in 1895. Their trustees later sold the distillery to DCL in 1933, and it remains part of the Diageo operation to this day. The distillery's primary focus is on provision for the firms many blends, and the 10 year old Flora & Fauna has been the only permanent distillery bottling, with just a handful of rare official releases appearing alongside it over the years. As such, the majority of Teaninich single malt has appeared under independent labels such as this.

Talisker 1951 Gordon and MacPhail 21 Year Old / Edward and Edward

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.

Gordon & MacPhail were granted a license by DCL to officially bottle Talisker single malt in the 1970s and 1980s. Although their access to casks of Talisker has dried up in recent years, these older releases are regarded as being of exceptional quality, and are highly sought after.

The black and red labelled Connoisseurs Choice labels were the very first. The range was devised for Edoardo Giaccone in Italy in the early 1970s, and became part of the main Gordon & MacPhail portfolio in 1979. It is now one of the most widely recognised independent whisky labels in the world.

Giaccone was something of a trailblazer, and was importing specially bottled official single malts for his bar from the late 1960s, this is one of his earliest. He opened the famous venue in 1958, and it has been called a few different things over the years, including Garten, Edward & Edward (during the period this was imported), and La Taverna del Comandante.

Edoardo set the stage for later legendary bottlers such as Silvano Samaroli, Nadi Fiori and Ernesto Mainardi. Moon Import founder, Pepi Mongiardino said, \"he was the first person I visited\" when he became the distributor for Bruichladdich in 1981. Giaccone did not have any of his own labels or series, but was the first person in Italy to have official bottlings produced exclusively for him. Through his bar, Italy was treated to exclusive releases from Clynelish, Bowmore, Dalmore, Highland Park and even Jack Daniel's.

These particular bottlings all scored between 90 and 94 points when reviewed by Serge Valentin for WhiskyFun. Very impressive indeed!

Yamazaki Suntory White Whisky 1950s

Suntory are one of the founding fathers of Japanese whisky, established by Shinjirō Torii in 1899 as a wine store in Osaka. The venture was hugely successful, and the company was renamed Kotobukiya in 1921, which built its first distillery three years later, Yamazaki. The distillery produced both malt and grain whiskies which the company blended together, releasing its first Suntory White Label in 1929, the resulting popularity of which saw the firm renamed after it 1963. Expansion in the next decade saw the company move its grain production to a new Chita distillery in 1972, and open a second malt distillery, Hakushu, the following year. Suntory today has a large stake in both the bourbon and Scotch whisky industry, but remains at the forefront of its native whisky market too.

This is a 1950s example of the classic Suntory White.

These bottles would have been produced using malt and grain distilled at Yamazaki distillery. Suntory's grain whisky production was moved to Chita distillery during their expansion in the 1980s.

Coleraine 1959 Cask Strength 34 Year Old Irish Single Malt

A true piece of Irish whiskey heritage. Established in 1820 in Coleraine, Ulster, it was one of only two distilleries on the isle of Ireland to produce malt.

Famously supplying whisky to the Houses of Commons, the brand proudly bore \"H.C.\" on the label.

In a tale familiar to lovers of Irish whiskey, the 20th century was not kind to Coleraine and it spent most of the 1920s silent before being acquired in 1933 by the Boyds of Bushmills.

A Patent still was installed after the second world war, but malt distillations ceased in 1964 with grain following suit in 1978, and now only a scant few pieces of masonry stand as testament to this once illustrious distillery.

Produced from very limited stocks laid down in 1959 and aged 34 years, only 400 bottles were produced in 1993.

Chartreuse de Tarragona Yellow Label circa 1910s-20s

Chartreuse was originally created in 1605 by monks using a recipe for an elixir of long life.  It was produced produced between 1904-1989 in Tarragona (Spain) after the Carthusian Monks were exiled from France. In 1989 the distillery in Tarragona closed down and the production of this liquor returned to France. Today the bottles produced in the distillery of Tarragona have become some of the most expensive and sought after liquors in the world. The recipe contains more than 130 different plants and flowers.

This bottle appears to be from the early to mid-1910s, and bears the \"Liqueur fabriquée à Tarragone par les Pères Chartreux\" label text used by the monks prior to having the Chartreuse trademarks and distillery in France returned to them in the 1930s.

There are no indications of volume or strength but the bottle seems to be circa 1 litre

Talisker 1975 Cask Strength 25 Year Old 75cl / Inaugural Release - US Import

For a long time, Talisker was the sole distillery on Scotland’s iconic Isle of Skye. Renowned for the quality of its output, the distillery has rarely changed hands, joining what has now become 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 the classic malts range, the popularity of the distillery exploded, and it is now one of the most revered and exported in Scotland.

The Talisker 25 year old is eagerly awaited annually, this is the inaugural release, bottled in 2001.

Caol Ila 1966 Gordon and MacPhail Centenary Reserve

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 1995 bottling from Gordon & MacPhail, part of their sought after Centenary Reserve series.

Clynelish 1972 Rare Malts 24 Year Old / 61.3%

The Rare Malts 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 Clynelish was distilled in 1972 and bottled as a 24 year old in 1997.

Clynelish distillery as it is recognised today, was built in 1967 to replace the a smaller distillery next-door, which was the original site of that name. The original distillery was closed, but later re-opened, changing its name to Brora (and the rest is history). 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. 

Tamdhu 1950 23 Year Old

Tamdhu is a historic Speyside distillery, 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 1950 vintage Tamdhu was bottled in 1973 by Highland Distillers, who ran the distillery from 1899 to 1999 when they were acquired by Edrington. 

This was distilled in 1950, two years after the distillery was brought back into production after two decades in mothballs. Generally used for the provision of blends in this period, the expansion of the distillery from two stills to four in year prior this being bottled, clearly provided confidence in there being enough stock to bottle the distillery's well-regarded product as a single malt. An 8 year old distillery bottling was then added to its portfolio in 1976.

Talisker 1959 Berry Brothers and Rudd

Berry Brothers & Rudd is a firm steeped in history. They were established in the late 17th century, and received a Royal Warrant from King Edward VII in 1903. The company has been bottling single malt whisky from almost as early as that, and produced their first ever blend, Cutty Sark, in 1923.

This is an impressive old vintage Talisker, distilled in 1959 and bottled in 1981.

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.

Clynelish 1972 Rare Malts 23 Year Old 75cl / 57.0% 

The Rare Malts 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 Clynelish was distilled in 1972 and bottled as a 23 year old.

Clynelish distillery as it is recognised today, was built in 1967 to replace the a smaller distillery next-door, which was the original site of that name. The original distillery was closed, but later re-opened, changing its name to Brora (and the rest is history). 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. 

Talisker 1952 Gordon and MacPhail 21 Year Old / Edward and Edward

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.

Gordon & MacPhail were granted a license by DCL to officially bottle Talisker single malt in the 1970s and 1980s. Although their access to casks of Talisker has dried up in recent years, these older releases are regarded as being of exceptional quality, and are highly sought after.

The black and red labelled Connoisseurs Choice labels were the very first. The range was devised for Edoardo Giaccone in Italy in the early 1970s, and became part of the main Gordon & MacPhail portfolio in 1979. It is now one of the most widely recognised independent whisky labels in the world.

Giaccone was something of a trailblazer, and was importing specially bottled official single malts for his bar from the late 1960s, this is one of his earliest. He opened the famous venue in 1958, and it has been called a few different things over the years, including Garten, Edward & Edward (during the period this was imported), and La Taverna del Comandante.

Edoardo set the stage for later legendary bottlers such as Silvano Samaroli, Nadi Fiori and Ernesto Mainardi. Moon Import founder, Pepi Mongiardino said, \"he was the first person I visited\" when he became the distributor for Bruichladdich in 1981. Giaccone did not have any of his own labels or series, but was the first person in Italy to have official bottlings produced exclusively for him. Through his bar, Italy was treated to exclusive releases from Clynelish, Bowmore, Dalmore, Highland Park and even Jack Daniel's.

These particular bottlings all scored between 90 and 94 points when reviewed by Serge Valentin for WhiskyFun. Very impressive indeed!

Tomintoul 1966 John Milroy 34 Year Old

Tomintoul distillery was built in Speyside in 1965 by two whisky brokering companies. It was later acquired by the parent firm of Whyte & Mackay, and folded in to their portfolio in 1973. While its main function was the provision of its blends, as with all of its distilleries, Whyte & Mackay also had faith in its appeal as a single malt. It was introduced in the iconic \"perfume bottles\" at the end of the 1970s. The single malt brand was given more of a focus when the distillery was bought by Angus Dundee in 2000, who also introduced a peated variant called Old Ballantruan in 2005.

This is an independent bottling from MIlroys of Soho, named after one of its founders. A 1966 vintage, it was bottled in May 2000.

Milroys of Soho is a legendary bottle shop located on Greek Street in London. The store was foundered by John & Mary Milroy in 1964, but it was not until John's brother Wallace joined the company four years later that their focus on whisky was to catch up with their interest in wine. In that year alone, their single malt catalogue increased from just three to well over 30. Their dedication to this unfashionable style of whisky (at the time) continues to be rewarded today, with the Greek Street store still a cornerstone of London's whisky world.

Talisker 1953 Gordon and MacPhail 24 Year Old / Edward & Edward

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.

Gordon & MacPhail were granted a license by DCL to officially bottle Talisker single malt in the 1970s and 1980s. Although their access to casks of Talisker has dried up in recent years, these older releases are regarded as being of exceptional quality, and are highly sought after.

The black and red labelled Connoisseurs Choice labels were the very first. The range was devised for Edoardo Giaccone in Italy in the early 1970s, and became part of the main Gordon & MacPhail portfolio in 1979. It is now one of the most widely recognised independent whisky labels in the world.

Giaccone was something of a trailblazer, and was importing specially bottled official single malts for his bar from the late 1960s, this is one of his earliest. He opened the famous venue in 1958, and it has been called a few different things over the years, including Garten, Edward & Edward (during the period this was imported), and La Taverna del Comandante.

Edoardo set the stage for later legendary bottlers such as Silvano Samaroli, Nadi Fiori and Ernesto Mainardi. Moon Import founder, Pepi Mongiardino said, \"he was the first person I visited\" when he became the distributor for Bruichladdich in 1981. Giaccone did not have any of his own labels or series, but was the first person in Italy to have official bottlings produced exclusively for him. Through his bar, Italy was treated to exclusive releases from Clynelish, Bowmore, Dalmore, Highland Park and even Jack Daniel's.

These particular bottlings all scored between 90 and 94 points when reviewed by Serge Valentin for WhiskyFun. Very impressive indeed!

Convalmore 1962 Cadenhead's 31 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 Convalmore was distilled in 1962 and bottled in February 1994.

Convalmore was fourth of the \"Seven Stills\" of Dufftown, built in the late 19th century and later acquired by the blender, James Buchanan. After the merger of Buchanan's with DCL (now Diageo) in 1925, Convalmore continued to supply blends, and as a result was never officially bottled as a single malt in its own time. The distillery was shut down in 1985, and while there have been occasional Diageo special releases over the years, its single malt output is mostly limited to very sought after independent bottlings like this.

Coleburn 1964 The Bottlers 35 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Coleburn is a lesser-seen single malt, important in its time to the Usher's and Johnnie Walker Red Label blends. It was owned for the majority of the 20th century by DCL (now Diageo), who closed it down alongside many others in their portfolio in the early 1980s. There have been no official distillery bottlings outside of the Rare Malts Selection series, but a number of sought after independent releases like this have appeared over the years. The site of Coleburn is now owned by Aceo, the parent company of Murray McDavid. 

This is a 1964 vintage from The Bottlers label, drawn from a single cask in 1999.

Similar to the First Cask brand, The Bottlers is an independent label produced by a well-connected wine distributor. The bottles, produced by Raeburn Fine Wines in Edinburgh, are labelled simplistically and near-identically to each other, a no-frills approach that highlights their focus on cask selection first. The Bottlers releases have developed a cult following because of this, and old and new releases alike are increasingly sought after.

Talisker 25 Year Old Gordon and MacPhail / Queen's Silver Jubilee 1977

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.

Gordon & MacPhail were granted a license by DCL to officially bottle Talisker single malt in the 1970s and 1980s. Although their access to casks of Talisker has dried up in recent years, these older releases are regarded as being of exceptional quality, and are highly sought after.

