Gordon & MacPhail "Mr George Legacy" (4th Ed) 65yo 1958 Glen Grant [Tasted #660]

It was almost a year ago to the day I tried Gordon & MacPhail's "Mr George Legacy" 3rd Ed, a 63yo Glen Grant from 1959, and the third in the excellent "Mr George Legacy" series. Many thought that was the final release in the series, but here we are 12 months later, and G&M have honoured their second generation "Mr George" Urquhart (arguably the father of single malt whisky's popularity) with another release - this time a 65yo from 1958.

Sticking with tradition, this release is again a Glen Grant, bottled from a single cask (a first-fill Sherry butt laid down by "Mr George" himself in 1958) at 56.5% in November 2023. Cask No.3818 produced just 376 bottles, slightly more (but more or less in the ballpark) as the rest of the "Mr George" series, meaning like the releases before it, this will no doubt be a hard bottle to acquire.

Stuart Urquhart, Operations Director at Gordon & MacPhail, said: 

“My grandfather had a particular affinity with Glen Grant Distillery. Local to our home in Elgin, Mr George had a strong relationship with the owners and distillers through the decades and he enjoyed experimenting with different casks to complement the distillery’s lighter spirit style."

This edition’s packaging and support campaign is themed around having the courage of conviction, symbolised by ‘The Lone Oak’. Mr George’s approach – to age whisky for as long as it needed – was seen by some as eccentric during his lifetime. The theme celebrates this philosophy of occasionally going against the grain but always standing firm to one’s principles in pursuit of perfection. 

With scores of 92, 92 & 94 for the previous 3 releases respectively (& 95 for the original "Mr George Centenary" release) there's some serious pedigree to live up to....so does it? Let's find out...

Gordon & MacPhail "Mr George Legacy" (4th Ed) Glen Grant 65yo 1958 (56.5% ABV, 65yo, Single Cask, Speyside, Scotland, One of 376 bottles, £7,000)

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Colour: Deep, dark coffee-burgundy

Nose: Richly oaked sherry, but with a real fruit vibrancy. Cherries, cola, spices and old books too - an amazing mix of "old" and "fresh". Cocoa, coffee beans and sweet coffee notes follow. An incredibly intoxicating nose.

Palate: True to the nose. There's cherry, cola bottle lollies, oak, coffee beans, licorice twists and a flamed orange peel. After time, some sweeter orange cream emerges. Leather and rich dark chocolate. It's all here. The alcohol is present, but extremely well-integrated, never seeming overbearing or "hot" (despite the realtively high ABV). I'll often taste a whisky with an incredible nose, but a lacking palate. Here, the nose matches the palate in terms of character and quality. Amazing. A friend referred to this as "elegant" and that's exactly what it is.

Finish: Extremely long, with herbal hints of old oak, and coffee beans.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 94/100 (Martin). The best of the "Mr George" series to date, in my opinion, and so so close to the "Mr George Centenary" (still one of my favourite whiskies of the last 5 years). Just a beautiful, beautiful dram.

A big thanks once again to G&M & WS for the sample.

Cheers,

Martin.

Gordon & MacPhail "Mr George Legacy" (3rd Ed) 63yo 1959 Glen Grant [Tasted #627]

Looking back over recent years, Gordon & MacPhail have released some pretty incredible drams, many of which I've been fortunate enough to taste. One series that's always stood out for me though is the "Mr George" range.

First introduced in 2019 with the "Mr George Centenary Edition" Glen Grant 62yo 1956  (tasted here in 2019), G&M then switched to "Mr George Legacy" naming, first with the "Mr George Legacy" (1st Ed) Glen Grant 67yo 1953 (tasted here in 2021), then the "Mr George Legacy" (2nd Ed) Glen Grant 64yo 1957 (tasted here in 2022), and now finally the third release - "Mr George Legacy" (3rd Ed) Glen Grant 63yo 1959".

Named after Mr George Urquhart (second generation of the Gordon & MacPhail family) the series celebrates Mr George's instrumental role in the success and popularity of single malt whisky (he created the Connoisseurs Choice range, way back in 1968 - focusing on single malts when the world was still focused on blends. It's still an incredibly popular range of whiskies today).

Gordon & MacPhail were kind enough to send me a sample of the new release, which was distilled at Glen Grant Distillery on 15th Oct 1959, and bottled 63 years later on 2nd Nov 2022 at a very-respectable 56.5% ABV. The First-fill Sherry butt gave up only 368 bottles, which sells for £6,499 (HKD pricing not yet available). So let's dive in...

