Finest and Rarest Spirits

Finest and Rarest Spirits

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 52. Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection Decanters & Experience .

Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection Decanters & Experience

Auction Closed

March 18, 11:52 AM GMT

Estimate

70,000 - 100,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

Linkwood Gordon & MacPhail 60 Year Old 49.4 abv 1956 (1 bt 70cl)

First Fill Sherry Hogshead, cask number 20, decanter 1 of only 56, bottled 22nd June 2016

Private Collection 1956 from Linkwood Distillery is a truly beautiful and refined single malt Scotch whisky. Cask 20, a first fill European Oak Sherry hogshead, was filled during the early days of 1956. The cask was stowed in Linkwood Distillery’s Warehouse No.5 until it was moved to our Elgin bond on 18th June 1968. Matured for a total of sixty years, the cask was emptied on the 22nd June 2016 and fifty-six decanters were carefully filled. This was the last Linkwood cask from the 1950s in our inventory. This single malt is a true celebration of what Gordon & MacPhail represents: our passion for whisky, our patience, and our relationships, forged over generations. Every detail is perfect: the craftsmanship of the specially-designed box, the elegance of the glassware, and the exquisite character of the precious, mature single malt whisky residing within.


Longmorn Gordon & MacPhail 57 Year Old 40.8 abv 1961 (1 bt 70cl)

First Fill Sherry American Oak Hogshead, cask number 512, decanter 1 of 97, bottled on 2nd February 2018

The nose on this intricate and well-aged Speysider is quite complex yet well balanced. Initially, notes of subtle vanilla come to the fore, underscored by distinctive charred oak. Fruity aromas, red cherry, raisin, and orange peel, develop – graceful highlights resulting from fifty-seven years of Sherry cask maturation. Towards the end, the base notes are sweet and lingering, hints of maple syrup and almonds, almost marzipan like, add depth.

Surprisingly fresh and lively initially for an ultra-aged Sherry-matured single malt. Bitter orange and lemon become more rounded, rich, as they combine and mature into tropical fruit flavours – ripe banana and kiwi included. The bitter decadence of dark chocolate adds a fascinating depth. This Longmorn is intricately layered, as the robust sweetness dissipates, a grounding earthiness comes to the fore with the lightest of touches of distinctive coriander and lingering hints of peat smoke in the background.

Substantial! Charred oak, dark chocolate, and orange peel linger. A fascinating, smooth finish. One to be pondered and enjoyed before taking the next sip.

Stuart Urquhart

 

Longmorn Gordon & MacPhail 57 Year Old 45.0 abv 1961 (1 bt 70cl)

First Fill Sherry American Oak Hogshead, cask number 508, decanter 1 of 97, bottled 2nd Feburary 2018

Sweet aromas of heady rum and raisin intermingle with distinctive marzipan; hints of dark orange chocolate follow. Fresh and lingering notes of crushed mint in a pestle mix with notes reminiscent of our old wooden teak deck. The nose of this Longmorn has a lovely and delectably intense fruitiness, softened only slightly by hints of vanilla pods and thick sticky treacle come to the fore, underscored by distinctive charred oak. Fruity aromas, red cherry, raisin, and orange peel, develop – graceful highlights resulting from fifty-seven years of Sherry cask maturation. Towards the end, the base notes are sweet and lingering, hints of maple syrup and almonds, almost marzipan like, add depth.

The initial flavours of this ultra-aged Longmorn are quite captivating and comforting: dry-roasted coffee notes infuse with dark chocolate and hazelnuts balanced perfectly by delectably sweet marzipan. Zesty orange peel transforms into a mouth-coating creaminess; dry fruits and dates weave pleasantly with the smooth butter notes. Mouth-warming chilli spice prickles the palate evolving into lingering cracked black pepper notes, rounded, rich, as they combine and mature into tropical fruit flavours – ripe banana and kiwi included. The bitter decadence of dark chocolate adds a fascinating depth. This Longmorn is intricately layered, as the robust sweetness dissipates, a grounding earthiness comes to the fore with the lightest of touches of distinctive coriander and lingering hints of peat smoke in the background.

Smooth, creamy, and satisfying. The incredible Longmorn spirit has developed nicely in the European Oak Sherry cask; the marriage of the two stays with you, for a long time, with an enjoyably fruity finish and enjoyed before taking the next sip.

Richard Urquhart


Glenlivet Gordon & MacPhail 70 Year Old 49.1 abv 1943 (1 bt 70cl)

Decanter number 1, bottled 11th June 2013

Private Collection 1943 from Glenlivet Distillery is quite simply one of the rarest Scotch whiskies ever bottled. This whisky was distilled at the Glenlivet Distillery during at the height of the Second World War when only a handful of distilleries in Scotland produced whisky. On the 14th January 1943, Cask 121, a first fill Sherry hogshead selected by John and George Urquhart, was filled with new-make spirit and carefully stowed at the distillery. With great patience the whisky matured for over seventy years; the first twenty-four years Cask 121 rested at the distillery before being transferred, in 1967, to Gordon & MacPhail’s warehouses in Elgin. Forty- six years later, the cask, selected by Stephen Rankin, John Urquhart’s great-grandson, was emptied and the rare elixir finally bottled on the 11th June 2013. The meandering River Spey provides a unique closure to the handcrafted wooden box. Hand blown and bespoke, the decanter’s base and stopper are adorned with gold engravings of the land contours surrounding the Glenlivet Distillery. Every detail of Private Collection 1943 from Glenlivet Distillery alludes to the decades of experience and patience poured into nurturing the whisky to maturation.


Gordon & MacPhail Exclusive Experience

Exclusive whisky tasting experience in Scotland for 2 people, accommodation in Speyside, personally tailored activities. hosted by G&M family members

 

4 bts 70cl (4 opc) and an Exclusive Experience for 2 people