The Perfect Collection Part Two

Bowmore Islay Legend 30th Anniversary Scotch Whisky

Islay Legend was a generally 8 year old Bowmore-based blend, introduced in the early 1990s by Morrison Bowmore. It was highly regarded and produced mostly for export to the Europen markets.

This is one of just 25 bottles of a special 30 year old version, bottled in 1993 and given as gifts to guests of a dinner hosted to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Stanley P. Morrison's acquisition of the distillery.

Fettercairn 1962 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 Fettercairn was distilled in December 1962 and bottled January 1986.

Fettercairn distillery was built in 1825 and aside froma brief period in mothballs in the 1930s, has been in operation ever since. It was re-opened from that closure in 1939 by Associated Scottish Distilleries, the Scotch arm of the post-Prohibition drinks giant in the US, National Distillers. When ASD ceased trading in 1954 the distillery passed through various hands before being bought by Whyte & Mackay in 1973. Despite being an important contributor to their blends, they also pushed Fettercairn as a single malt brand, as well as making casks available to independent companies for bottlings like this. 

North Port 1971 Rare Malts 23 Year Old 75cl / 54.7% - US Import

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.

The Brechin distillery was built in 1820 by the Guthrie family, who changed its named to North Port at some point later that century. It was acquired by DCL (now Diageo) in 1922, who closed it down six years later. Production briefly resumed for two years before the war, but it was not until 1945 that regular distilling recommenced. North Port was one of the nine distilleries closed by DCL in 1983 after a market downturn meant their blends were over-supplied. It never re-opened and the site now houses a supermarket. Its single malt is very rare, and was never officially bottled in its lifetime. Diageo have produced only a handful of distillery bottlings, the first of which were in the Rare Malts Selection.

Distilled in 1971, this was the first ever North Port distillery bottling and is one of three in the Rare Malts Selection.

Fettercairn 1980 Cadenhead's 12 Year Old 75cl / 150th Anniversary

The Authentic Collection was launched by Wm. Cadenhead in 1991, and included whiskies from several rare closed Scottish and Irish distilleries, bottled for the company's 150th anniversary. It would later go on to become a mainstay of their portfolio, as the cask strength alternative to the Original Collection, which replaced their famous \"dumpy\" bottlings in the early 1990s. The Authentic Collection is now the flagship Cadenhead brand, and one of the most recognisable independent labels on the market.

This 12 year old Fettercairn is one of the original 150th anniversary releases.

Fettercairn distillery was built in 1825 and aside froma brief period in mothballs in the 1930s, has been in operation ever since. It was re-opened from that closure in 1939 by Associated Scottish Distilleries, the Scotch arm of the post-Prohibition drinks giant in the US, National Distillers. When ASD ceased trading in 1954 the distillery passed through various hands before being bought by Whyte & Mackay in 1973. Despite being an important contributor to their blends, they also pushed Fettercairn as a single malt brand, as well as making casks available to independent companies for bottlings like this. 

Fettercairn 1970 Signatory Vintage 25 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Fettercairn distillery was built in 1825 and aside froma brief period in mothballs in the 1930s, has been in operation ever since. It was re-opened from that closure in 1939 by Associated Scottish Distilleries, the Scotch arm of the post-Prohibition drinks giant in the US, National Distillers. When ASD ceased trading in 1954 the distillery passed through various hands before being bought by Whyte & Mackay in 1973. Despite being an important contributor to their blends, they also pushed Fettercairn as a single malt brand, as well as making casks available to independent companies for bottlings like this. 

This is a Signatory Vintage bottling from Signatory Vintage, distilled in 1970 and bottled in December 1995.

Signatory Vintage were established in 1988 by Andrew Symington and are one of Scotland's most prolific independent bottlers. Their offices and bottling facility are located next to Edradour distillery, which they have also owned since 2002.

Inchgower 1977 Cadenhead's Single Cask #9718

Wm. Cadenhead is Scotland’s oldest independent bottler, founded in 1842 by George Duncan. His brother William Cadenhead joined the company in 1952, taking over after George’s death in 1958. The company got into the whisky bottling business after 1904, when his nephew Robert Duthie took over, and since its sale to J&A Mitchell in 1972, Wm. Cadenhead has become on of the most sought after names in whisky. Its Authentic Collection is the flagship brand, but the portfolio of the company has expanded in recent years with labels like this.