Gordon & MacPhail "Mr George Legacy" (3rd Ed) Glen Grant 63yo 1959 (56.5% ABV, 63yo, Single Cask, Speyside, Scotland, One of 368 bottles, £6,499)

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Colour: Golden-amber sunset

Nose: Mandarin, followed by a slight peppery earthiness, whole oranges, confectioners sugar and a slight dusting of oak, with a touch of nuttiness.

Palate: Initially citrus - whole oranges and mandarin, followed by mint, soothing earl grey tea, some cocoa and slight notes of mature oak after time.

Finish: Long, with cinnamon sugar, cocoa and residual hints of mature oak.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100 (Martin). I'm always impressed with how well the oak is balanced in these releases, after such long maturation. I know casks were different back then, but still, for a whisky to spend 63 years in oak and still have so much complexity and balance, is no easy task.

Cheers,

Martin.

Gordon & MacPhail "Mr George Legacy" (2nd Ed) 64yo 1957 Glen Grant [Tasted #567]

I've spoken plenty about the amazing Gordon & MacPhail bottlings I've been fortunate enough to try in recent years (most recently this one at a frankly-ridiculous 80 years old) but still to this day, the most enjoyable for me has been the 62yo 1956 "Mr George Centenary" (tasted here). 

I didn't realise at the time back in 2019, but "Mr George" releases were set to be an annual thing - followed up in 2020 by the 67yo 1953 "Mr George Legacy" Glen Grant (tasted here)....and now, by the third release in the series, the 2021-bottled 64yo 1957 "Mr George Legacy 2nd Edition" Glen Grant, released today.

Continuing to honour "Mr George" Urquhart ("the father, the originator, of the current success and appreciation of Scotch Malt whiskies"), the third release "pays tribute to his philosophy [with] a rich, complex single malt from Glen Grant Distillery with a subtle smokiness not found in more modern Speyside whiskies". A fitting choice, given Glen Grant was said to be one of Mr George's favourite distilleries.

G&M kindly sent me a sample of the new release, so let's dive in...

Gordon & MacPhail 1957 Glen Grant 64yo "Mr George Legacy" 2nd Edition (56.1% ABV, 64yo, Cask #3438, One of 298 bottles, Speyside, Price TBC)
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Colour: Dark red Mahogany

Nose: An initial flinty note gives way to red berries, ginger, a BBQ meatiness and old leather, underlined by toasted oak.

Palate: Largely follows the nose, with a smoked cream note, more red berries, cherries, licorice allsorts, and an underlying mintiness. After time and some air, herbal notes of forrest soil and cigar box emerge.

Finish: Long, spiced mint, sultanas and cherries, with residual hints of walnut.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. A more robust, meatier dram than the first two in my opinion. Closer to the previous "Legacy" than the "Centenary", but with some added slightly gunpowderish notes. Overall a fantastically complex and well-made dram - particularly given the lack of any over-oaked or "off" notes, despite being 64 years of age!

A huge thanks to G&M and WS for the sample.

Cheers,

Martin.

67yo "Mr George Legacy" Glen Grant 1953 from Gordon & MacPhail [Tasted #518]

Over the past few years I've been fortunate to try some pretty incredible Gordon & MacPhail bottlings - many of them positively geriatric (including one in it's 70s - notes here), but my favourite by far has been the 62yo 1956 "Mr George Centenary" (tasted here). I called it my top whisky of 2019, and if I'm honest, it remained so across 2020 too.

...so when G&M reached out and asked if I'd like to try the new "Mr George Legacy" 1st Edition - also a Glen Grant, but this time a 1953 bottled just after its 67th birthday, I wasn't going to say no!

Distilled on Christmas Eve 1953 and bottled on 5th Jan 2021, the whisky spent its whole life in a First Fill Sherry Butt, and retained a hefty (and frankly astonishing) 59.4% ABV when bottled after those 67 years. 

Bottled to celebrate the Legacy of "Mr George" Urquhart (second generation of the G&M family and the man who created the Connoisseurs Choice range which still remains hugely popular today), a total of 355 bottles are available. A fitting tribute to someone Charlie MacLean refers to as "The father, the originator of the current success and appreciation of Scotch Malt Whiskies" then!

Describing Mr George's influence on the company and wider Scotch whisky scene, Stephen Rankin, grandson and G&M's Director of Prestige said: “My grandfather possessed a passion for taking single malts beyond these shores. Over many decades, he built and nurtured close relationships with some of Scotland’s leading distilleries and proudly took as much as he could carry on his international trips. I have fond memories of joining him, meeting new people, and telling stories about the casks he’d chosen to bring out the best in the different types of spirit."

