The Perfect Collection Part Two

Johnnie Walker Pure Malt 15 Year Old / 'Green Label'

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

The Johnnie Walker Pure Malt was launched in 1997 as the blended malt member of the stable. It was officially rebranded as the Green Label (despite having always had one), to bring it into line with the rest of the range in 2004. This is the earlier version.

Marlfield 1946 Olde Irish Liqueur Whiskey

A bottle of whiskey, straight from the Irish whiskey history books. This liqueur was produced using whiskey distilled in 1946 at Daly's distillery, the historic home of Tullamore Dew. The distillery closed less than a decade later.

The barrels were aged in the Suir Valley, and 1000 bottles were produced bearing the name of Marlfield, a ruined three-centuries old distillery, elements of which are still visible to this day.

Tullibardine 25 Year Old Stillman's Dram

Tullibardine distillery in Perthshire was built in 1949 and was quickly acquired by blending firm, Brodie Hepburn. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, the distillery came under ownership of Whyte & Mackay in 1993, who shut it down following year. In the preceding decades, its large production capacity had filled its even larger warehouses. In addition to selling the stock to third-party blenders, Whyte & Mackay used it for their own products, including some well-regarded official single malt releases. Among these are some exceptional single casks, and several additions to the sought after Stillman's Dram series. 

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

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.

Glenfarclas 'Glen Bannock' 1988 12 Year Old 75cl / US Import

A single malt produced by the owners of Glenfarclas distillery, J. & G. Grant. Bottled for the US market.

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. 

Clynelish 1989 Douglas Laing 10 Year Old

Douglas Laing & Co was established in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing, affectionately known as “FDL.” The company started out as a blending business, but over time their focus shifted towards independently bottlings single malts. Fred died in 1982, leaving the business to his two sons, Stewart and Fred Jr, who eventually carved it up in 2013, with Stewart leaving to establish Hunter Laing. Fred Jr and his daughter Cara now run Douglas Laing, which continues to bottle single malt and has also revived its blending business. Additionally, the company has recently moved into distilling as well, announcing plans to construct the new Clutha distillery in Glasgow, and taking over Strathearn in Perthshire in 2019.

The Old Malt Cask series is one of the most established independent labels on the market. It was launched by Douglas Laing in 1998 and bottled by them until 2013 when the brand became part of the Hunter Laing portfolio instead. 

This 1989 vintage Clynlish was bottled by Douglas Laing in August 1999, one of the earliest Old Malt Cask releases.

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. 

Balblair 10 Year Old Gordon and MacPhail 1970s

Balblair distillery in situated in the northern Highland region, currently under the ownership of Inver House Distillers and previously part of the Hiram Walker empire before it became Allied Distillers. Allied sold it to Inver House in 1996, who introduced the much-loved vintage-dated core range in 2007. Distillery bottlings were also produced in the 1980s but in the intervening years, independent releases like this were the most commonly available way to sample this lesser-known Highland single malt. 

Hiram Walker licensed the Balblair single malt brand to Gordon & MacPhail in order to produce official releases in the 1970s and 1980s, not having the capacity to do so itself at the time. This good standing with the distillery furnished the Elgin-based independent firm with a steady supply of high-quality casks, and subsequently, high-quality releases.

This is one of those licensed bottlings. The early Gordon & MacPhail bottlings of Hiram Walker single malts, which also included Scapa and Pulteney, were recognisable by their uniform use of these black-bordered white labels with red text and black band through the centre. In the 1980s the label style shifted to focus on a specific branding for each distillery rather than their parent company. Although no longer the licensees, Gordon & MacPhail still produce bottles like that today, renamed in 2018 as their Distillery Labels range.

MacPhail's 10 Year Old Single Malt Gold 106 1980s

Gordon & MacPhail are one of the largest and most recognisable whisky companies in the world. Although they began distilling at the newly refurbished Benromach distillery in 1998, for most of their history they were an independent bottler. Their labels are recognised by whisky lovers the world over, and their licensed bottlings from distillery's like Macallan and Talisker in the 1970s and 1980s, when the companies were not bottling themselves, are a huge part of the success of those distillers today.

