Rare Ayrshire 1975/2015 40 yo Sig RR

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 47.1% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

This Rare Ayrshire comes from a single Bourbon Barrel, combining forty years of maturation with the history of the closed Ladyburn distillery. The whisky was distilled on 24 October 1975 and matured in cask number 3421 before Signatory Vintage bottled it on 2 December 2015 for the Rare Reserve within the Cask Strength Collection. The cask yielded just 166 numbered bottles worldwide.

The whisky retains its natural colour and was bottled without chill filtration at a cask strength of 47.1%. The 0.7-litre bottle comes in a hinged presentation case.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose opens with slightly underripe mangoes, followed by lemon and bright papaya notes. Sweets, fruit jellies and an impression reminiscent of marshmallow then emerge. Subtle hints of patchouli, oolong tea and longan linger in the background, along with a nuance of Chinese rose liqueur.
• Palate: On the palate, the whisky is exceptionally fresh and fruity. Apple and grapefruit mingle with mango and white pineapple. The oak remains restrained, though it makes itself felt through a light, tea-like tannic structure.
• Finish: The medium-length finish retains the fruity freshness and reveals honeysuckle notes. Hints of elderberry and a little grenadine can also be discerned in the aftertaste.

Distillery/Bottler:

Ladyburn was established in 1966 on the site of William Grant & Sons’ Girvan distillery in Ayrshire. Four stills supplied malt whisky for Grant’s blends, also easing pressure on stocks of Glenfiddich as its importance as a Single Malt grew. As early as 1975, Ladyburn had to make way for the expansion of grain whisky production. Rare Ayrshire is the name under which Signatory Vintage released whisky from this distillery.

Andrew Symington founded Signatory Vintage in Edinburgh in 1988. His first bottling came from a sherry cask containing Glenlivet distilled in 1968. After purchasing Edradour in 2002, the company moved to Perthshire; its warehousing and bottling facilities are beside the distillery near Pitlochry. Single-cask selection is central to its approach: rather than pursuing a uniform house style, it aims to preserve the distinctive characteristics of the selected whiskies.

Facts: