GORDON & MACPHAIL Tomatin 32yo

1989 Vintage

£635.59 / $657* / c$1,066* / €741

Tomatin 32 Year Old 1989 vintage Speyside single malt Scotch whisky. Single refill American hogshead #4226 bottled December 2021 by Gordon & MacPhail for the Connoisseurs Choice series. 217 bottles.

Nose: Dried mango and lemon peel aromasbalanced by cracked black pepper. Rich green apple comes to the fore alomngside subtle demera sugar.

Taste: Sweet seville orange intertwines with ripe banana and chilli spice. Bricght baked apples complement grapefruit zest and a hing of tobacco.

Finish: Full and slighty dry with pineapple and mature oak.

Tomatin Distillery was established in 1897 and operated with two stills until 1956 after which there were frequent and numerous additions culminating in 23 stills in 1986 making Tomatin the largest distillery in Scotland at that time. However, eleven were subsequently closed and it is currently equipped with twelve but operating with eight. Tomatin Distillery is a Highland distillery situated close to the Cairngorms National Park and, sitting at an altitude of 315m, it is the third highest distillery in Scotland. The official range includes Tomatin 12 Year Old, 18 Year Old and the peated Cu Bocan range.

Torabhaig Allt Gleann Batch Strength limited release revealed 

Torabhaig Single Malt Distillery on the Isle of Skye closes the current chapter of its Torabhaig Legacy Series with a limited edition batch strength release straight from the cask.

Torabhaig Single Malt Distillery on the Isle of Skye announces a new limited edition release, Torabhaig Allt Gleann Batch Strength. This special edition, batch strength release of Allt Gleann completes the current chapter of the Torabhaig Legacy Series, which charts the journey to 10 year old for this exciting new distillery on the Isle of Skye.

The release bottled unreduced shows the confidence that this young distillery has in the quality of its whisky and highlights the strength of their emerging signature style: well tempered peat. It is drawn directly from a select batch of casks and sings of smoke and brine. Heavily inspired by the spectacularly rugged coastline on which the distillery sits on the Isle of Skye, Torabhaig tames heavily peated grains to produce an elegantly rugged dram that balances strength with refinement to accentuate the floral, fragrant character of the whisky.

Torabhaig Whiskymaker, Neil Macleod Mathieson, comments: “Torabhaig Allt Gleann Batch Strength is our way of bidding a fond farewell to Allt Gleann and closing out this chapter of Torabhaig’s journey to 10 year old. This is the last time we’ll get to see this specific style of Torabhaig, so we set aside a few hundred casks of this expression distilled during the experimental phases of 2017 and 2018 to release at its natural strength.

“As with Allt Gleann, we’re transparent on the bottle about everything, from the variety of barley to the type of yeast to residual ppm – and not just in grain ppm. We want to take whisky lovers on this journey of experimentation with us and are confident about sharing our findings about flavour as we’re building this liquid legacy.”

Allt Gleann is named after one of the natural spring water sources that feed the Torabhaig distillery, which sits on a historical site on a rugged coastline. While the distillery has only been operational since January 2017, it is only the second Single Malt distillery on the Isle of Skye in almost 200 years. The 19th century distillery building is an old farmhouse that was painstakingly restored over a four-year period. The historic nature of the building provided creative constraints in terms of the still size and distillery layout.

Torabhaig Allt Gleann Batch Strength

RRP:   £75/ 85 EUR/ $89.99 USD

Tasting note:  Smoke & brine. A robustly peated spirit with a deceptively refined character resulting in a complex and characterful maritime whisky

Grain:  Concerto malted barley

Yeast: Fermented with pinnacle MG+ yeast

Wood:  American oak, first fill bourbon barrels and re-fill whisky barrels

Time in cask: 60+ months

Peat in grain: 78+ PPM

Residual peat: 22.8 PPM

ABV: 61.1%

Treatment: No chill filtration. No colour added

No of bottles:  50,000 bottles globally 

About Torabhaig Single Malt Scotch Whisky: 

The Torabhaig Single Malt distillery is set on one of Scotland’s most dramatic locations on the spectacular rugged coastline of the Isle of Skye. The first new distillery on the Isle of Skye in 190 years, Torabhaig started distillation in 2017 and is one of only two Single Malt distilleries on the island. The whisky created here is shaped by Skye and the breathtaking landscape of jagged rocky peaks, stunningly verdant valleys, and glistening coastal waters. The Torabhaig style is one of well-tempered peat crafted by distilling a robustly peated, elegantly rugged, floral, fragrant whisky that sings of smoke and brine. The whisky is made by a team of nine local distillers all trained from scratch, with seasoned whisky maker Neil Macleod Mathieson at the helm.

Torabhaig is part of the Mossburn whisky portfolio which includes independent bottlings from Mossburn Distillers & Blenders and Caisteal Chamuis, a heavily peated blended malt.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE
FLORA AND FAUNA COLLECTION

Nicknamed by the late whisky writer Michael Jackson, Flora & Fauna started out as a themed series of distillery-only single malt whiskies. Each distillery was given a creature as its symbol, one that calls the area surrounding the distillery home, and is displayed on each bottle’s label. Many of the distilleries in the range are more commonly used for making blended whiskies, which makes the Flora and Fauna series a rare treat.
The Diageo range gives whisky fans the chance to try single malts that they will rarely find elsewhere from lesser known distilleries such as Blair Athol, Dailuaine, Benrinnes and Strathmill. Check out a few of our highlights and special offers below.

SHOP THE RANGE

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 503: Milk & Honey 3 Year Old 2020 Min Morsa

Mark Dermul, Belgian whiskyblogger, tries an Israeli malt with a sad story. Min Morsa is Swedish for ‘my mother’. Mark’s good friend Dominic lost his mother in a traffic accident on June 2, 2023. She was born in 1946. On the day of the tragic accident, his brother Frédéric turned 46 years old. Hence the number of bottles bottled from this malt, which is a tribute to Mama. The label, full of symbolism, is beautiful. The contents of the bottle are unusual to say the least, as it is a young malt from Israel that matured on an Orange Wine Cask – the first of its kind at cask strength. Mark took the bottle with him to New York.

https://youtu.be/47yNgh56Gn0

BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY ANNOUNCES THE PROHIBITION COLLECTION

One of the only distilleries to remain open during Prohibition has recreated five historic whiskeys that existed during one of America’s most unique time periods

FRANKFORT, KY (September 26, 2023) – Buffalo Trace Distillery is thrilled to announce The Prohibition Collection: an annual limited-edition, multi-bottle collection honoring the whiskeys that were legally produced and sold at the distillery during arguably the most contentious time period in alcohol history. Known then as the George T. Stagg Distillery, the debut release tributes five Prohibition Era-brands that have, until now, disappeared: Old Stagg, Golden Wedding, Three Feathers, Walnut Hill and George T. Stagg Spiritus Frumenti.

From 1920 to 1933, the production, sale and transportation of alcohol was banned in the United States due to the ratification of the 18th amendment to the United States Constitution, an era known as Prohibition. Purchasing alcohol was only legal with a medical prescription. At the time, many doctors believed spirits to be a cure for a wide variety of ailments. As such, the U.S. Government granted licenses to six distilleries to bottle medicinal whiskey: one of those distilleries was the George T. Stagg Distillery in Frankfort, KY. Known today as Buffalo Trace Distillery, it is the longest continually-operating distillery in America.

The inaugural Prohibition Collection features five whiskeys, each created in tribute to a historic brand that was housed at the Buffalo Trace Distillery site during Prohibition:

• Old Stagg, a barrel-proof (132.4 proof), uncut and unfiltered whiskey featuring an oaky, vanilla aroma; sweet and mellow taste with notes of leather and dark cherries and a smooth vanilla finish. Old Stagg was originally created in honor of former owner George T. Stagg and replaced O.F.C. Bourbon as the Distillery’s flagship brand. Today, the brand lives on as Stagg and George T. Stagg, both barrel proof whiskeys that have their roots in this Prohibition era brand.
• Golden Wedding, a 107-proof rye whiskey that has heavy rye on the nose; a grainy, herbal taste with notes of dill pickle and rye; and a spicy, smokey finish with a hint of banana. The brand, which dates back to 1869, was originally produced by Schenley Distilling at the Joseph S. Finch Distillery in Pennsylvania. During Prohibition, its bottling was split between Schenley’s Pennsylvania distillery and the George T. Stagg Distillery. In the late 1940’s, the brand was moved to Schenley’s distillery in Canada and would become a Canadian whiskey before ceasing to exist in the late 20th century.
• Three Feathers, a 100-proof, bottled-in-bond whiskey created by Buffalo Trace Master Blender Drew Mayville. Dating back to at least 1812, Three Feathers was first advertised as a luxurious rye before becoming a bonded and then a blended whiskey. Today’s recreation presents a vanilla, charred oak aroma with stone and light tropical fruit taste, and smokey, caramel and a slight cocoa finish.
• Walnut Hill, a 90-proof high-rye bourbon featuring a slightly citrus aroma with light corn and oak notes; sweet molasses, stone fruit and vanilla taste; and a smokey, woodsy finish. This historic spirit was bottled by the George T. Stagg Distillery during Prohibition with production overseen by President Albert Blanton.
• George T. Stagg Distillery Spiritus Frumenti, a 110-proof wheated bourbon honoring the medicinal whiskey produced at the George T. Stagg Distillery. “Spiritus Frumenti,” which translates as “Spirit of the Grain” in Latin, existed as a generic name for medicinal whiskey during Prohibition. Tasting notes include an aroma of caramelized brown sugar; fruity yet floral taste with notes of cherry and oak; and finishes with vanilla, wheat and citrus.

“We stand behind our motto, ‘Honor Tradition, Embrace Change’,” says Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace Master Distiller. “Each of these brands disappeared slowly in the years after Prohibition, but they were integral to our survival. Without them, today there would be no Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare or Weller bourbons. The Prohibition Collection is a tribute to these great whiskeys from our past.”

“At Buffalo Trace Distillery, we build brands based on real, authentic stories firmly rooted in the rich history of excellent whiskey making in America,” says Andrew Duncan, Global Brand Director for Buffalo Trace Distillery. “When we discovered these brands – and others – in our distillery’s history, we could not wait to bring them back to life and tell their stories again. By aging and selling barrels from numerous distilleries all over the country, the Buffalo Trace Distillery site played a key role in keeping American Whiskey alive during one of the most unique periods in the history of the spirits industry.”

The entire collection is housed in a custom wooden display case, with each of the five 375ml bottles heavily-inspired by their Prohibition Era packaging and original bottle size: even the back cartons feature the cut-out for doctors to apply the prescription for medicinal whiskey, without which one could not legally purchase alcohol.

The Prohibition Collection will be rolling out in limited quantities to its distributor network, which will ship to select retailers, bars and restaurants across the United States as of October 2023 at a suggested retail price of $999.99 (five 375ml bottles); state taxes will vary per market.

For more information, please visit BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY 

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort,  Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1775 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee.  Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won 40 distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Its George T. Stagg was named World Whiskey of the Year for 2022 and its Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye was named 2^nd Finest Whiskey in the World for 2022.  Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 1,000 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com.

September 2023 Auction // 29.09.23 – 09.10.23

Now Live: September 2023 Auction

Featuring over 8,500 rare whiskies, our September auction offers a unique opportunity to bid on some fantastic bottles for your whisky shelf or collection. This month is full of incredibly rare bottles, from a vast collection of Springbank, to iconic 1960s Bowmore, and a 12-bottle original case of Macallan 1938 35 Year Old appearing at our auction for the first time.

Browse our live auction.

Springbank 1966 Local Barley Collection

Willett Family Estate Highlights

Rare 1960s Cadenhead ‘Dumpies’ US Imports

Macallan 1938 G&M 35 Year Old 12 x 75cl / Edward & Edward

Bowmore 1972 Signatory Vintage 36 Year Old

The World’s Oldest Scotch Whisky: 24 November – 04 December

Believed to be distilled in 1833 and the oldest Scotch whisky in the world. this whisky was discovered in the cellars of Blair Castle, in Highland Perthshire. In November 2023, Whisky Auctioneer will have the privilege of presenting 24 individual bottles of Blair Castle c.1833 Scotch Whisky in a historic whisky auction.

Register your interest now and receive exclusive updates, content and more.

Interested in selling in our next auction? Fill out our Seller Form today.

Introducing Founder’s Highlights
Regular update
from Dan

This week marks the first in what will hopefully be a regular series of random thoughts, impressions and musings which my marketing team suggested is called “Founder’s Highlights”.

When the idea was suggested to me, I immediately agreed since – as anyone who’s met me knows – I love nothing more than sharing the ups, downs, joys and challenges of the amazing journey we’ve been on for over 10 years ever since I first had the idea to open a distillery in the Cotswolds.

September is always a busy month as the late Summer torpor gives way to the busiest time of year and the start of the “whisky season”.  Highlights of last week included an excellent “day in trade”, meeting with bartenders and shop owners in London with our brilliant new brand ambassador Katie.  It’s been too long since I last did this and there is truly no better way to spend your time as a founder  as it involves direct contact with customers and consumers, and also a chance to take the pulse of the market and understand whether our brand remains relevant (the answer to which I can happily report seemed to be a resounding “yes”!).

The second half of the week was spent in Edinburgh attending the annual Worshipful Company of Distillers’ Scottish Dinner at the Signet Library, where as Renter Warden I had the honour to personally greet over 200 guests representing the breadth of the whisky industry.  There were also visits to the new Port of Leith Distillery as well as the wonderful Holyrood Distillery.  Port of Leith – a 9-story purpose built vertical whisky distillery – is one of the few projects that is so ambitious as to make me feel comforted I’m not the biggest dreamer of them all.  Holyrood’s experimental quirkiness and use of novel yeasts and mashbills was equally fascinating and inspiring.

This week has been focused on finalising work on our exciting wetlands effluent management project, on reviewing business development and challenges faced in the difficult current sales environment, and lastly on reviewing our “wood program” for next year, i.e. the casks we’ll need to have on hand to fill the projected amount of whisky we plan to produce.  That is by far the most satisfying job as it’s all about the future, and the endless possibilities of the different whiskies we’ll be nurturing over the years to come.

I hope you’ve all had a good week and I promise that future missives will be shorter!

Cheers
Dan

Introducing The Wall Collection.

The first release in our new and exciting Wall Collection is Peat Edition, a 36-year-old single malt that embodies its namesake both in bottle and taste.

Laura Carlin is an award-winning illustrator and ceramicist from London, and it’s thanks to her that each of the 200 bottles of The Wall Collection: Peat Edition have such beautiful artwork. She journeyed to Islay to get to know us a little better and to fully immerse herself in the history of our island and our distillery. Time spent learning about how integral peat is to our process and how long our iconic Warehouse No.1 has been standing led to the beautiful design you can see on these bespoke bottles.

Both this whisky and Islay have a story to tell and it’s too good to keep to ourselves – so we captured it on film for you.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Unmistakably Laphroaig – a special dram for a special bottle.

One of the oldest releases yet, The Wall Collection: Peat Edition differs from the classic 10 Year Old not only from its extra time maturing, but the use of a cask that previously held younger, heavily-peated Laphroaig . At first nose, there’s lovely and soft vanilla custard with the distinct and classic flavour from ex-Laphroaig casks.

Explore the story behind what makes this edition so special, and see Barry and Laura enjoy a dram of it together, in the full video on Laphroaig.com

“PEAT” BY LAURA CARLIN. “This is a whisky with layers and layers of story to tell… just a sip of it takes you somewhere else.” – Laura Carlin

In Laura’s own words, she loves to create stories around physical objects, as well as explore themes of history, people and iconography. We think you’ll agree that she has done an extraordinary job of capturing the rich history of both our peat and our wall.

The paint used to decorate these unique bottles is the very same as that which adorns the wall of our iconic Warehouse No.1. Sitting right on the shoreline of the bay, the wall that boasts the iconic black LAPHROAIG lettering weathers sea spray and wind and rain, day after day, and sits on foundations that date back to the 1800s. The wall of Warehouse No.1 is strong, enduring, and full of character. Just like our whisky.

Read more

A warm welcome everyone to our now live 148th auction!  Now the nights are fair drawin in this is the ideal time to pick up a few bottles of warming spirit to fortify you against the impending cold of winter.  With literally thousands upon thousands of bottles to choose from we have picked out a few interesting lots to get your started on your monthly whisky journey.

