The Perfect Collection Part Two

Royal Lochnagar Selected Reserve 75cl / US Import

Royal Lochnagar is so-called after it was bestowed with a Royal Warrant by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria following a visit in 1848. The popularity of the distillery’s Begg’s blend saw it acquired by John Dewar & Sons in 1916, who later became part of DCL, upping the demand for its whisky from other brands in their portfolio, including Johnnie Walker. Today it is part of Diageo, their smallest distillery by some margin, making the modest amount of its single malt spared for bottling increasingly sought after. 

Prior to the formation of United Distillers in 1988, the distilleries within the DCL portfolio were often licensed out to its blending companies, and in the case of Royal Lochnagar it was former owners, John Begg Ltd. Their 12 year old bottling replaced the Haig's Glenleven blended malt within the Ascot Malt Cellar range, an early DCL precursor to the Classic Malts range launched later that decade.

When the classic malts was launched, Royal Lochnagar was not included, but United Distillers continued to market the distillery's brand, re-launching the 12 year old alongside this sherry-casked Selected Reserve, which they pitched as the single malt equivalent of their premium Johnnie Walker Blue Label. That was also the moment that the \"Royal\" prefix returned to the distillery name. Bottlings like this one were labelled simply Lochnagar as of 1974.

For many years this was the most expensive permanent product in the Diageo portfolio.

Balmenach 1979 Hart Brothers 18 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Balmenach is a rarely seen single malt distillery in Speyside. It was built in the early 19th century and for the majority of the 20th it was owned by DCL (now Diageo). Its distinctive style made it highly prized by blenders, and little of it was spared for official distillery bottlings, or independents for that matter. The distillery was closed in 1993 during the Scotch market downturn, but was revived in 1997 by Inver House who purchased it and resumed production. The focus today is still on provision for blends, and Inver House are yet to release a distillery bottling. It is however the source of the popular Carounn gin. 

This is an independent bottling from the Hart Brothers, distilled in 1979 and bottled in 1977.

The Hart Brothers bottling company was founded in 1964 when Iain and Donald Hart incorporated as a wine and spirit merchant and Scotch whisky blenders. They have been bottling independent single malts since the 1980s.

Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Cask Strength 75cl / US Import

Glenfiddich was an early advocate of the single malt Scotch category, and their faith is rewarded today by being one of the best-selling Scotch brands in the world. The distillery was built by William Grant in 1886, distilling its first spirit on Christmas day the following year. Today it is still part of the family-owned, William Grant & Sons. They became the first distillery to actively market their single malt brand in 1963, and were the first to open their facility to visitors. Glenfiddich was an important trailblazer in the whisky industry, who's contribution cannot be forgotten. The scale of their operation today is a testament to this. 

This 15 year old cask strength distillery bottling was replaced by the Distillery Edition in 2012.

Balmenach 1979 Hart Brothers 18 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Balmenach is a rarely seen single malt distillery in Speyside. It was built in the early 19th century and for the majority of the 20th it was owned by DCL (now Diageo). Its distinctive style made it highly prized by blenders, and little of it was spared for official distillery bottlings, or independents for that matter. The distillery was closed in 1993 during the Scotch market downturn, but was revived in 1997 by Inver House who purchased it and resumed production. The focus today is still on provision for blends, and Inver House are yet to release a distillery bottling. It is however the source of the popular Carounn gin. 

This rare independent bottling was produced by Hart Brothers for the US market.

The Hart Brothers bottling company was founded in 1964 when Iain and Donald Hart incorporated as a wine and spirit merchant and Scotch whisky blenders. They have been bottling independent single malts since the 1980s.

Jura 8 Year Old 1980s

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.

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

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.

Mosstowie 1975 Gordon and MacPhail Spirit of Scotland 

Mosstowie is a long-discontinued single malt that was produced at the Miltonduff distillery in Speyside using Lomond stills. The stills were installed in the 1960s by owners Hiram Walker, who had done likewise at their Scapa, Inverleven and Glenburgie distilleries. The experiment was short-lived, with Miltonduff's Lomond stills ripped out and replaced by traditional pot stills in 1981. Primarily used as a constituent in Ballantine's blends, Mosstowie is rarely seen as a single malt, and sought after when it is. 

