A look back over our
Gordon & MacPhail-tagged posts shows it's been a pretty great past few years when it comes to trying incredibly long-aged, well-matured whiskies here at TimeforWhisky.com. In addition to one-off bottlings in the the
60 Year Old,
70 Year Old and even
80 Year Old age ranges, we've also been introduced to
"The Recollection Series" of whiskies -
#1 in 2022,
#2 in 2023 and now, hot off the press, comes Series #3.
These series feature single malts originating from closed, or long-time silent distilleries, with spirit matured in bespoke asks commissioned by G&M.
Series #1 and
#2 saw us taste some incredible drams like Glen Mhor from 1973
and 1982, 1982 St Magdalene, 1981 Port Ellen & 1981 Lochside, so whatever was in store for Series #3, we knew it would be good.
...and we weren't wrong. With 6 expressions this time around, the series is a little smaller, but no less impressive, featuring:
- Rosebank 1991 – RRP £2,100
- Glenlochy 1979 – RRP £4,000
- Convalmore 1984 – RRP £2,300
- Imperial 1990 – RRP £1,650
- North Port 1981 – RRP £3,850
- Port Ellen 1981 – RRP £10,000
Featuring eye-catching, bold new packaging, G&M calls the whiskies ‘forgotten masterpieces’ and ‘lost works of art’, with the distilleries’ spirit revived using stunning illustrations from Emmy-award winning artist,
Bruno Mangyoku.
Stuart Urquhart, Operations Director at Gordon & MacPhail, said:
“This year marks our third Recollection Series, which again brings a carefully chosen selection of rare and unique whiskies to enthusiasts worldwide. We’re fortunate enough to have access to a liquid library which is testament to the relationships we’ve nurtured with whisky distillers for almost 130 years.
We’re proud to be able to revive the spirit of these historic distilleries, bringing their stories back into the present day.”
Gordon & MacPhail "The Recollection Series #3" Rosebank 1991 32yo (51.2% ABV, 32yo, First Fill Bourbon Barrel #2114, Lowland, Scotland, One of 141 bottles, £2,100)
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A distillery called Rosebank was operating as early as 1817. From 1840, under the ownership of the Rankine family, Rosebank prospered, however the distillery eventually closed its doors in 1993. It was reopened under new ownership to great fanfare in 2024. This release is one of the oldest and rarest Rosebank single malts ever released.
Colour: Light sunset gold.
Nose: Light and tropical, with orange, banana and pineapple. As a kid I used to love
Golden Circle Tropical Punch fruit juice, and this nose took me straight back to those primary school playground days. It's a subtle nose though - slowly revealing itself. After time, some lemon slice shows through too.
Palate: Fruity maple syrup? There's a rose-flavoured note, and in the background (subtle) pineapple and banana.
Finish: Mango and guava! Big time, and long. I recently tried a single cask Springbank (interestingly the same age) and it also had this hugely tropical finish
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100 (Martin). The highest score I've ever given to a Rosebank? Probably. Feels like it's the best I've tried.
Gordon & MacPhail "The Recollection Series #3" North Port 1981 42yo (50.9% ABV, 42yo, Refill American Hogshead #2072, Highland, Scotland, One of 132 bottles, £3,850)
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Single malts featuring the distillery’s original name, Brechin Distillery, are vanishingly rare. Founded in 1820 near Scotland’s east coast by three brothers, David, John and Alexander Guthrie, the distillery stood half a mile from the River Esk. It remained in family ownership for over a century, renamed North Port Distillery, before new owners closed its doors in 1928. It reopened after the Second World War only to fall silent again in 1983, with the site demolished in 1994.
Colour: Light amber gold
Nose: Instantly, that well-matured, balanced, incredibly complex nose that shines through on so many of these older G&M releases. There's oak, there's fresh fruit (orchard fruits, peaches, apples) with slightly tropical undertones, nuttiness, fresh pear, and (with a drop of water) some pineapple, apricot and more peach.
Palate: Follows the nose just beautifully, with the oak and fruit in perfect harmony, alongside some gingerbread, mandarin, apricot and graceful oak.
Finish: Very, very long, with a slightly drying oak note and (after a drop of water), some peach.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 94/100 (Martin). Now THIS is whisky. Just a beautiful dram.
Gordon & MacPhail "The Recollection Series #3" Convalmore 1984 39yo (51.1% ABV, 39yo, Refill Sherry Hogshead #1733, Speyside, Scotland, One of 108 bottles, £2,300)
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Opened as the fourth of Dufftown’s famed seven stills in the heart of Speyside in 1894, Convalmore’s waxy, fruity spirit has very rarely been seen as a single malt whisky. Dedicated almost entirely to blended whiskies, production was interrupted in 1909 by a fire. The distillery expanded in 1964 but was mothballed in 1985. The original buildings are still on the site but the production equipment has been removed.
Colour: Rich mahogany.
Nose: Muted at first, but after some time it turns into a rich and elegant display of mocha, leather, fresh berries, berry compote and toffee.
Palate: Mature oak with noticeable, but not overpowering sherry notes. Flamed orange zest, black forrest cake, sherry-soaked cherries, cigar humidor, milk coffee and to round things out, hints of dried apricot.
Finish: Long, balanced oak with citrus hints.
Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100 (Martin). My love for Convalmore continues.
Many thanks again to G&M who kindly provided the tasting of these three beautiful single malts, and & Weber Shandwick for the arrangement.
Cheers,
Martin.