The wealth of warehoused stock that the company built up over the years allowed them to bottle some of their own brands using whisky from some of Scotland's finest distilleries. This is a MacPhail's single malt, distilled by an undisclosed distillery and bottled at 106 imperial proof.

Royal Brackla 1979 Whyte and Whyte 16 Year Old 75cl / Spirits Library

Founded in 1817, Brackla distillery was the first in Scotland to be granted a Royal Warrant, becoming Royal Brackla at the behest of King William IV in 1835. The distillery was primarily tasked with providing malt for blending, and became part of DCL (now Diageo) in 1943. It was one of the many distilleries that they were forced to close due to a production surplus in the 1980s however, mothballed between 1985 and 1991. Royal Brackla was sold along with the rest of those associated with the Dewar's brand to Bacardi in 1998. Although Bacardi launched a single malt brand for the distillery in 1999, it was not widely distributed until it was repackaged as part of their Last Great Malts collection in 2014. Independent releases from all eras have become increasingly sought after.

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.

Morrison Bowmore Islay Malt Scotch Whisky

A predecessor to the Islay Legend brand introduced in the 1990s, this is a less flashy blended Scotch, bottled by Morrison Bowmore.

Bowmore 12 Year Old Screen Print 75cl 1990s / US Import

Islay’s oldest working distillery, Bowmore was established in 1779 and is now regarded as one of the most popular malts not only on Islay, but in the whole of Scotland. The distillery was acquired by Stanley P. Morrison in 1963, ushering in an era of iconic single malts, including the legendary Black Bowmore, credited by many as the genesis of whisky collecting, bottled in 1995. The distillery was bought under the control Suntory the year prior (they had been stakeholders since 1989), and it remains one of the most collectible brands in Scotch whisky today. Bowmore is one of the few remaining Scottish distilleries to use its own floor maltings, providing them with 40% of their requirements.

These famous screen print bottlings were introduced in 1988, following the rebranding of the Stanley P. Morrison company as Morrison Bowmore Distillers, and the revamping of their distillery core ranges as a result. This classic 12 year old was joined at the time by the first appearance of the Bowmore 10 year old, with the Mariner, Cask Strength and 17 year old added in the 1990s. Interestingly, screen print bottlings in the same aesthetic were designed for Glen Garioch and Authentoshan too, but were never put into production.

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 is a 1984 vintage Tormore, bottled 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 accessible.

Benrinnes 1988 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 1988 vintage Benrinnes was bottled from a bourbon hogshead in November 2000.

Until 2007, Benrinnes had a unique triple distillation process that resulted in a single malt highly prized by blenders for its distinct \"meaty\" quality. So much so in fact, that none was spared for an official distillery bottling until Diageo opted to continue production of the 15 year old Flora & Fauna as a permanent release. Thankfully, the distillery has always featured in the catalogues of independent bottlers, giving ample opportunity to experience this sought after single malt.

Benromach 17 Year Old Centenary

Benromach distillery in Speyside was built at the end of the 19th century, and spent much of the next providing malt for the blends of its owners, who included Macdonald Greenlees, Joseph Hobbs and latterly, DCL (now Diageo), who were the first to produce a distillery bottling of its single malt as part of the Rare Malts Selection. DCL closed the distillery in 1983, selling it to current proprietors, Gordon & MacPhail, ten years later. They then had to spend the next five rebuilding it from scratch, as little remained other than the shell of the buildings. It has since become a well-regared and widely distributed single malt.

Bottled to commemorate 100 years of the distillery, this 17 year old was released in 1998 by Gordon & MacPhail, using some of the last whiksy produced under DCL ownership. Remarkably, despite the equipment and distillation process having changed between then and now, the character of Benromach remains very similar.

The final two years of maturation of this whisky were spent in sherry casks dating as far back as 1896,1895 and 1891.

Glenlivet K 8 Year Old Pure Malt 1970s / Orlandi Import

An interesting old pure malt blend from the early 1970s. Produced by Hatch Mansfield for the Italian market, using a base of Speyside single malts from the Glenlivet region.

