Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection - Glenlivet 1943 (49.1% ABV) which is limited to just 40 decanters, was distilled on 14 January 1943, and then matured for 70 years in a first-fill sherry hogshead.
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| Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection - Glenlivet 1943 |
As the bung was being hammered into place in Cask 121, Prime Minister Winston Churchill met President Franklin D. Roosevelt, General Charles de Gaulle and General Dwight D. Eisenhower at the Casablanca Conference. The meeting discussed Allied strategy for the war in Europe. Historians came to view this meeting as critically important to the fate of the world for generations to come.
By the winter of 1943, the war had severely curtailed production of whisky in Scotland. Prices and duty were on the rise and rationing meant raw ingredients were in increasingly short supply. In fact, many Scottish distilleries were closed after October 1942; The Glenlivet Distillery itself halted production in the Spring of 1943. Mature whiskies from this period were in great demand so, by the late 1940s and early 1950s, available casks were extremely limited.
This latest and extremely limited release from the Elgin based whisky specialist, is said to deliver notes on the palate of dark chocolate, oranges, oak, treacle and liquorice. Culminating in a subtle, ashy smokiness and an incredibly long finish.
In 1943, Cask 121 was selected by John and George Urquhart, first and second generation of the Urquhart family, for filling at the Glenlivet Distillery. Stephen Rankin, a director of the company and John Urquhart’s great-grandson, made the decision to bottle it.
Commenting on the launch, Stephen Rankin, said: “This beautiful whisky has been nurtured and cared for by four generations of our family and it gives us enormous pleasure to release this unique and incredibly rare single malt. Gordon & MacPhail has been in the whisky business for over 122 years, with each generation building and handing on a lifetime’s expertise to the next."
He continued by saying: “We believe Private Collection Glenlivet 1943 by Gordon & MacPhail is a malt without comparison from a defining date in the history of a world in conflict. Today, whisky is a wonderfully unifying drink and this rare example gives people from across the world the chance to own and savour a defining piece of Scotland’s liquid history.”
Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection - Glenlivet 1943, will be available later this month from a few specially selected, specialist retailers, for a RRP of £30,000.
Posted by Steve Rush