Distilled in 1975, this was bottled in the 1980s by Gordon & MacPhail under their Speymalt pseudonym and its Spirit of Scotland brand.

Mosstowie 1975 Gordon and MacPhail

Mosstowie is a long-discontinued single malt that was produced at the Miltonduff distillery in Speyside using Lomond stills. The stills were installed in the 1960s by owners Hiram Walker, who had done likewise at their Scapa, Inverleven and Glenburgie distilleries. The experiment was short-lived, with Miltonduff's Lomond stills ripped out and replaced by traditional pot stills in 1981. Primarlily used as a constituent in Ballantine's blends, Mosstowie is rarely seen as a single malt, and sought after when it is. 

This is a 1975 vintage from Gordon & MacPhail, bottled in the 1980s or early 1990s.

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.

Amrut Intermediate Sherry 75cl / US Import

Amrut Distilleries was founded in Banagalore, India in 1948. its initial business was the production of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), which is the government-required term for non-indigenous spirits, such a vodka, rum, and of course, whisky. The current distillery building was built in 1987, and the Amrut single malt brand was launched in 2004 after years of experimenting with whisky production that would closely mirror the output of Scotland's Speyside region. Amrut is now a highly regarded single malt, owing in no small part to several catalytic reviews and awards from Jim Murray over the years.

The Intermediate Sherry expression has been matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and virgin oak casks, reracked into Oloroso sherry wood for a year, before being finished in bourbon casks again.

Tormore 1984 Cadenhead's 12 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 1984 vintage Tormore was bottled for the US market in December 1996.

Tormore is one of Speyside's most aesthetically pleasing distilleries, designed in 1959 by Sir Albert Richardson (then president of the Royal Academy). It was built by the Schenley company in order to provide malt for their Long John blends. Despite this, its single malt has been bottled by all of its owners over the years, including as part of the short-lived Caledonian Malts range from Allied Distillers, alongside Laphroaig and Glendronach. Despite this, distillery bottlings are still something of a rarity, and independent releases like this tend to be the most common. 

Jaguar 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky 1980s

Jaguar 12 year old is a deluxe blend produced by Beinn Bhide under licence from Jaguar Cars UK.

Beinn Bhuide is a subsidiary company of Morrison Bowmore, and this more than likely contains single malt from Bowmore and Glen Garioch (no Auchentoshan is used for blending).

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.

Glenfarclas 8 Year Old 1980s

Glenfarclas is considered by many to be one of the finest distilleries in Speyside. Its direct-fired stills produce a heavy single malt that is almost exclusively matured in Jerez sherry casks. The distillery focuses on single malt over blends, and a cool microclimate around the distillery that means that their casks are particularly stingy to the \"angels,\" resulting in an incredible depth of stock. Glenfarclas also feel they share some credit for the modern day love of cask strength whisky, introducing their acclaimed 105 proof expressions back in 1968.

This is an early 1980s bottling of the 8 year old, impoted to Italy by Frattina.

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.

Linkwood 1982 Cooper's Choice 13 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Linkwood single malt has always been considered a key component of many popular blends, such as Johnnie Walker and White Horse, with much of its output reserved for these as a result. In 1982 it was selected for the Ascot Malt Cellar range by DCL, an early precursor to the Classic Malts range later launched by United Distillers. It had been on the short-list for the subsequent range at the time, but the company eventually opted for Cragganmore as the Speyside representative instead, later opting to revive the 12 year old under the Flora & Fauna brand. That remains the only permanent distillery bottling, but independent releases like this are more common however.

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.

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

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.

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.

Speyburn 1971 Gordon and MacPhail Spirit of Scotland

Speyburn distillery was built by John Hopkin & Co at the end of the 19th century, eventually passing into the hands of DCL (now Diageo) in 1916. With the exception of a 4 year silence in the 1930s, they operated the distillery until 1991 when it was sold to current owners, Inver House. Aside from the short-lived and rare Flora & Fauna release, there are no distillery bottlings of its single malt from the United Distillers era or earlier, and it was not until Inver House acquired it that its single malt brand was launched. Even with its increased presence through its single malt brand, and the independent releases like this that have appeared over the years, it is still something of a rarity.