Longrow 10 Year Old 75cl / US Import

First distilled in 1973, Longrow is the peated single malt produced at Springbank distillery. Although very popular, Longrow remains an elusive whisky, with only 100-150 casks of it filled at the distillery each year. Early champions of this spirit included the legendary Italian bottler, Silvano Samaroli, who bought and bottled a number of famous casks from the inaugural vintage, and is credited by many with a good deal of the brand's success. It remains revered by connoisseurs to this day. 

This 10 year old distillery bottling was first introduced in 1997, and this is one of the earlier editions.

Hancock's President's Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon

Introduced in early 1991, Hancock's President's Reserve is a single barrel bourbon brand from the portfolio of Age International, the company formed by former Fleischmann's Distilling director's, Bob Baranaskas and Ferdie Falke. They had approached Schenley in the early 1980s with a view to purchasing its Old Charter label, but were instead offered Ancient Age and the George T. Stagg distillery where it was produced. The deal was completed in 1983, two years before the retirement of George T. Stagg master distiller, Elmer T. Lee, who had served there for 36 years, working his way from the bottom up. One of his final pioneering triumphs before doing so was the introduction of mass produced single barrel bourbon through the creation of the Blanton's brand in 1984. In a fitting tribute, the following year saw the distillery launch the Elmer T. Lee single barrel in his honour. At the time of his death in 2013, Elmer was one of only two living master distillers with a bourbon named after them.

The popularity of these products was particularly high in Japan, coinciding with a market boom for American whiskey there in the 1980s. Later in 1991, with Age International in some financial trouble, a Japanese company called Takaro Shuzo stepped in and acquired a 22.5% stake in the company. In an unusual series of events, they then scuppered a deal the following year that was to see the remaining shares sold to Heublein (a subsidiary of Grand Metropolitan). Their deal the year before had included a 30 day right of refusal to purchase the shares for themselves should they be put up for sale. With the deal all but done, the Japanese company stepped in on the final day of the window to acquire full control of the company. As it turned out, their only interest was in the brands, and they had used the 30 days to negotiate a deal with the Sazerac Company of  New Orleans. This saw the American company take ownership of the distillery (which they renamed Buffalo Trace in 1999), as well as the exclusive production and US distribution rights for the Age International labels. This is an arrangement that is still in place today.

Named after Hancock Lee, the early American who settled the Leestown area around Buffalo Trace distillery, this is one of the Age International brands still produced there. Distilled from the high-rye \"mashbill #2,\" it is joined by sister-brands, Blanton's. Elmer T. Lee, Ancient Age and Rock Hill Farms.

Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old Cask Strength Centenary Edition

Dalwhinnie was one of the six original Classic Malts when they were selected by United Distillers (now Diageo) back in 1988, and it was tipped to become the favourite among consumers on account of its flawless floral flavours and elegant character. Although eventually pipped at the post by the smoky dark horse that was the Lagavulin 16 year old, it remains a well-loved single malt. The distillery is both the highest and coldest in Scotland, contributing to its unique flavour through the rapid condensing that occurs in its worm tubs.

This is a commemorative release of Dalwhinnie 15 year old, bottled at cask strength in 1998 to mark the centenary of the distillery.

Bell's 20 Year Old Royal Reserve 1980s

The history of Arthur Bell & Sons dates back to the mid-19th century, but it was not until the 1930s that they became a big name player in the Scotch industry, acquiring the Blair Athol and Dufftown distilleries from P. Mackenzie & Co in 1932, and Inchgower from Moray Town Council four years later. The company placed its focus on the domestic market, and commanded 35% of it by the 1970s, with Bell's Extra Special the best-selling brand in Scotland. The firm was bought over by Guinness in 1985, who in turn procured DCL the following year. Today Bell's blends are still produced by its modern iteration, Diageo.

The eponymous Arthur Bell was resistant to brand names in his time, but upon his death in 1900, his sons inherited the company and Bell's Extra Special was first market just four years later. Its meteoric rise to the top of the market over the next 70 years saw the additon of serval new products, including this 20 year old age statement, the Royal Reserve. This was bottled in the 1980s.

Inverleven 1979 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 1979 vintage from Gordon & MacPhail.

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.

Laphroaig 1987 Murray McDavid 9 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Laphroaig is the largest of the three heavyweight Islay distilleries in Kildalton, out-stripping the production capacity of neighbours, Ardbeg and Lagavulin, by over 1 million litres per annum. Despite its traditional appearance, Laphroaig was always a forward-thinking distillery. It was bottled as a single malt as early as the 1920s, an unfashionable option at the time, especially for a peated whisky. They were also shrewd in capitalising on post-Prohibition America to add trademark sweetness to their spirit through the use of imported ex-bourbon casks, and hired Scotland’s first ever female distillery manager, Bessie Williamson, in 1954. Laphroaig is one of only a handful of distilleries in Scotland to still use in-house maltings, providing them with 20% of their annual requirements, and contributing to the distillery’s unique flavour profile. 

This 1987 vintage was bottled from bourbon wood in 1996 by Murray McDavid.

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.

Highland Park 1984 Glenhaven 10 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Highland Park was built by David Robertson all the way back in 1798. The distillery's relationship with blenders, Robertson & Baxter, saw it acquired by Highland Distillers in 1937, who were subsequently bought by Edrington in 1999, who run it today. The modern Highland Park single malt brand was first officially bottled in the 1970s, with the release of an 8 year old age statement, but distillery bottlings first appeared around the 1950s. The look of the brand has changed many times over the years, but its cult following and popularity has never diminished. It remains one of the most recognisable single malts in the world to this day.  

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.

Jack Daniel's Single Barrel 2003

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

When Jack Daniel's was purchased by the Brown-Forman corporation, for many years it traded solely in its esteemed Old No.7 Brand. In recent decades it has been slowly widening its portfolio, including single barrel offerings such as this. The first Jack Daniel's single barrel was bottled in 1997.

Auchentoshan 18 Year Old 1980s / Soffiantino Import

Famed for its exclusive use of triple distillation, Auchentoshan is based on the outskirts of Glasgow and was owned for the duration of the 1960s by Tennents brewery. They sold it to Eadie Cairns at the end of the decade, who upgraded the site and began officially bottling it as a single malt. The distillery passed through the hands of Morrison Bowmore before becoming part of the Beam Suntory table today. Unusually, none of the Auchentoshan output is reserved for blends, meaning there has been a wealth of distillery bottled single casks and independent releases throughout the years. 

This is a Morrison-Bowmore era bottling of 18 year old Auchentoshan. This age-statement remains part of the core range today.

Ardmore 1986 100th Anniversary 12 Year Old

Ardmore was built by Wm. Teacher at the end of the 19th century, and as a rare peated Highland single malt, provided the smoky qualities in their well-loved blends. Now in the hands of Beam Suntory, there have been very few official bottlings, but the independent releases that have appeared over the years are much sought after. 

This is a 12 year old Ardmore from the Allied Distillers era, released to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the distillery in 1999. A 1977 vintage 21 year old was also bottled.

Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old​ 1980s

An austere piece of Victorian architecture on the north-east coast of Islay, Bunnahabhain is a relative outsider on the island, traditionally known for producing an un-peated single malt. The majority of this was used for blending, as was its initial intended purpose. The distillery was shut for 2 years in 1982 following the market downturn of the period, and despite being revived at low production, it was eventually officially bottled as a single malt later that decade, with the self-deprecating tag-line, \"the un-pronounceable malt.\" 

The 12 year old distillery bottling is an Islay favourite, widely recognised as the ideal introduction to the island’s whiskies as it has all the Islay flavours but with milder tones. This was the sole constituent of the Bunnahabhain core range for many years, eventually joined by an 18 and 25 year old in a rebranded core range in 2006.

