Special RAF whisky commission raises £10k for local charities

An exclusive whisky produced by independent bottlers, Gordon & MacPhail, to commemorate RAF Kinloss has raised £10,000 for charities.

The Limited Edition Blended Malt ‘The Last Hunter’ was produced and named to not only mark the closure of RAF Kinloss, but also to reflect the 73 years of continuous RAF service at the station.

Named after the Nimrod surveillance aircraft, which were based at RAF Kinloss, the whisky was bottled at 41.6% abv. Incorporating a 25-year old Speyside Single Malt blended with a Speyside Single Malt from 1939, to mark the 73 years, it has a rare and unique make-up.

Only a single cask was bottled, producing just under 500 bottles, and were devised as a memento for past and present personnel.

Station Commander Group Captain JCM Johnston from RAF Kinloss, was presented with the cheque from David Urquhart, Joint Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail.

It is planned the proceeds will go to a number of national and local charities.

Flt Sgt Kevin Hastie said; “Response to the sale of The Last Hunter was absolutely amazing to the point that the limited number of bottles were not enough. However, it wasn’t about the quantity, it was about producing a high quality reminder for people to remember the station by.

“It is very satisfying to us all that the station is able to mark our closure with a final contribution towards over 50 local and national charities including The MacMillan Hospice, Friends of the Grove, Dr Gray’s Children’s Ward as well as military charities such as Help for Heroes, SSAFA and BLESMA”.

David Urquhart, Joint Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail added; “We were proud to have been commissioned to produce such a special bottle of whisky. The Last Hunter is an exclusive, one-off, blended whisky to commemorate RAF Kinloss, which has been a huge part of the local community for over 73 years. It’s great that so much money raised by the proceeds will be donated to many local charities. And, we hope everyone who purchased a bottle enjoy it.”

Notes:

· Pictured: Group Captain Johnston with David Urquhart, Joint Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail, Project Officer Flight Sergeant Kevin Hastie and Mrs Marie Bowron.

· The presentation between Gordon & MacPhail and RAF Kinloss took place on 25 July 2012

· RAF Kinloss handed the base over to the Army (39 Engineer Regiment) on 26 July.

About Gordon & MacPhail

Gordon & MacPhail is an independent, family-owned spirit and wine merchant who have 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 founding, 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 300 presentations of own-bottled Single Malts. In 2009, Gordon & MacPhail was awarded the prestigious Queens 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 fully certified by the Soil Association.