St. Magdalene 1982/2023 G&M PVC Private Collection #2100

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 54.5% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

This single-cask bottling preserves a whisky from St. Magdalene's final years of production. The 1982 vintage single malt matured for 40 years in cask 2100, a Refill American Hogshead. Refill denotes a cask previously used to mature whisky; the designation does not specify how many times it had been filled before.

The cask was filled on 1 July 1982, and the whisky was bottled on 6 February 2023 at its cask strength of 54.5%. The outturn was 150 bottles. This bottling belongs to the Private Collection and the second release of The Recollection Series, through which Gordon & MacPhail presents whiskies from distilleries that have closed or have long been inactive. Family members select the bottlings for this series.

The whisky is smoky and was bottled without chill filtration or added colouring. The 0.7-litre bottle comes in a premium box. Its fruit and spice profile combines citrus with poached pear, nutty notes and a spicy anise finish.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, orange and clove combine with sweet red apple and a hint of grapefruit. Butterscotch notes also develop, accompanied by subtle cocoa powder and mature oak.
• Palate: On the palate, the citrus is sweet and mellow, with subtle black pepper providing a contrast. Poached pear emerges before walnut and a delicate marzipan note follow.
• Finish: The finish is full and spicy, with lingering anise notes.

Distillery/Bottler:

St. Magdalene stood in Linlithgow in the Scottish Lowlands and was also known as Linlithgow Distillery. Its origins date back to the middle of the 18th century. Following its merger with the neighbouring Bonnytoun distillery, it took its name in 1826 from St Magdalene's Cross, a historic site with a chapel and a medieval market. Its location between the Union Canal and railway connections supported its development. In 1983, St. Magdalene became the last of Linlithgow's five distilleries to close.

Gordon & MacPhail began in 1895 as a grocery, wine and spirits shop in Elgin. John Urquhart and later his son George built up stocks of whisky whose maturation they oversaw for many years. Their approach centred on pairing the character of a spirit with a suitable oak cask, rather than simply buying whisky that had already matured. Gordon & MacPhail is the independent bottler of this release; the spirit was distilled at St. Magdalene.

Facts: