Gordon & MacPhail is one of the legendary producers and specialty bottlers of Scotch whisky. For more than 120 years, the iconic, Elgin based company, has continued to be a trailblazer in the Scotch whisky world. Now managed by the Urquhart family owned company’s fourth generation, the firm has released some of the oldest Scotch whiskies ever made available to the public.
The company’s most recent release of an ultra-aged Scotch whisky is a 70 YO 1948 Glen Grant. The release, part of the G & M’s Private Collection series, was distilled on June 8, 1948, and bottled in 2018. Each of the selections in the Private Collection series are hand selected by a member of the Urquhart family from the firm’s legendary stock of aging whiskies.
According to Stephen Rankin, a fourth-generation family member and the firm’s current Director of Prestige:
For over a century my family has been maturing whisky and using our skills, experience, and passion for single malts to recognise exactly the right moment to bottle a spirit that will be loved by discerning whisky drinkers around the globe.
This is the fifth release in the Private Collection series. The series includes a rare 1943 Glenlivet—a Scotch whisky distilled during a period when most distilleries were operating under barley rationing. The 1943 Glenlivet was particularly notable as it was produced within weeks of the Soviet victory at Stalingrad and the American victory at Guadalcanal, two epic battles on opposite sides of the world, which between them, marked the turning of the tide in World War Two.
Expressions of Glen Grant have figured prominently in the Scotch whisky portfolio of Gordon & MacPhail. Under its deft hand, its Glen Grant offerings have been among the most highly acclaimed of its releases. The distillery’s whiskies seem to be particularly suited for sherry cask aging and the slow measured maturation that characterizes G & M’s ultra-aged whiskies.
Gordon & MacPhail, from Glen Grant Distillery, 1948, 70 YO, 48.6% ABV, 700 ml, first fill sherry butt, Cask Number 2154, 210 bottles released, US retail price $22,500
The color is a medium brown amber. On the nose, the whisky is sweet, as you would expect from a single malt that had spent 70 years in an Oloroso sherry cask. There are notes of vanilla and milk chocolate, as well as red fruit notes of raspberry and strawberry. As the whisky opens up, more pronounced stone fruit notes of dried peach and apricot jam emerge, along with candied orange zest and spice notes of cinnamon. There is a waxy, furniture polish aroma that hangs in the background. This is also typical of sherry cask matured whiskies.
There are faint traces of cold smoke in the background. Speyside whiskies in the 1940s through the 1970s, usually had small amounts of peated malt incorporated into their mash. There are also additional, well integrated notes of oak that persist throughout the whisky.
On the palate, the whisky is smooth, satiny, with the pronounced viscosity and palate weight typical of ultra-aged, sherry cask matured Scotch whiskies. The sherry influence features dried fruit, especially notes of golden raisin and fig on the palate, along with notes of candied orange zest and a bit of candied cherry. This combination of flavors is often described as fruit cake or Christmas cake and is typical of sherried whiskies.
There are also spice notes of cinnamon and a bit of cardamom. As the whisky opens up there is a dry herbal, almost minty quality that develops, along with notes of licorice and anise. A steady peppery sensation builds in the back of the throat and lingers, forming an excellent counterpoint to the dried fruit sweetness.
The finish is long, smooth with a lingering sweetness that features dried fruit and candied citrus notes, along with just a hint of smoke in the background.
This is an excellent whisky and underscores the skill and artistry to which Gordon & MacPhail has elevated the science of Scotch whisky maturation. It’s certainly worth a taste and, if you can afford it, a bottle of what will quickly become a legendary whisky.
Sláinte
