Rare Single Malt 3
Latest Exclusive Dragon Release From Bowmore
BOWMORE® UNVEILS 36-YEAR-OLD DRAGON EDITION, THE FIRST RELEASE IN A NEW CHINESE EXCLUSIVE SERIES
THE 36-YEAR-OLD EXPRESSION WILL BE LAUNCHED AT WHISKY L IN SHANGHAI AND PAYS HOMAGE TO BOWMORE’S ICONIC 30-YEAR-OLD SEA DRAGON RELEASE
9th August 2019 – Bowmore® Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky has announced the release of Bowmore® 36-Year-Old Dragon Edition, a new expression from the world’s oldest Scotch maturation warehouse, the famous No.1 Vaults.
Featuring the mythical Chinese dragon, the 36-year-old whisky pays homage to the iconic Bowmore 30-Year-Old Sea Dragon, which celebrated a famous myth of Islay. Renewing this tradition, the new expression celebrates the mythical creatures that live on in Chinese culture today.
The first of a series of four, the 36-Year-Old liquid has been specially selected from the same parcel of sherry casks used to create the iconic Bowmore 30-Year-Old Sea Dragon, exclusively released to Asia in 2006. Born and shaped by time, the mythical dragon featured on the bottling ensures balance in everything – just like Bowmore’s master distiller. With only 888 bottles available, matched with the pedigree of the iconic 30-Year-Old Sea Dragon, this incredible expression will be highly prized and sought after from whisky enthusiasts across China.
The 36-Year-Old Dragon Edition is an exquisite example of Bowmore’s rich fruit and smoke house style. With a rich dark natural colour, the whisky offers aromas of tropical fruit, toffee apple and caramelised orange with a hint of pine needle scent. It finishes with a floral and peppery tinge, balanced by oak spices and a touch of iodine. This carefully crafted single malt is best savoured neat or over ice.
David Turner, Bowmore® Distillery Manager, comments: “This new expression is a homage to the 30-Year-Old Sea Dragon that’s been much loved and collected by Bowmore fans across China. Born from an island that is rich with heritage and legends, Bowmore is celebrating the legendary creatures of Chinese mythology that are the protectors of people – just as Bowmore has protected and matured this precious liquid for 36 years. We’ve taken this amazing legacy and renewed it for the next generation of whisky drinkers”.
John Lomas, Prestige Director Beam Suntory, stated: “Bowmore is an incredible single malt with an iconic legacy. Today it continues to create some of the finest whisky in the world. With this new release of Bowmore 36-Year-Old Dragon edition, we are renewing this story for the next generation. We believe the time we’ve invested in perfecting our craftmanship over the last 50 years is shown in the quality of our whisky producing, and we’re excited to share this.”
Bowmore® 36-Year-Old Dragon Edition will be exclusively available at Whisky L and through select outlets from August at $2000
Tasting notes:
Colour: (natural) Burnt Umber
Nose: Scented wood, cedar, beeswax, tropical fruit, toffee apple, old leather, coconuts, rich Demerara sugar, cinnamon, a touch of aniseed, liquorice, caramelised orange peels and ginger.
Palate: Dried fruits, sultanas, Corinth raisins, roasted coffee beans and dark chocolate.
Finish: Floral, peppery with oak spices and iodine.
Bottled at natural colour and strength
Gordon & MacPhail Releases Rare Coleburn Single Malt
Whisky Creator Gordon & MacPhail Releases Rare Coleburn Single Malt in Spring Collection
The 38-year-old Whisky is The Latest Addition to The ‘Private Collection’ Range
Single malt whisky creator Gordon & MacPhail has announced its Spring Collection, unveiling a series of stunning whiskies which draw upon the unrivalled depth and breadth of knowledge the company has gained from maturing spirit from over 100 Scottish distilleries.
One of the highlights of the Spring Collection isthe Gordon & MacPhail 1981 from Coleburn Distillery which is the latest edition to the ‘Private Collection’ range. This exceptional whisky has been maturing in the company’s specially selected cask at its warehouse in Elgin for 38 years. Spirit from Coleburn Distillery – mothballed in 1985 – was traditionally used in blending but Gordon & MacPhail carefully matched the spirit with a first fill Sherry hogshead to create this extraordinary and very rare single malt.
Hidden from sight behind a rich green landscape, Coleburn Distillery was founded in 1897 in Longmorn, five miles south of Elgin in Speyside. Designed by renowned architect Charles Doig, who also designed the Gordon & MacPhail retail shop in Elgin, the distillery was one of many that closed its doors during a challenging period for the whisky industry in the 1980s.
Laid down on 11th March 1981 to mature in cask 476, Gordon & MacPhail 1981 from Coleburn Distillery was bottled at 55.9% ABV on 14th March 2019. With a distinct mahogany hue, the new release has rich flavours of Sherry-soaked fruit, liquorice, and dark chocolate, and a long finish brimming with toffee notes and a hint of smoke.
Only 101 bottles will be available for purchase worldwide, representative of the unique nature of all ‘Private Collection’ releases.
Established in 1895, Gordon & MacPhail has a worldwide reputation for creating exquisitely rare single malts that have featured spirit from over 100 distilleries across Scotland. Due to the foresight of four generations of the Urquhart family, owners of Gordon & MacPhail, the company is currently maturing spirit from 26 mothballed or closed distilleries, including Coleburn Distillery, in its fabled warehouse.