This is part of a rare selection of cask strength, single cask releases from the 1990s, bottled with these iconic white labels. This is a 1977 vintage Inchgower, drawn from cask #9718.

Inchgower was built in 1871 by Alexander Wilson, using equipment rescued from the disused Tochineal distillery nearby. When his family went bankrupt, the distillery was bought by the town council, who sold it to Arthur Bell in 1937. As you would expect, it has been a key constituent in the Bell's blend ever since. As with Blair Athol and Dufftown, Arthur Bell & Sons took an early interest in bottling its single malt, with official releases appearing from the 1970s. These disappeared when Guinness bought Bell's in 1985 however, and it was not until United Distillers launched the Flora & Fauna brand in 1991 that the former Bell's stable would receive distillery bottlings again. Nowadays important to the Johnnie Walker blend too, other official releases of Inchgower are rare, and it is with independent releases like this where it enjoys the prominence it deserves.

Inverleven 1969 Cadenhead's 27 Year Old

The Authentic Collection was launched by Wm. Cadenhead in 1991, and included whiskies from several rare closed Scottish and Irish distilleries, bottled for the company's 150th anniversary. It would later go on to become a mainstay of their portfolio, as the cask strength alternative to the Original Collection, which replaced their famous \"dumpy\" bottlings in the early 1990s. The Authentic Collection is now the flagship Cadenhead brand, and one of the most recognisable independent labels on the market.

This is a 1969 vintage Inverleven single malt, bottled in September 1996.

Inverleven was a single malt distillery located within the Dumbarton grain complex. Dumbarton had been built by Canadian giants, Hiram Walker, in 1936 in order to provide whisky for its newly acquired Ballantine's brand. The distillery consisted of two copper pot stills and, later, a lomond still which was actually considered to be a seperate distillery, simply called Lomond. The latter was decommissioned in 1985, with Inverleven following suit in 1991 and the wider Dumbarton complex in 2002. The whole site has now been demolished. Inverleven's legacy lives on however, most prominently in its still set. The Lomond still now produces The Botanist gin at Bruichladdich, and the spirit and wash stills are now in situ at Waterford distillery in Ireland. Its legacy is less prominent in its output, with most of its whisky reserved for blends. Occasional distillery bottlings were produced, but the majority are rare independent releases like this.

Finlaggan 1979 Islay Single Malt Decanter

The Vintage Malt Whisky Company is a family-owned firm in Glasgow, founded in 1992 by Brian Crook. In addition to their Cooper's Choice series, they also bottle number of their own single malt brands, such as this Finlaggan (an Islay) and Tantallan (a Highland), using whisky sourced from unspecified distilleries. 

North of Scotland 1963 Scott's Selection 75cl / US Import

The Scott's Selection range was launched in the 1990s and was originally bottled from casks hand-selected by former Speyside distillery Master Distiller, Robert Scott. They are always filled un-chillfiltered and at a natural cask strength.

This is a 1964 vintage single grain from Scott's former employer, North of Scotland distillery.

North of Scotland began production in 1958, and was the first venture from George P. Christie, who later opened the Speyside distillery as well. North of Scotland originally distilled malt whisky as well, known as Strathmore, but its pot still were removed after just one year to focus on its grain production. Sadly the distillery was short-lived, shut down by Christie in 1980 in anticipation of the era of oversupply, also referred to as the \"whisky loch.\" The site was sold to DCL in 1982 and is nowadays used as a bond and warehousing operation by Diageo. Primarily tasked with provision for blends, there are very few releases of North of Scotland grain. An official 50 year old was bottled in 2017 in partnership with Elixir Distillers, but the majority of independent bottlings are from independent labels like this.

Imperial 1976 Milroys 20 Year Old

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 1976 vintage, bottled by Milroys of Soho in 1997.

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.

North Port 1982 Blackadder 13 Year Old Natural Strength

Blackadder International were founded in 1995 by whisky writers, Robin Tucek and John Lamond, authors of the 1987 publication, The Malt Whisky File: The Essential Guide for the Malt Whisky Connoisseur. The company has gained great affection from whisky enthusiasts for its Raw Cask series, which is deliberately drawn un-filtered from the cask so as to retain all cask sediment along with any natural oils and fats. The company is credited with a key role in the popularisation of cask strength whiskies since its inception.

This is a 1982 vintage North Port, bottled as natural strength in May 1996.

The Brechin distillery was built in 1820 by the Guthrie family, who changed its named to North Port at some point later that century. It was acquired by DCL (now Diageo) in 1922, who closed it down six years later. Production briefly resumed for two years before the war, but it was not until 1945 that regular distilling recommenced. North Port was one of the nine distilleries closed by DCL in 1983 after a market downturn meant their blends were over-supplied. It never re-opened and the site now houses a supermarket. Its single malt is very rare, and was never officially bottled in its lifetime. Diageo have produced only a handful of distillery bottlings, the first of which were in the Rare Malts Selection. Rare and increasingly sought after independent releases like this have also appeared over the years though. 

Imperial 1979 Gordon and MacPhail

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 1979 vintage is a Gordon & MacPhial bottling from 1995.

When Gordon & MacPhail were producing official bottlings under license in the 1970s, each distillery was labelled using a specific branding determined by their parent companies, such as DCL, Hiram Walker or Highland Distillers. By the 1980s, single malts were increasing in popularity and Gordon & MacPhail began to create a “house label” for every distillery, each with its own unique style, as is presented here. Although no longer the licensees, Gordon & MacPhail still produce bottles like this for many distilleries today, renamed in 2018 as their Distillery Labels range.

Inchmurrin 1966

An older bottling of this lightly peated whisky, produced in limited amounts from Loch Lomond distillery. This is one of a number of distinct spirits produced at the distillery, in this case on specially designed pot stills with rectifying heads to allow a higher cut point in the distillation process.

Although given more prominence under the current Loch Lomond distillery ownership, Inchmurrin from this period is much rarer. A 1966 vintage, this was bottled in 1999.

Inchmurrin 1966

An older bottling of this lightly peated whisky, produced in limited amounts from Loch Lomond distillery. This is one of a number of distinct spirits produced at the distillery, in this case on specially designed pot stills with rectifying heads to allow a higher cut point in the distillation process.

Although given more prominence under the current Loch Lomond distillery ownership, Inchmurrin from this period is much rarer. A 1966 vintage, this was bottled in 1996.

Imperial 1979 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 1979 vintage Imperial was bottled for the US market in June 1995.

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.

North Port 1976 Cadenhead's 19 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 1976 vintage North Port, bottled in December 1995.

The Brechin distillery was built in 1820 by the Guthrie family, who changed its named to North Port at some point later that century. It was acquired by DCL (now Diageo) in 1922, who closed it down six years later. Production briefly resumed for two years before the war, but it was not until 1945 that regular distilling recommenced. North Port was one of the nine distilleries closed by DCL in 1983 after a market downturn meant their blends were over-supplied. It never re-opened and the site now houses a supermarket. Its single malt is very rare, and was never officially bottled in its lifetime. Diageo have produced only a handful of distillery bottlings, the first of which were in the Rare Malts Selection. Rare and increasingly sought after independent releases like this have also appeared over the years though.

Imperial 1979 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 1979 vintage Imperial was bottled for the US market in June 1995.

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.  

North Port 1976 Cadenhead's 20 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 1976 vintage from North Port, bottled in March 1997.

The Brechin distillery was built in 1820 by the Guthrie family, who changed its named to North Port at some point later that century. It was acquired by DCL (now Diageo) in 1922, who closed it down six years later. Production briefly resumed for two years before the war, but it was not until 1945 that regular distilling recommenced. North Port was one of the nine distilleries closed by DCL in 1983 after a market downturn meant their blends were over-supplied. It never re-opened and the site now houses a supermarket. Its single malt is very rare, and was never officially bottled in its lifetime. Diageo have produced only a handful of distillery bottlings, the first of which were in the Rare Malts Selection. Rare and increasingly sought after independent releases like this have also appeared over the years though. 