This is a 1970 vintage, bottled by Gordon & MacPhail under their Speymalt pseudonym as part of the Spirit of Scotland range.

Dallas Dhu 10 Year Old Gordon and MacPhail 75cl / US Import

In its time a key component of the Roderick Dhu blended Scotch, Dallas Dhu is a rarely seen single malt. As with much of the DCL (now Diageo) portfolio, the distillery was deemed surplus to requirements during the market downturn of the 1980s, and closed in 1983. It is now run as a distillery museum by Historic Environment Scotland. Very few official bottlings exist, and it is incredibly sought after when rare independent bottlings appear. 

This is a 10 year old from Gordon & MacPhail.

Although many distilleries like this did not have the capacity to produce their own official bottlings in the 1970s and 1980s, many licensed their brands to Gordon & MacPhail, who produced official bottlings in their name using exclusive label designs. This is part of the company's modern day Distillery Labels series, which replicates these old liveries.

Old Bushmills Special Old Liqueur Irish Whiskey 1970s

The Old Bushmills distillery in Northern Ireland is the world's oldest licensed whiskey producer, granted a license to distil whisky in 1608. The modern iteration of the distillery was built in 1885, following a fire. Old Bushmills was bought by the Irish Distillers group in 1971, giving them a full monopoly on the production of whiskey on the island, lasting until 1987 when Cooley was opened by the Teeling family. Diageo later bought the site in 2005, before trading it 9 years later with Casa Cuervo in exchange for a stake in one of their Tequila brands.

This is an old 1960s bottlings.

Ardbeg 1990 Murray McDavid 8 Year Old

Murray McDavid were founded in 1996 by Mark Reynier, Simon Coughlin and ex-Springbank distillery Director, Gordon Wright. The company bought re-opened Bruichladdich distillery in December 2000, hiring Jim McEwan as Master Distiller. The company was purchased by Remy Cointreau in 2012, with the Murray McDavid brand eventually returning to Scottish hands the following year. Murray McDavid is famed for coining the term \"ACE-ing\" (additional cask enhancement) in relation to their cask finishing process, something they continue to use to great effect to this day.

This is a 1990 vintage Ardbeg, bottled from bourbon wood in February 2000.

You would not think it to see it now, but Ardbeg had a difficult time of it for much of the 20th century. The distillery was bought in a joint venture between Hiram Walker and DCL in 1959, both intending to supply their blends. The subsequent years were very successful, but DCL backed out in 1979 (closing many of their other distilleries a few years later), and Hiram Walker then struggled in the 1980s era oversupply when interest is blended Scotch was waning. They closed it down for the majority of the decade. It re-opened briefly in the 1990s before being revived for good by Glenmorangie plc in 1997. The lack of demand in the period prior to this, thankfully, saw a lot of casks sold to independent bottlers, many of which have gone on to become legendary releases.

Ardbeg 1991 Murray McDavid 9 Year Old

Murray McDavid were founded in 1996 by Mark Reynier, Simon Coughlin and ex-Springbank distillery Director, Gordon Wright. The company bought re-opened Bruichladdich distillery in December 2000, hiring Jim McEwan as Master Distiller. The company was purchased by Remy Cointreau in 2012, with the Murray McDavid brand eventually returning to Scottish hands the following year. Murray McDavid is famed for coining the term \"ACE-ing\" (additional cask enhancement) in relation to their cask finishing process, something they continue to use to great effect to this day.

This is a 1991 vintage Ardbeg, bottled in February 2000 from a bourbon cask.

You would not think it to see it now, but Ardbeg had a difficult time of it for much of the 20th century. The distillery was bought in a joint venture between Hiram Walker and DCL in 1959, both intending to supply their blends. The subsequent years were very successful, but DCL backed out in 1979 (closing many of their other distilleries a few years later), and Hiram Walker then struggled in the 1980s era oversupply when interest is blended Scotch was waning. They closed it down for the majority of the decade. It re-opened briefly in the 1990s before being revived for good by Glenmorangie plc in 1997. The lack of demand in the period prior to this, thankfully, saw a lot of casks sold to independent bottlers, many of which have gone on to become legendary releases.

Invergordon 1970 Stillman's Dram 22 Year Old

Invergodron commenced distilling in 1961. Traditionally Scottish grain producers were located in the Lowland region, where the variety of crops gave more diverse flavour profiles, and the market in England for grain neutral spirits for gin provided them with additonal income. Invergordon broke the mould, capitalising on its nearby port, proximity to the malt distilleries of Glenmorangie and Dalmore, and an upturn in the Scotch market in the US. It was not long before it had moved into the blending business, opening the Ben Wyvis and Tamnavulin distilleries a few years later. Invergordon Distillers were acquired by Whyte & Mackay in 1993, and the distillery remains part of that portfolio today.

This is part of the premium Stillman's Dram series which showcased the best vintages from the Invergordon Distillers, and later Whyte and Mackay stable, which would eventually include Dalmore, Jura and for a time, Bruichladdich.

Tormore 1984 Cadenhead's 13 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 1984 vintage Tormore, bottled in September 1997.

Tormore is one of Speyside's most aesthetically pleasing distilleries, designed in 1959 by Sir Albert Richardson (then president of the Royal Academy). It was built by the Schenley company in order to provide malt for their Long John blends. Despite this, its single malt has been bottled by all of its owners over the years, including as part of the short-lived Caledonian Malts range from Allied Distillers, alongside Laphroaig and Glendronach. Despite this, distillery bottlings are still something of a rarity, and independent releases like this tend to be the most accessible.

Dufftown 13 Year Old James MacArthur Cask Strength 75cl / US Import

Dufftown was built in 1896, becoming part of the Arthur Bell & Sons portfolio in 1933. As with Blair Athol, Dufftown was regularly bottled as a single malt, despite its importance to the Bell's blends. When the company was bought by Guinness in 1985 (becoming Diageo two years later), these bottlings stopped, but a Dufftown distillery bottling returned in the 1990s as part of the Flora & Fauna series, later becoming part of The Singleton stable. Prior to the construction of Roseisle, Dufftown was Diageo's largest distillery.

James MacArthur & Co were founded in 1982 and are a no-frills independent label, focussed bringing lesser-seen and often closed distilleries to the market. Their simple approach and fine selection of cask strength and single cask whiskies has earned them an army of fans amongst connoisseurs across the world.

Dufftown 1982 Glenhaven 11 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Dufftown was built in 1896, becoming part of the Arthur Bell & Sons portfolio in 1933. As with Blair Athol, Dufftown was regularly bottled as a single malt, despite its importance to the Bell's blends. When the company was bought by Guinness in 1985 (becoming Diageo two years later), these bottlings stopped, but a Dufftown distillery bottling returned in the 1990s as part of the Flora & Fauna series, later becoming part of The Singleton stable. Prior to the construction of Roseisle, Dufftown was Diageo's largest distillery.

This is a particularly rare bottling, produced by the Glenhaven Scotch Whisky Co. for the US market.

Glenhaven was a short-lived independent bottler, mostly exporting their releases to America. Their bottlings appeared between 1994 and 1997, when their founder Bill Thompson sadly passed away, halting operations at the firm.

Old Man of Hoy 10 Year Old Blackadder Orcadian Single Malt 75cl / US Import

Named after the famous cliff on the Isle of Orkney, Blackadder's The Old Man of Hoy is a single malt from one of its two distilleries, Highland Park or Scapa.

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.

Aberfeldy 1974 Gordon and MacPhail Spirit of Scotland 

Aberfeldy distillery was built in 1896 by John Dewar & Sons to provide whisky for their famous blends. Although the capacity of the distillery was doubled in 1973, it was still rarely seen as a single malt, appearing only occasionally in limited releases from Diageo while part of their stable. It was only in 1999 that a permanent single malt range was released by new distillery owners, Bacardi. Despite being so prized by its ownership, there are a number of fantastic casks that have made their way to market via independent bottlers over the years, like this one. 

