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    Private
    Collection 1956
    from LinkWood Distillery

    By
    Gordon & Macphail

    Gordon Macphail

    Rarity
    exemplified

    Private Collection 1956 from Linkwood Distillery is a truly beautiful and refined single malt Scotch whisky.

    Cask 20, a first fill European Oak Sherry hogshead, was filled during the early days of 1956. The cask was stowed in Linkwood Distillery's Warehouse No.5 until it was moved to our Elgin bond on 18th June 1968. Matured for a total of sixty years, the cask was emptied on the 22nd June 2016 and fifty-six decanters were carefully filled. This was the last Linkwood cask from the 1950s in our inventory.

    This single malt is a true celebration of what Gordon & MacPhail represents: our passion for whisky, our patience, and our relationships, forged over generations.

    Every detail is perfect: the craftsmanship of the specially-designed box, the elegance of the glassware, and the exquisite character of the precious, mature single malt whisky residing within.

    Cask Type

    First fill Sherry hogshead; Cask 20

    DISTILLATION DATE

    3rd January 1956

    AGE

    60 years old

    MOVED FROM LINKWOOD DISTILLERY TO ELGIN

    18th June 1968

    BOTTLING DATE

    22nd June 2016

    NUMBER OF DECANTERS

    56

    STRENGTH

    49.4% ABV

    COLOUR

    Roasted chestnuts and polished mahogany

    Rarity  exemplified

    Take your time. There’s no need to rush.

    [close video]

    Tasting note by Stephen Rankin

    NOSE

    RRich, warm, and sweet. It starts off very gently with soft mature alcohols being very obliging as you inhale them. Baked apple with raisins, sultanas, a drizzle of crème anglaise, and a side of toffee sauce develop into a heady fruitcake. With time, notes of a dark chocolate and orange tart come to the fore. And then, a touch of honey, a wild dark honey, that ripens into maple syrup. Further patience is rewarded with aromas of dates and figs.

    PALATE

    Initially charming and gently coating the mouth. The longer you hold it, however, the warmer it becomes. It is full-bodied, as expected from Linkwood, with good acidity that makes you salivate for more. It is sweet: the dark wild honey is now drizzled over warm apple strudel. Flavours of fruitcake entertain the taste buds. The mid-palate is equally gentle, but now there is more – the dark chocolate orange tart is back on the menu!

    FINISH

    Long. Dried fruit, oak with a touch of candle wax, followed by soot and the scent of an extinguished candle.

    WITH WATER

    Two careful drops bring the oak to the forefront both in the nose and on the palate; the sweetness is heightened into a treacle toffee. The palate remains rich and coating; the oak mixes with nutty tannins and toasted malt – a delightful balance. Dark chocolate and toffee notes are now accompanied by hints of leather.

    Over time Gordon & MacPhail has emerged as the world’s leading and most renowned single malt Scotch whisky maturation experts.

    Our story

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    Private Collection 1943 from Glenlivet Distillery

    An exceptionally rare single cask

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    The wood makes the whisky

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    Proudly trading since 1895, the Elgin South Street Retail Shop is the genesis of the company today.

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