Gordon & MacPhail has unveiled its third annual Recollection Series, featuring a selection of unique and rare single cask whiskies from closed or long time silent Scotch distilleries. Included in this year’s collection are single malts from Rosebank, Glenlochy Convalmore, Imperial, North Port, and Port Ellen distilleries, each bottled at cask strength after aging for between 32 and 44 years.
“This year marks our third Recollection Series, which again brings a carefully chosen selection of rare and unique whiskies to enthusiasts worldwide,” said Stuart Urquhart, Operations Director at Gordon & MacPhail.
“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.”
Gordon & MacPhail worked with Emmy-award winning artist Bruno Mangyoku to design the packaging and labels around the theme of forgotten masterpieces and lost works of art.
Bruno Mangyoku said, “the brief for the third Recollection Series from Gordon & MacPhail was to bring back to life the forgotten distilleries of this year’s chosen releases and revive their former glory through illustration. It was a fantastic opportunity to take a deep dive into the industry’s rich history.”
The full list of whiskies in this year’s Recollection Series is as follows:
- Rosebank 1991 – RRP £2,100 ($4,110)
- Glenlochy 1979 – RRP £4,000 ($7,830)
- Convalmore 1984 – RRP £2,300 ($4,500)
- Imperial 1990 – RRP £1,650 ($3,200)
- North Port 1981 – RRP £3,850 ($7,500)
- Port Ellen 1981 – RRP £10,000 ($19,580)
Stuart Urquhart said, “we’re proud to be able to revive the spirit of these historic distilleries, bringing their stories back into the present day.”
Gordon & MacPhail provided the following tasting notes and information for the six whiskies in the Series.
Rosebank 1991
ABV: 51.2%
Nose: Fragrant gorse flower aromas intertwine with lime zest and a hint of milk chocolate. Dried banana notes come to the fore alongside an undertone of peanuts.
Taste: Sweet honeycomb flavours give way to subtle guava and passionfruit. Smooth poached pear leads to vanilla fudge.
Finish: A medium bodied finish with creamy apple and tropical fruit.
About the distillery
The history of Rosebank Distillery has been directly linked with the Forth & Clyde canal which sits in its shadow. The waterway linked Scotland’s west and east coasts, and therefore its two main cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh. A distillery called Rosebank was operating as early as 1817.From 1840, under the ownership of the Rankine family, Rosebank prospered. The canal, however, became neglected and the distillery eventually closed its doors in 1993. It was reopened under new ownership to great fanfare in 2024.This release, a lost work of art, is one of the oldest and rarest Rosebank single malts ever released.
Glenlochy 1979
ABV: 53.2%
Aromas: Orange oil aromas give way to pressed apple and a hint of ginger. Vibrant dried mango and honeycomb lead to an undertone of beeswax polish.
Taste: Sweet tropical fruit flavours; pineapple and banana combine with lemon sherbet. Strawberry compote and vanilla fudge are followed by notes of pecan.
Finish: A full and smooth finish with toasted almonds and oak.
About the distillery
Founded in 1898, on the banks of the River Nevis shortly after the completion of the West Highland Railway, Glenlochy was well positioned to transport its whisky to Glasgow. The bulk of spirit from its stills was destined for blends so any release featuring the distillery name is extremely rare. Glenlochy was eventually closed in 1983 and sold for redevelopment as a hotel in 1991. All of the original buildings have since been demolished apart from the kiln building, but within this single malt, its spirit endures.
Convalmore 1984
ABV: 51.1%
Nose: Rich treacle toffee aromas combine with cinnamon spice and subtle beeswax polish. Stewed raisin comes to the fore alongside soft and sweet butterscotch.
Taste: Clementine intertwines with stewed forest fruit and toasted hazelnut. Demerara sugar develops, accompanied by subtle coffee bean and a hint of dried banana.
Finish: A full finish with black pepper and grapefruit zest.
About the distillery
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. This 39 year old single malt, matured in a bespoke Gordon &MacPhail cask, is a forgotten masterpiece; a lost work of art that revives the spirit of a bygone era.
Imperial 1990
ABV: 52.7%
Nose: Rich orange oil aromas infuse with brown sugar and vibrant peanut brittle. Poached pear and clover honey lead to bright pineapple.
Taste: Sweet lime and cocoa powder flavours are balanced by cracked black pepper. Ripe green apple gives way to chilli spice and a herbal edge.
Finish: Full with tropical fruit and charred oak.
About the distillery
Built by Thomas MacKenzie in 1897 – the year of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee – Imperial Distillery was constructed in the heart of Speyside on a grand scale, the maltings capped by a cast iron crown. Mothballed in 1899, it reopened in 1919, fell silent for another 30 years then opened again, supplying spirit for blended whisky, only to close for the last time in 1998. In 2013, the buildings were demolished and Dalmunach Distillery now stands on the site. Single malt whiskies featuring the Imperial Distillery name are the epitome of rare. Their reputation continues to grow and this forgotten masterpiece was matured in a Gordon & MacPhail cask for more than three decades.
North Port 1981
ABV: 50.9%
Nose: Rich citrus aromas complement red apple and butterscotch. Apricot jam intertwines with fragrant walnut, giving way to subtle aged leather.
Taste: Sweet tangerine zest combines with desiccated coconut and soft ginger spice. Demerara sugar comes to the fore, leading to mature oak.
Finish: A medium bodied, dry finish with Brazil nut.
About the distillery
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.Whisky writer, Michael Jackson, described its spirit as ‘dry and fruity’ and this whisky, matured in a Gordon & MacPhail cask, is a forgotten masterpiece that revives the spirit of a bygone age.
Port Ellen 1981
ABV: 52.5%
Nose: Dark chocolate aromas complement ginger and cinnamon spice. Blackcurrant gives way to medjool dates and sweet vanilla pod.
Taste: Rich fruitcake flavours lead to baked apples and rich, sweet smoke. Peanut brittle comes to the fore alongside dark cherry and spicy pepper.
Finish: A long and full finish with lasting dried fruit and bonfire embers.
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