G&M Glen Grant 1953 Mr. George Legacy 1

Tasting Notes

Producer Tasting Note

Aroma: Soft aromas of beeswax polish give way to stewed fruit and toasted hazelnuts. Subtle orange peel complements rich ginger notes.

Taste: Autumnal spice and riple plum flavours combine with light blackcurrant undertones. Treacel comes to the fore alongside a light touch of fresh mint. 

Finish: A full bodied and long finish with lingering fruit, spice and a delicate hint of bonfire embers."

94pts Serge @WhiskyFun

"G&M have already done a 62/1956 'Mr George Centenary' back in 2019. I had thought it was just sublime (WF 93). As for 'Mr George', that's former G&M CEO George Urquhart of course, probably the man who really pioneered the marketing of single malts on a wider scale. For example, he created the Connoisseurs Choice range back in 1968. I've heard he was a great man but sadly, I don't think I ever met him personally. He was still chairing the company in the year 2000 but he sadly died in 2001, at the age of 82. By the way, did you really notice the strength of this very old whisky? What's sure is that it cannot quite be 'fragile'. Colour: mahogany with red hues. Nose: as I had said about that very old Ben Nevis we tried yesterday, very old spirits tend to converge and indeed, I wouldn't have cried wolf if you had said this was pre-war rhum agricole or cognac. What's particularly spectacular here is the amounts of all things from the bees, especially wax, as well as this avalanche of wee honeyed, resinous and herbal tones. More about that after we've added a little water… With water: I'm not adding too much, better safe than sorry. Oh what a wonder! The aromatic territory is that of a 100 years old Sauternes that's digested all its sugars. It is stunning, with dozens and dozens of aromas, but should we only quote ten, I would say beeswax, heather honey, miso, chocolate, proper mocha, Smyrna raisins, dried figs, pipe tobacco, a little tiger balm, and a wee metallic touch. Grandma's famous old copper kettle. I cannot find any flaws in this nose, especially none that would be related to old age. Mouth (neat): massive! This time I would mention tobacco, Szechuan pepper, honey, chocolate and of course raisins, but watch this baby, at 67 it could still hit you right between your eyes. How old is De Niro, by the way? With water: sweet Vishnu! This is gloriously pine-y but absolutely never too dry or green. Many dried fruits, herbal teas and liqueurs, light toffee, pipe tobacco… But in truth it is one, not just an accumulation of flavours. Finish: long and rather more on that very old Sauternes that went stunningly dry. Comments: this malt is eternal. This lot will go to 100 easy and maybe even see the year 2100. I am not joking, at all. And I'd bet the first 100 year old will be one of these. As for the butt, it was a star. Perhaps even a proper ex-solera cask? We can only bow before G&M. SGP:561 - 94 points (so one more point than the already glorious 62 yo)."

94pts Angus @WhiskyFun

"Of all the people in whisky I wish I could have met, George Urquhart is right up there with the Bessie Williamson's of yesteryear.… Colour: deep, ruby mahogany. Nose: it's tricky with such whiskies, because you very much 'steel' yourself to be impressed. Which is definitely the case here where the word that feels immediately appropriate is 'precious'. Precious hardwood resins, many types of honey and the conjunction of long-aged demerara rums and Grande Champagne cognacs. A perfectly deep and precise rancio. And many, many smaller aromas of things like natural tar, aged teas, old medicines, tobaccos, earth. Familiar aromas in this type of whisky but the interplay, nuance and complexity are utterly brilliant. With water: perfect now! The fruits begin to really sing, with these crystallised and exotic fruit notes emerging. Jammy, fat, herbal, textural, medical and with a stunning earthy depth. Mouth: the power is immense on arrival. The wood is big, spicy and with these brooding, chocolatey tannins everywhere. But they are clean and controlled, while the alcohol feels like it provides essential structure. Superbly dense, sticky dark fruits, more ancient, rancio-drenched Cognac, salted liquorice, natural tar, herbal liqueurs and walnut wine. It is the length and depth of this whisky that is so impressive, you can only follow it in so many directions at once, and wherever you follow it leads you somewhere new. With water: the best cough medicine you ever tasted. Stunningly resinous, peppery, deep, pristinely spicy, chocolatey, medicinal and endlessly complex and evolving. A distilled essay on time. Finish: an endless, perfectly bitter, peppery afterglow. Warmth, fruits, herbs, medicines, spices and earth. Comments: As ever, hard to disengage the emotions in such instances. Unlike so many other very old whiskies, I would say the palate matches, and even surpasses, the nose here at times. A truly brilliant whisky that is a very worthy demonstration and celebration of how great age can, on rarefied occasion, be a tremendous asset. A genuinely great achievement and a very fitting tribute to George Urquhart, to whom we whisky geeks undoubtedly owe a significant debt. SGP: 562 - 94 points. "

Independent Bottler

Adapted from an article written for Celtic Life Magazine by Andrew Ferguson:

In 1895 James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail opened a grocery business in the City of Elgin, the heart of Scotland’s Speyside whisky region. The business sold groceries, tea, coffee and wines from all over the world. 125 years later, Gordon & MacPhail still operates the grocery business in Elgin, but its real enterprise is as an Independent Bottler and Distiller of Scotch Whisky.