Distilled in 1974, this was bottled in the 1980s by Gordon & MacPhail under their Speymalt pseudonym, for the Spirit of Scotland brand.

Arran Single Lepanto PX Brandy Cask Finish 75cl / US Import

Although the Isle of Arran was once a hot-bed of distilling activity, there were no distilleries on the island for the majority of the 19th and 20th centuries. Isle of Arran Distillers opened their first distillery in 1995, and it quickly became a firm favourite. They bottled its first single malt in 1998, a limited edition 3 year old in a glass decanter. The distillery also produced a peated single malt called Machrie Moor, however an experimental second distillery on the other side of the island, called Lagg, is now the site of all the company’s peated production. As of 2019, the distillery was renamed Lochranza, however its single malt brand is still known by the old name, Arran.

This is a single cask release from 2006, one of the early bottlings of Arran single malt. These were finished in a variety of interesting wood types, this one in a Lepanto Pedro Ximenez brandy barrel from Gonzalez Byass.

Macallan 1990 Signatory Vintage 14 Year Old 75cl / US Import

It may be hard to imagine today, but for much of the 20th century, Macallan was primarily a constituent malt in blends. It was not until the 1980s downturn in the market that the distillery decided to focus on its single malt brand. Fortuitously, this coincided with the crest of a wave of enthusiasm for the high quality releases that the distillery had licensed to Campbell, Hope & King and Gordon & MacPhail in the 1960s and 1970s. These remain some of the most collectible on the market. While global single malt sales volume is still lead by Speyside neighbours, Glenfiddich and Glenlivet, Macallan is easily the most sought after. So much so in fact, that they had to open a brand new distillery in 2018, a subterranean architectural masterpiece within the Easter Elchies estate, boasting 36 copper pot stills. 

Distilled on the 20th of September 1990, this Signatory Vintage bottling was drawn from a single refill butt.

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.

Glenallachie 1985 Signatory Vintage 11 Year Old

Glenallachie distillery was built by Mackinlays in 1967 to meet the demands of its blends following an upturn in sales in the US. In its short history it has passed through the hands of Invergordon Distillers and Pernod Ricard. During this period the focus was always on the provision of blends, with over 20 years between the first Mackinlay’s distillery bottlings of its single malt and the next official release from Chivas Brothers in 2005. Now in the hands of Billy Walker and being pushed as a single malt brand since 2017, prior to this, the only real opportunity to try Glenallachie was through sought after independent bottlings like this. 

Distilled on 11th October 1985 and bottled November 1996 by Signatory Vintage from casks #4072-4074.

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.

Royal Lochnagar Selected Reserve

Royal Lochnagar is so-called after it was bestowed with a Royal Warrant by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria following a visit in 1848. The popularity of the distillery’s Begg’s blend saw it acquired by John Dewar & Sons in 1916, who later became part of DCL, upping the demand for its whisky from other brands in their portfolio, including Johnnie Walker. Today it is part of Diageo, their smallest distillery by some margin, making the modest amount of its single malt spared for bottling increasingly sought after. 

Prior to the formation of United Distillers in 1988, the distilleries within the DCL portfolio were often licensed out to its blending companies, and in the case of Royal Lochnagar it was former owners, John Begg Ltd. Their 12 year old bottling replaced the Haig's Glenleven blended malt within the Ascot Malt Cellar range, an early DCL precursor to the Classic Malts range launched later that decade.

When the classic malts was launched, Royal Lochnagar was not included, but United Distillers continued to market the distillery's brand, re-launching the 12 year old alongside this sherry-casked Selected Reserve, which they pitched as the single malt equivalent of their premium Johnnie Walker Blue Label. That was also the moment that the \"Royal\" prefix returned to the distillery name. Bottlings like this one were labelled simply Lochnagar as of 1974.

For many years this was the most expensive permanent product in the Diageo portfolio.