Gordon & MacPhail Generations Nominated For Industry Oscars – Scotch Whisky News
Gordon & MacPhail Generations nominated for industry Oscars
An exclusive Single Malt from Gordon & MacPhail’s Generations range is the only whisky to be shortlisted in this year’s Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards.
The Gordon & MacPhail Generations Glenlivet 70 Years Old has been shortlisted in the Drinks category of the awards, widely regarded as the Scottish food and drink industry’s ‘Oscars’.
The Glenlivet 70 Years Old was released by Gordon & MacPhail in 2011 as an addition to its ‘Generations’ range, which features the world’s oldest and rarest Scotch single malt whiskies. It is the second 70 year old single malt to be released by Gordon & MacPhail and jointly the oldest single malt Scotch whisky in existence.
This cask of The Glenlivet was laid down on 3rd February 1940, on the instruction of John Urquhart, grandfather and great-grandfather of company’s current owners. Since then, successive generations of the Urquhart family waited for the day when it would be ready to share with fellow whisky lovers. 70 years on, the whisky was bottled at cask strength (45.9%).
David Urquhart, joint managing director of Gordon & MacPhail, commented: “This nomination is recognition of the Glenlivet 70 Years Old’s superb quality, luxury and its rarity.
“The cask this whisky came from was laid down by my grandfather in 1940 and it was carefully watched over by successive generations of the Urquhart family until we decided to bottle it ourselves 70 years later.
A limited number of bottles were released by Gordon & MacPhail in 2011, creating excitement among whisky connoisseurs across the world. Only 100 70cl decanters were released, selling in the UK at £13,000. The smaller, 20cl decanter sold at £3,500 in the UK. All large decanters have been sold to countries throughout the world including Japan, Taiwan, France, UK and USA.
Each bottle is beautifully presented in a tear-shaped hand-blown crystal decanter with an elegant British Hallmarked silver stopper. The decanter nestles in a sterling silver base and is framed in a handmade box, crafted in Scotland using Scottish elm.
The Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards will be held on Thursday 24 May in Dunblane, Stirlingshire.
Notes:
About Scotland Food and Drink’s Excellence Awards
Scotland Food and Drink is the not-for-profit organisation, supported by the Scottish Government, which was founded in 2007 to build Scotland’s international reputation as ‘A land of food and drink’.
For more information on the Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards, or to view the full shortlist for each category, visit: http://www.scotlandfoodanddrink.org/news/article-info/3639/scotland-food-and-drink-excellence-awards-shortlist-announced.aspx
About Gordon & MacPhail Generations Glenlivet 70 Years Old
Tasting note (by Charles MacLean, www.whiskymax.co.uk)
Appearance: Deep amber, with tawny lights.
Aroma: A mild nose-feel. The first aroma is of an old cocktail cabinet, with Sherry notes predominating; polished wood, soft leather and a trace of candle wax. Behind this are fruity notes, lightly baked apples (even Tarte Tatin), but also fresh orange juice, and just a thread of smoke or ash in the distance. Adding a drop of water suppresses the fruity notes and slightly enhances the sweetness (now tablet) and smokiness.
Taste: A waxy, teeth-coating mouthfeel; smooth and voluptuous. The taste is sweetish to start, then savoury, with a trace of salt – might this be a rare example of ‘umami’ in whisky, the elusive fifth primary taste? The finish is long, with a faint smokiness in the aftertaste. Drinks well at natural strength. With a drop of water the flavours remain intact.
Development: Fades gracefully towards vanilla fudge and sanded wood.
Comment: A stupendous whisky! Although it resonates with aged character – and, indeed, characteristics from another era – it retains vitality, both on the nose and on the palate.
About Gordon & MacPhail:
Gordon & MacPhail is an independent, family-owned spirit and wine merchant which has been based in Elgin, Moray, since 1895. Four generations of the Urquhart family have continued the tradition of seeking out the best and rarest Scotch whiskies.
Since its foundation, Gordon & MacPhail’s policy has been to send casks to distilleries throughout Scotland, fill them with ‘new make’ spirit and mature them either at the distillery of origin or in the firm’s own bonded warehouses in Elgin.
Now one of the world’s leading malt whisky specialists, Gordon & MacPhail exports to more than 55 countries. It offers more than 450 presentations of own-bottled single malts and has a stock-holding of more than 700 whiskies. In 2009, Gordon & MacPhail was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade.
In 1993 the company purchased Benromach Distillery in nearby Forres. After extensively re-equipping the distillery over a five year period, Benromach was officially opened by HRH Prince Charles in October 1998. The award winning range includes Benromach 10 Years Old and Benromach Organic – the world’s first single malt to be certified by the Soil Association.