Stephen Rankin, Gordon & MacPhail’s Director of Prestige and member of the fourth generation of the Urquhart family, said: “Our mantra has always been to ‘do right by the whisky’; recognising when it has reached its ultimate peak and then bottling it regardless of commercial pressures or notable birthdays. Brought to you as a rare single malt, this 38-year-old release exhibits the true spirit of the Coleburn Distillery. My grandfather, George Urquhart, was always keen to champion the quality of the new-make from previously unheralded distilleries and this remarkable whisky perfectly exemplifies his vision. It’s one to celebrate and savour.”
Gordon & MacPhail 1981 from Coleburn Distillery will be available for purchase worldwide from selected specialist retailers* (UK RRP £1,250**).
Two more notable whiskies from the 2019 Spring Collection include Connoisseurs Choice 1998 from Glenburgie (UK RRP £136). With just 245 bottles available, this whisky offers a unique opportunity to own a 20-year-old whisky which is rarely bottled as a single malt. Connoissuers Choice 2006 from Ledaig Distillery offers a striking whisky which has been carefully crafted using peated new-make spirit, expertly paired with a specially selected first-fill Sherry hogshead (UK RRP £73).
For more information on the Spring Collection, please visit***
#GordonandMacPhail
Gordon & MacPhail Unveils A Rather Special Whisky
Rare 1950s Single Malt Whisky from Linkwood Distillery
An exceptionally rare single cask from the 1950s has been unveiled as one of the oldest Linkwood single malt whiskies ever bottled.
Leading single malt whisky specialist Gordon & MacPhail today announced the release of Private Collection from Linkwood Distillery 1956 by Gordon & MacPhail. This is the last 1950s cask from Linkwood Distillery in Gordon & MacPhail’s unrivalled inventory; it is believed to be the final remaining 1950s cask globally.
Just 53 decanters of the 60-Year-Old single malt whisky have been released for sale worldwide with a UK RRP of £22,000.
Mahogany and chestnut brown in colour, Private Collection from Linkwood Distillery 1956 by Gordon & MacPhail is an intricately layered whisky. Rich, warm aromas lend to a sweet full-bodied experience with highlights of blueberry, fruitcake, and dark chocolate. This ultra-aged single malt, a testament to the knowledge and expertise curated over four generations, culminates in a resoundingly rich finish.
Filled at the Linkwood Distillery on the 3rd January 1956, Cask 20 is from a defining period in the company’s history. It was one of the last casks laid down by John Urquhart, first generation member of the family that owns Gordon & MacPhail, before he retired the following month. Cask 20 matured for six decades under the watchful eyes of John’s son, George, and subsequent generations until the decision to bottle was made by the fourth generation of the Urquhart family.
Founded in 1895 in Elgin, Scotland, Gordon & MacPhail is the curator of many of the oldest and rarest single malt whiskies in the world with an unrivalled stock inventory. For over 120 years, generations of the Urquhart family have matched new-make spirit from distilleries across Scotland with carefully selected oak casks, patiently maturing these to achieve the perfect harmony between the spirit and oak.
Stephen Rankin, Director of Prestige and fourth generation member of the Urquhart family, said: “Private Collection from Linkwood Distillery 1956 by Gordon & MacPhailencapsulates the company’s dedication to the art of single malt whisky maturation and tireless pursuit of perfection. This incredible whisky is the culmination of the unrivalled knowledge and skills passed down and strengthened, over the decades, through four generations of my family.
“It is the deep understanding of the relationship between the oak and the spirit that has allowed Gordon & MacPhail to nurture this cask for six decades while retaining the unique distillery character.”
Private Collection from Linkwood Distillery 1956 by Gordon & MacPhail is the second of four exclusive single casks unveiled as part of the ‘Private Collection’ range. The first, Private Collection Glenlivet 1943 by Gordon & MacPhail, a rare wartime cask, was released in October 2017.
Beautifully packaged using an award-winning design, the landscape surrounding the Linkwood Distillery inspires the unique contours etched into the gold base and stopper of each bespoke decanter. All 53 decanters are hand-blown and individually numbered with a certificate of authenticity signed by Stephen Rankin.
Whisky writer and rare whisky specialist Jonny McCormick, author of the commemorative book that accompanies each bespoke decanter, said: “Amidst an exalted world of luxury and prestige, Gordon & MacPhail commands the one inherent quality that every whisky connoisseur desires: rarity.
“As this remarkable cask completes its journey, this alluring Linkwood whisky is exquisitely presented in a manner that does justice to the craftsmanship of the whisky makers and the custodianship of the Urquhart family. In the years to come, opportunities to experience world-class whisky exhibiting this maturity and complexity from the Fifties will be very scarce indeed.”
Private Collection from Linkwood Distillery 1956 by Gordon & MacPhail was matured in a first fill Sherry hogshead for sixty years. Only 53 decanters, bottled at cask strength (49.4% ABV), have been released for sale worldwide. A number of decanters are available for purchase directly from the company’s ‘spiritual home’, the South Street retail shop in Elgin at an RRP of £22,000. Prices may differ in international markets due to local taxes and duty.
For more information, please visit www.gordonandmacphail.com.
#tastethehistory