In the early years of the business Gordon and MacPhail brought in a young John Urquhart as apprentice. Urquhart had a knack for selecting and blending whiskies from local distilleries. He also began brokering casks and independently bottling single malt from famous distilleries like Glenlivet, Mortlach and Glen Grant. The practice of filling casks of new make whisky, rather than simply purchasing mature casks began at this time. This is something which sets Gordon MacPhail apart from almost all other independent bottlers to this day, and it gave them a leg up through leaner years. In 1915 John Urquhart was made senior partner, and though the firm would keep its name, from this point on it would remain privately owned by the Urquhart family.

In 1933 George Urquhart, aka “Mr. George”, joined his father in the business. He was heavily involved in the firm’s whisky business, travelling widely to showcase Gordon & MacPhail whiskies. G&M’s business thrived during and after World War II. Having had the foresight to lay down large numbers of casks in the 1930s and early 1940s, they were in a strong position to meet demand, especially in America. This was a difficult time for most of the industry with barley rationing dramatically reducing distilling.

In 1968, under George Urquhart’s leadership, Gordon & MacPhail launched the Connoisseurs Choice range. At a time when few distilleries were bottling their own whisky as single malt (rather producing it for use in Blended Scotch whiskies), Gordon & MacPhail began marketing single malts from distilleries across Scotland. The range is still being bottled today.

The third generation began entering the business with George’s son Ian Urquhart in 1967. He was joined by David Urquhart in 1972, as well as Michael Urquhart and Rosemary Rankin in 1981. The family firm continued to thrive even during the industry downturn of the 1980s and ear 90’s, emerging as the undisputed preeminent independent bottler of Scotch whisky. In the 2010s the torch was passed to the 4th generation, with at least five of John Urquhart’s descendants now involved in the business.

It had always been John Urquhart’s vision for the family to own a distillery of its own. The dream was finally realized in 1993 with the acquisition of the closed Benromach Distillery in the nearby town of Forres. The distillery was in rough shape, and it took nearly 5 years to get it up and running. HRH Prince Charles was on hand in 1998 for its official reopening. Never content to rest on their laurels, the firm announced plans in 2019 to open a brand-new distillery in the Cairngorms National Park. The Cairn Distillery is scheduled to open in 2022.

One of the most remarkable things about Gordon & MacPhail is the vision it had to mature whiskies to great ages. Few other whisky firms, whether distilleries or independent bottlers, have ever had the foresight to mature casks for more than 30 or 40 years. In 2010 G&M bottled the Generations Mortlach 70 Years Old, which was the oldest whisky ever bottled at the time. They followed up on that milestone by bottling 70-year-old Glenlivet in both 2011 and 2012. And then in 2015 they once again they raised the bar by bottling the Generations Mortlach 75 Year. Of the 10 oldest whiskies ever bottled, all but 2 have been bottled by G&M.

It is almost certain that Gordon MacPhail will one day bottle the first ever one-hundred-year-old whisky, but that may still be a couple of decades away. Their oldest maturing stocks are from the late 1930s and early 1940s. A number of these casks, 15 First Fill Sherry Butts to be precise, were filled for Gordon & MacPhail at the Glenlivet Distillery on February 3rd, 1940. Most of these casks have been bottled over the decades, but G&M dipped into another of these casks this year to bottle another whisky. The Generations Glenlivet 80 Year, once more the oldest bottle of Scotch Whisky ever bottled. It isn’t inexpensive, but I can vouch for it in one regard… it doesn’t disappoint!

Gordon & MacPhail whiskies can be found all over the world with whiskies ranging from under $100 to $100,000.00 or more. Their grocery shop in Elgin is the brand's spiritual home, with a section dedicated to Scotch Whisky that showcases more than 1000 bottles. Prior to Covid-19 the shop offered both tastings and in-store sampling. As does their nearby Benromach Distillery in Forres, one of the smallest and most traditional distilleries in the Speyside.