Imperial 1982 Cooper's Choice 14 Year Old 75cl / US Import

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.  

A 1982 vintage bottling, this is part of the premium Cooper's Choice series from The Vintage Malt Whisky Co.

The Vintage Malt Whisky Company is a family-owned firm in Glasgow, founded in 1992 by Brian Crook. In addition to their Cooper's Choice series, they also bottle number of their own single malt brands, such as Finlaggan (an Islay) and Tantallan (a Highland), using whisky sourced from unspecified distilleries.

Island Single Malt 1996 Blackadder Statement 75cl / US Import

An undisclosed single malt whisky from the Islands, bottled by Blackadder International from a cask with reference #ARN96/039, which may be an indication of the source...

Blackadder International were founded in 1995 by whisky writers, Robin Tucek and John Lamond, authors of the 1987 publication, The Malt Whisky File: The Essential Guide for the Malt Whisky Connoisseur. The company has gained great affection from whisky enthusiasts for its Raw Cask series, which is deliberately drawn un-filtered from the cask so as to retain all cask sediment along with any natural oils and fats. The company is credited with a key role in the popularisation of cask strength whiskies since its inception.

Imperial 1990 Gordon and MacPhail Private Collection / Calvados Wood Finish

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 from the Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection range. This is an earlier addition to the series, before it replaced Rare Old as their premium label in 2018. These older editions focussed on cask finishing, in this case, ex-Calvados wood.

Imperial 1990 Gordon and MacPhail Private Collection / Claret Wood Finish

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 from the Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection range. This is an earlier addition to the series, before it replaced Rare Old as their premium label in 2018. These older editions focussed on cask finishing, in this case, ex-Claret wood.

Inchmurrin 28 Year Old 75cl / US Import

An older bottling of this lightly peated whisky, produced in limited amounts from Loch Lomond distillery. This is one of a number of distinct spirits produced at the distillery, in this case on specially designed pot stills with rectifying heads to allow a higher cut point in the distillation process.

Although given more prominence under the current Loch Lomond distillery ownership, Inchmurrin from this period is much rarer.

Inchmurrin 28 Year Old 75cl / US Import

An older bottling of this lightly peated whisky, produced in limited amounts from Loch Lomond distillery. This is one of a number of distinct spirits produced at the distillery, in this case on specially designed pot stills with rectifying heads to allow a higher cut point in the distillation process.

Although given more prominence under the current Loch Lomond distillery ownership, Inchmurrin from this period is much rarer.

Isle of Skye 21 Year Old Decanter

Ian Macleod & Co was founded in 1933, and was acquired by Peter J Russell thirty years later, running alongside William Maxwell & Co as subsidiaries for many years, producing a range of blends and independent single malt bottlings. The Isle of Skye blend was created long before the Peter J. Russel takeover, and continues to be a popular part of the current company's protfolio to this day. Peter J Russell rebranded as Ian Macleod Distillers in 2003, at the same time as achieving their long held ambition of becoming distillery owners, acquiring Glengoyne, and later, Tamdhu and Rosebank.

This 21 year old is one of 1000 bottled in a Wade porcelain decanter.

Imperial 1990 Gordon and MacPhail Private Collection / Cognac Wood Finish

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 from the Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection range. This is an earlier addition to the series, before it replaced Rare Old as their premium label in 2018. These older editions focussed on cask finishing, in this case, ex-Cognac wood.

Fettercairn 1980 Whyte and Whyte 13 Year Old 75cl / Spirits Library

Fettercairn distillery was built in 1825 and aside froma brief period in mothballs in the 1930s, has been in operation ever since. It was re-opened from that closure in 1939 by Associated Scottish Distilleries, the Scotch arm of the post-Prohibition drinks giant in the US, National Distillers. When ASD ceased trading in 1954 the distillery passed through various hands before being bought by Whyte & Mackay in 1973. Despite being an important contributor to their blends, they also pushed Fettercairn as a single malt brand, as well as making casks available to independent companies for bottlings like this. 