Macallan 1950 Tales of the Macallan Volume 1 Lalique Decanter

First up is a truly breath-taking expression the Macallan 1950 Tales of Macallan Volume 1 Lalique Decanter.  Before we even get to the tremendous whisky contained within it is worth pointing out the exquisite and bespoke Lalique decanter which is itself housed (Shawshank Redemption style) in a hefty leather-bound almanac, a weighty tome if ever there was one.  The whisky itself is a 1950 vintage Macallan which was finally bottled in 2021 giving it decades upon decades of maturity to call upon.  One of only 350 produced this is a must have for any Macallan collectors.

Tullibardine 2003 18 Year Old ‘Kibblecask 4’ Whisky Broker

Next we have a bottle which is available as a ‘Buy-it-Now’ on the site this month, the Tullibardine 2003 18 Year Old ‘Kibblecask 4’ Whisky Broker.  A thoroughly interesting dram it is punchy and herbaceous at the front of the palate, mellowing out into a warming sherried sweetness finish.  Priced at only £49 you’d be doing well to find an 18 year old single cask of similar quality in today’s market.

Springbank 12 Year Old 100° Proof 75cl

If only we’d all had a crystal ball, I don’t know what this Springbank 12 Year Old 100° Proof 75cl retailed at when it was available to buy, but rest assured it was a whole lot less than what it achieves now in the secondary market.  An old-style bottling like this is always a favourite here at SWA (what can I say, we are suckers for nostalgia), with its understated and elegant labelling, not to mention the tremendously well-balanced old-style whisky contained within.  If you collect Springbanks then this is a great opportunity to purchase an older style bottling still in excellent condition.

Hanyu Ichiro’s Malt Card Three of Hearts

This quirky dram is the Hanyu Ichiro’s Malt Card Three of Hearts.  Given there were only 17 years of whisky production at the now defunct Hanyu, their whisky stocks are not only attractively collectible but also limited and scarce.  The marketing masterstroke that is the Malt Card Series features a different playing card on every label, allowing people to easily remember their favourites and encouraging collectors to complete the full deck.  If you are missing the Three of Hearts, now is the time to strike!

Glasgow Distillery 2016 Single Cask #51 for Scottish Fire & Rescue Family Support Trust Centenary Bottle #1

And finally, we have the Glasgow Distillery 2016 Single Cask #51 for Scottish Fire & Rescue Family Support Trust Centenary Bottle #1. Distilled by Glasgow Distillery and drawn from an ex-bourbon cask this is bottle number 1 of 223 produced, with all proceeds from this sale being donated to the Scottish Fire & Rescue Family Support Trust.  As the oldest fire service charity in the UK the Family Support Trust has a proud tradition and commitment to providing care and support to serving and retired fire personnel and their families at times of greatest need, be it bereavement, illness or stress.  A noble cause if ever there was one, so we have high hopes the hammer price from this exclusive bottling will provide them with the funds they need to continue their excellent work.As always, we charge no sellers commission and only 10% buyers premium and we have some truly excellent drams in the auction this month, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.

We have a wide range of drams with something to suit everyone, so now is the time to wade in and start picking out your own personal favourites for your watchlist.  Best of luck to everyone in the auction, and as always………..don’t lose your bottle.

Latest Updates

TOMATIN 36yo Batch #11

£1,200 / $1,241* / c$2,012* / €1,399

Rare cask matured in Oloroso sherry butts and traditional oak casks for 2023. Tomatin 36 Year Old Rare Casks batch #11 Highland single malt Scotch whisky. Matured in a first fill Oloroso Sherry Butts and traditional oak casks. Limited release of 1,200 numbered bottles.

Nose: Tropical fruits and winter spices from the Oloroso Sherry butts.

Palate: Rich yet sweet on the palate, the fruity tones develop into oaky flavours of raw heather honey and roasted chestnuts.

Finish: Very long finish with lashings of fruit and winter spice.

Tomatin Distillery was established in 1897 and operated with two stills until 1956 after which there were frequent and numerous additions culminating in 23 stills in 1986 making Tomatin the largest distillery in Scotland at that time. However, eleven were subsequently closed and it is currently equipped with twelve but operating with eight. Tomatin Distillery is a Highland distillery situated close to the Cairngorms National Park and, sitting at an altitude of 315m, it is the third highest distillery in Scotland. The official range includes Tomatin 12 Year Old, 18 Year Old and the peated Cu Bocan range.