This is one of several single malts released in 1977 to commemorate the Queen's Silver Jubilee, including a Glenlivet, Glenfarclas and a Macallan. The Talisker is one of the rarer in the selection.

Bottled by Gordon & MacPhail, this was imported to Italy by Co. Import, Pinerolo.

Convalmore 1962 Cadenhead's 30 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 1962 vintage Convalmore was bottled for the US market in October 1993.

Convalmore was fourth of the \"Seven Stills\" of Dufftown, built in the late 19th century and later acquired by the blender, James Buchanan. After the merger of Buchanan's with DCL (now Diageo) in 1925, Convalmore continued to supply blends, and as a result was never officially bottled as a single malt in its own time. The distillery was shut down in 1985, and while there have been occasional Diageo special releases over the years, its single malt output is mostly limited to very sought after independent bottlings like this. 

Talisker 1978 Cadenhead's 15 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 1978 vintage Talisker, bottled for the US market in June 1993.

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.

Yamazaki Suntory White Whisky 1960s

Suntory are one of the founding fathers of Japanese whisky, established by Shinjirō Torii in 1899 as a wine store in Osaka. The venture was hugely successful, and the company was renamed Kotobukiya in 1921, which built its first distillery three years later, Yamazaki. The distillery produced both malt and grain whiskies which the company blended together, releasing its first Suntory White Label in 1929, the resulting popularity of which saw the firm renamed after it 1963. Expansion in the next decade saw the company move its grain production to a new Chita distillery in 1972, and open a second malt distillery, Hakushu, the following year. Suntory today has a large stake in both the bourbon and Scotch whisky industry, but remains at the forefront of its native whisky market too.

This is a 1960s example of the classic Suntory White.

These bottles would have been produced using malt and grain distilled at Yamazaki distillery. Suntory's grain whisky production was moved to Chita distillery during their expansion in the 1980s.

Craigellachie 1962 Cadenhead's 37 Year Old / Millennium Bottling

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 special Millennium Bottling, distilled at Craigellachie and bottled from the Chairman's Stock in January 2000.

The town of Craigellachie is synonymous with Speyside whisky, but its eponymous distillery has only recently come into its own as a single malt brand. For the majority of the 20th century it was owned by White Horse Distillers, who became part of DCL (now Diageo) in 1927. Its malt was important to many of their blends, and as a result, the first official distillery bottlings did not appear until the 1990s as part of the Flora & Fauna and Rare Malt Selection series. Diageo eventually offloaded the distillery to John Dewar & Sons who, under the ownership of Bacardi, created a well-respected permanent range for Craigellachie in 2014. Despite the limited availability of official releases prior to then, there were a number of independent bottlings like this that allowed connoisseurs to sample the distillery's famously sulphuric spirit. 

Tamdhu 1963 Cadenheads 29 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 1963 vintage Tamdhu was bottled for the US market in March 1992.

Tamdhu is a historic Speyside distillery, 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. 

Tamdhu 1963 Cadenheads 30 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 1963 vintage Tamdhu was bottled for the US market in October 1993.

Tamdhu is a historic Speyside distillery, 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. 

Clynelish 12 Year Old Ainslie and Heilbron 57% 75cl 1990s / US Import

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 (and the rest is history). 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. 

As was often the case with the distilleries in the DCL portfolio, Clynelish was licensed to one of the blening company's within its portfolio. In this case it was Ainslie & Heilbron, a constituent of whom, James Ainslie & Co, had owned the distillery until 1912. When DCL were succeeded by United Distillers, one of the new company's first orders of business was to regain control of the distribution of its single malts, taking the licenses back from the blending houses. Clynelish single malt was not bottled again until 1991 when it became part of the Flora & Fauna range, and it would not be until 2002 that it was bottled with its own unique brand again.

This 12 year old is 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.

Ainslie & Heilbron was gradually wound down by DCL in the 1980s, with their blends discontinued. As a result, their bottling facilities were closed and Gordon & MacPhail became the official licensed bottlers for Clynelish in 1984. Ainslie & Heilbron would remain as named proprietors on the label however.