Gordon & MacPhail 1953 Glen Grant 67yo "Mr George Legacy" (59.4% ABV, 67yo, Cask #4209, Speyside, £5,000)

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Colour: Intensely deep ruby-red copper.

Nose: Maraschino cherries and cough syrup, with old leather-bound books initially. Seriously "decadent", mature and complex. Sherry-soaked dates, furniture polish & hazelnuts. Water adds a little more nuttiness.

Palate: Zesty at first, with citrus spice, and cigar leaves soaked in orange. Grassy and with blackcurrant hints, the nearly 60% ABV does bring some heat, but it's a very composed and complex palate overall. There's some ginger and a plum sweetness, with mint notes towards the end. Water brings more of a meaty, earthen note.

Finish: Long notes of leather cigar pouch with residual earthy smoke and paprika.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 94/100. There's a huge amount going on here, and it's all delicious. A stunning dram - even more impressive when you consider that after 67 years in a 1st fill butt, there's no "off" notes - no overly-oaky tannins, no sulphur. A stunning cask and a testament to both Mr George and the wider G&M team.

Cheers,

Martin.

Gordon & MacPhail’s "Mr George Centenary Edition" 1956 Glen Grant 62yo [Tasted #469]

Continuing with 2019's theme of "trying incredibly rare and old releases from Gordon & MacPhail", a sample of G&M's latest "Mr George Centenary Edition" 62yo Glen Grant arrived recently, distilled way back in 1956 and matured in a single first fill sherry butt for 62 long years.

The whisky was bottled to celebrate what would have been the Centenary of "Mr George" Urquhart - the man said to be "the father, the originator, of the current success and appreciation of Scotch Malt whiskies" (Charlie MacLean's words). Joining G&M in 1933, George was a champion of single malt (at a time when the world's attention was on blends), and was the creator of the Connoisseurs Choice range in 1968 - nowadays one of the most legendary series of Independent Bottlings of the era.

Now, you might think a man with a legacy like George's would deserve a very special whisky...and you'd be right. Not only is this a 62yo whisky, it is an absolutely stunning 62yo whisky, presenting elegance, finesse, complexity and power you rarely see combined in a whisky, let alone one that has spent 62 years in a first fill sherry butt.

When it comes to old Scotch whiskies (50yo+), I generally have four checks - the further along the list the whisky makes it, the more impressed I am:

1. Is it technically still "whisky" (i.e. >40% ABV)?
2. Is it still drinkable (i.e. not reminiscent of chewing on an oak stave)?
3. Does it actually have some discernible notes on the nose and palate other than "oak"
4. Is it enjoyable?

I've tried one or two 50+ year old whiskies that haven't gotten past 2, and most generally top out at point 3 or 4. This whisky however blazes through the list, and goes somewhere else entirely. It's no exaggeration to say that, for me, this presents floral elegance and clean sherry power you very, very rarely see in a whisky. Think some of the best Karuizawas, or most stunning, cleanly-sherried vintage Speysiders. The sort of whiskies that come along once every few years, if you're lucky. We're talking rarified company here.

This is the best whisky I've tried in 2019.

Gordon & MacPhail "Mr George Centenary Edition" 1956 Glen Grant 62yo (51.7%ABV, 62yo, Speyside, Scotland, Cask #4455, One of 235 bottles, £5,000)

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Colour: Deep orange walnut.

Nose: Power and elegance. There are big sherry notes - hazelnuts, ginger, rhubarb, and even some coconut, but also floral subtleties - pot pourri if you like. Everything combines harmoniously and no one character is competing for your olfactory senses. If someone told you it was a well-aged sherried Karuizawa, you'd believe them, such is the balance and finesse evident.

Palate: Initially very sweet, quickly settling into similar notes as found on the nose - floral elegance, coconut and ginger, with an underlying orange blossom note, and candied mandarin peel. After some time in the glass, raspberries and orange (flesh, not peel) emerge, along with some hints of sweet nutty chocolate.

Finish: Long, sweet, floral, with a residual smoky honey oak note.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale):  95/100. That's a big score (my biggest of 2019) but is entirely deserved. I feel my notes don't really do the whisky justice - this is simply a beautiful whisky - one that I hope every single bottle of gets opened and enjoyed.

A big thanks to G&M for a sample of a whisky that would no doubt make "Mr George" proud, were he around today.

Cheers,

Martin.