This was bottled for Whyte and Whyte, a Chicago-based independent spirits distributor in the US. The company had a UK arm that sourced casks of single malt from a variety of specialist firms, including Signatory Vintage and Wm. Cadenhead. This bottle is part of a sought after series the company imported for the Spirits Library, a Scotch and Cognac retailer in the US. Whyte and Whyte ceased trading in 1998, and these bottles are an increasing rarity.

Inchmurrin 28 Year Old 75cl / US Import

An older bottling of this lightly peated whisky, produced in limited amounts from Loch Lomond distillery. This is one of a number of distinct spirits produced at the distillery, in this case on specially designed pot stills with rectifying heads to allow a higher cut point in the distillation process.

Although given more prominence under the current Loch Lomond distillery ownership, Inchmurrin from this period is much rarer.

Fettercairn 875 8 Year Old 1970s / Orlandi Import

Fettercairn distillery was built in 1825 and aside froma brief period in mothballs in the 1930s, has been in operation ever since. It was re-opened from that closure in 1939 by Associated Scottish Distilleries, the Scotch arm of the post-Prohibition drinks giant in the US, National Distillers. When ASD ceased trading in 1954 the distillery passed through various hands before being bought by Whyte & Mackay in 1973. Despite being an important contributor to their blends, they also pushed Fettercairn as a single malt brand, known as \"Old Fettercairn\" until 2002 when the prefix was dropped. 

This is the first single malt bottling of the Whyte & Mackay era, predating their launch of the Old Fettercairn brand. Named simply after the distillery (as it is again today), the 875 is simple too; 8 for its age, and 75 for its imperial proof. There was also a 575 for the Italian market.

Islay Single Malt 1993 Blackadder Statement 75cl / Import

An undisclosed single malt whisky from Islay, bottled by Blackadder International from a cask with reference #BRU1566, which may be an indication of the source...

Blackadder International were founded in 1995 by whisky writers, Robin Tucek and John Lamond, authors of the 1987 publication, The Malt Whisky File: The Essential Guide for the Malt Whisky Connoisseur. The company has gained great affection from whisky enthusiasts for its Raw Cask series, which is deliberately drawn un-filtered from the cask so as to retain all cask sediment along with any natural oils and fats. The company is credited with a key role in the popularisation of cask strength whiskies since its inception.

Islay Single Malt 1993 Blackadder Statement 75cl / Import

An undisclosed single malt whisky from Islay, bottled by Blackadder International from a cask with reference #BRU1566, which may be an indication of the source...

Blackadder International were founded in 1995 by whisky writers, Robin Tucek and John Lamond, authors of the 1987 publication, The Malt Whisky File: The Essential Guide for the Malt Whisky Connoisseur. The company has gained great affection from whisky enthusiasts for its Raw Cask series, which is deliberately drawn un-filtered from the cask so as to retain all cask sediment along with any natural oils and fats. The company is credited with a key role in the popularisation of cask strength whiskies since its inception.

Inverleven 1984 Gordon and MacPhail

Inverleven was a single malt distillery located within the Dumbarton grain complex. Dumbarton had been built by Canadian giants, Hiram Walker, in 1936 in order to provide whisky for its newly acquired Ballantine's brand. The distillery consisted of two copper pot stills and, later, a lomond still which was actually considered to be a seperate distillery, simply called Lomond. The latter was decommissioned in 1985, with Inverleven following suit in 1991 and the wider Dumbarton complex in 2002. The whole site has now been demolished. Inverleven's legacy lives on however, most prominently in its still set. The Lomond still now produces The Botanist gin at Bruichladdich, and the spirit and wash stills are now in situ at Waterford distillery in Ireland. Its legacy is less prominent in its output, with most of its whisky reserved for blends. Occasional distillery bottlings were produced, but the majority are rare independent releases like this. 

This is a 1984 vintage from Gordon & MacPhail, bottled in 1996.

When Gordon & MacPhail were producing official bottlings under license in the 1970s, each distillery was labelled using a specific branding determined by their parent companies, such as DCL, Hiram Walker or Highland Distillers. By the 1980s, single malts were increasing in popularity and Gordon & MacPhail began to create a “house label” for every distillery, each with its own unique style, as is presented here. Although no longer the licensees, Gordon & MacPhail still produce bottles like this for many distilleries today, renamed in 2018 as their Distillery Labels range.