Glenglassaugh 1983 Gordon and MacPhail

Situated just north of the Speyside region border, Glenglassaugh is an interesting single malt. So interesting in fact, that it proved difficult for blenders to marry with other whiskies, and it closed down in 1986, deemed surplus to requirements in the era of oversupply in the whisky industry. With the evolution of the single malt market in the years that followed, the distillery made a surprise comeback in 2008 when it was revived by a group of private investors. It then found its feet as part of the Benriach Distillery Company, and is now part of the Brown-Forman stable. Releases from both sides of its 22 year hiatus are very well regarded. 

This is a 1983 vintage from Gordon & MacPhail, bottled in 1994.

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.

Glendullan 1984 Signatory Vintage 15 Year Old 75cl / US Import

Glendullan became part of DCL (now Diageo) in 1925, and continues to be an important producer for their blends to this day. Production there was increased in 1972 following the opening of \"Glendullan 2\" next-door. Both sites ran simultaneously until 1985 when the original plant was closed, and Glendullan 2 became simply Glendullan. The key outcome of this was that more spirit could be reserved for bottling as a single malt, with a 12 year old distillery bottling appearing in the 1970s. Casks were also freed up for independent bottlers, resulting in a number of high quality releases like this.

This Signatory Vintage bottling was distilled in 1984 and bottled from a single sherry cask in 1999.

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.

Braes of Glenlivet 1979 Signatory Vintage 15 Year Old

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

This is a Signatory Vintage bottling, distilled in 1979 and bottled in May 1995 from two sherry butts.

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.

St Magdalene-Linlithgow 1975 Signatory Vintage 22 Year Old Silent Stills Miniature

St Magdalene, also known as Linlithgow (after its home town) was a large distillery who's output was almost entirely for the purposes of blending. It was built in the 18th century, but was acquired by DCL (now Diageo) in 1912, who operated it until its closure in 1983. Like many others, it was deemed surplus to requirements as the blended Scotch market hit a downturn, leaving DCL over-supplied. As a result of this, its single malt is particularly rare. It was only officially bottled three times by Diageo, but a number of increasingly sought after releases have been bottled by independent companies over the years. The collectability of which is likely only to increase, as unlike other members of the 1983 club, St Magdalene was demolished and is not in line for a resurrection. 

Distilled on 2nd June 1975, this was bottled within Signatory Vintage's Silent Stills range, which at the time showcased Scotland's finest discontinued single malts (some, such as Glenglassaugh, have since returned).

Cask #96/3/01 produced 335 full size and miniature bottles.

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.

Glenugie 1966 Signatory Vintage 31 Year Old Silent Stills Miniature

A rare Signatory Vintage bottling of Glenugie. Part of Signatory Vintage's Silent Stills series which highlighted Scotland's lost distilleries at the time (some, such as Glenglassaugh have since returned).

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.

Distilled on 31st of December 1966 and bottled on the 5th of June 1998 at 31 years old.

A well-regarded distillery in its time, Glenugie was primarily tasked with providing single malt for the Long John blends. Oversupply in the 1980s saw it close, along with many others, in 1983. The distillery has long since been dismantled, with its stock and brand name under ownership of Chivas Brothers. Despite this, there have been very few official bottlings, and those from independents like this are highly prized. 

Cask #5082 produced 206 pairs of full size and miniature bottles.

Royal Brackla 1979 Hart Brothers 18 Year Old

Founded in 1817, Brackla distillery was the first in Scotland to be granted a Royal Warrant, becoming Royal Brackla at the behest of King William IV in 1835. The distillery was primarily tasked with providing malt for blending, and became part of DCL (now Diageo) in 1943. It was one of the many distilleries that they were forced to close due to a production surplus in the 1980s however, mothballed between 1985 and 1991. Royal Brackla was sold along with the rest of those associated with the Dewar's brand to Bacardi in 1998. Although Bacardi launched a single malt brand for the distillery in 1999, it was not widely distributed until it was repackaged as part of their Last Great Malts collection in 2014. Independent releases from all eras have become increasingly sought after.

This is an independent release from Hart Brothers, distilled in 1979 and bottled in 1997.

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.