G&M Private Collection Lochside 1981
$6,499.99
Distilled from unicorn tears, angel sweat, and hen's teeth, Lochside is as scarce as it gets in the whisky world. The distillery was shuttered in 1992, having only produced for about 35 years. These occasional releases are like the last fading echoes of what once was. We're not far from a point in time when Lochside will be nothing more than a footnote. This is liquid history. There were only 141 bottles from Refill Sherry Hogshead #802.
Natural colour, non-chill filtered, and bottled at 49.2%.
92.53 pts Whiskybase / 91pts Whiskyfun
G&M Private Collection St Magdalene 1982
$4,199.99
We love the lost distilleries. Any chance to try whiskies from silent stills nowadays is an occasion to drop everything and clear the calendar. Especially nowadays, when every drop is, give or take, 40 years old. They're never cheap (those days are long gone), but unforgettable experiences rarely are anymore.
In one of the more interesting bits of whisky lore (alongside tales of the wartime bombings and fires at the lost Banff distillery, the flintlock pistols that George Smith used to carry 'round Glenlivet, the early 20th century p*ssing contest between Laphroaig and Lagavulin, and the ever elusive promise of extant drops of Malt Mill), the St. Magdalene distillery (also known as Linlithgow) was actually built on the site of a former leper colony. So, if you're picking up on any meaty notes...
Kidding. (I hope)
This is a trophy bottling, for sure, and incredibly scarce. Refill American Hogshead #2094 gave up only 165 bottles.
Natural colour, non-chill filtered, and bottled at 54.8%
GlenAllachie 2012 Vintage Cuvee WineCask
$114.99
This 2012 vintage release from GlenAllachie has been bottled after 9 years at 48%, having finished in wine casks from Bordeaux, Languedoc and Valpolicella.
Producer Description
"To craft The GlenAllachie Wine Cask Series, Master Blender Billy Walker first expertly matured our spirit in the finest American oak ex-Bourbon barrels, before transferring the whisky into hand-selected European wine barriques for secondary aging. Billy added a distinctive twist to this release by ultimately blending four exceptional wine cask finishes into one unique expression: The Cuvée Wine Cask Finish.
"A French term, ‘Cuvée’ is used in the wine sector to reference a blend that typically comprises more than one variety of grape. Likewise, our 9-year-old Cuvée is a marriage of spirit from several fine wine casks sourced from the world-renowned regions of Bordeaux, Languedoc and Valpolicella.
The character development of each individual barrique was carefully monitored, before the whiskies were expertly blended together by Billy. The resulting golden liquid offers up elegant stone fruits, hints of toasted almonds and zesty orange peel on the palate."
GlenAllachie 7 Year Hungarian Virgin Oak
$114.99
This 7 year old GlenAllachie, part of the Virgin Oak Series, was finished in Virgin Hungarian Oak before bottling at 48%.
Producer Description
"From Batch 3 of our Virgin Oak Series, we are proud to present an innovative single malt which enjoyed secondary aging in Hungarian oak. Master Distiller Billy Walker’s search for the unusual led him to the mountains of northeast Hungary to the Zemplén forest. Its rocky volcanic soil, along with its colder climate and higher altitude, means that the trees in this region grow very slowly, giving the oak a tight grain – a desirable trait for aging spirit.
"Keen to experiment with this rare oak, the barrels were toasted and charred to a medium level before hosting our complex spirit. One of the world’s first single malts finished in Hungarian virgin oak (Quercus Petraea), expect an aromatic, well-balanced and wonderfully unique whisky delivering silky smooth richness."
GlenAllachie 8 Year Scottish Oak
$121.99
This 8 year old GlenAllachie was finished in Scottish oak before bottling at 48%.
Producer Description
"From Batch 3 of our Virgin Oak Series, we are proud to present a rare single malt which underwent additional maturation in casks made of Scottish Sessile Oak (Quercus Petrae), sourced from the Atlantic coast. Scottish oak is incredibly challenging to work with at all stages of production: growing, milling and coopering. Its rarity, costliness and tendency to knot mean it is scarcely used for whisky maturation.
"Before being filled, the wood was air dried for 36 months, then toasted and charred to a medium level. Despite presenting difficulties, this desirable oak imparts luxurious notes of blonde chocolate, with hints of zesty orange and smooth toffee to offer a truly unique drinking experience."
GlenAllachie 10 Year Spanish Virgin Oak
$129.99
This 10 year old GlenAllachie was bottled at 48% after finishing in Virgin Spanish Oak.
Producer Description
"From Batch 3 of our Virgin Oak Series, this mahogany malt obtains its spicy, treacly flavours from maturation in hogsheads made of Spanish Oak (Quercus Robur). This particular wood was sourced from the regions of Galicia and Asturias, specifically from the forests of the Cantabrian Mountains, which have a cool, humid climate.
"The oak was air dried for around 18 months and then toasted and charred to a medium level, opening up the oak to allow our complex spirit to extract its cask character. The secondary ageing in these virgin casks deepened the mahogany hue of the whisky and created a palate rich with dried fruits, maraschino cherries and hints of stem ginger."
Adelphi Benrinnes 2011
$159.99
14-year-old Benrinnes matured in refill sherry American Oak. A small outturn of only 248 bottles from cask #300941.
Natural colour, non-chill filtered, and bottled at 54.6% abv.
G&M Connoisseurs Choice Teaninich 2009
$149.99
This 13 year old Teaninich was bottled exclusively for Canada at 55.9% after 13 years in a First Fill Sherry Hogshead.
Brave New Spirits Craigellachie 14 Year
$165.99
From the 'A Cask Noir Production' series with those wicked retro labels, a neat Craigellachie, and one of the most interesting cask types we've seen to date. In fact, we had to look it up. This was matured in a First Fill Pacherenc Barrique, a sweet white wine. Intriguing, to say the least. Only 262 bottles from cask #315065.
Natural colour, non-chill filtered, and bottled at 52.3% abv.