Today is my birthday, so this better be good!
St Magdalene has brought us some marvellous whisky. The Lowlands distillery was closed in 1983 and is now highly sought after. Among the best releases are the 1964/65/66 releases by Cadenhead (dumpy bottle) and Gordon & MacPhail (brown label or old map label).
St Magdalene 18 yo 1964
(40%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice
brown label 1983, 75 cl.)
St Magdalene 18 yo 1964 Nose: unique. A wonderful combination of cherries, blueberries and raisins with milk chocolate and coffee. Quite some butter. A little metal. Dried flowers. Dusty wardrobes and old leather bound books. Ashes. Herbs. A distinct aroma of juicy apricots. Not the typical Lowlands shyness, I would say. This is intense and extremely interwoven.
Mouth: not too powerful but full of flavour: velvety fruits – soft cherry and apricot again, but less noticeable than on the nose. Some vanilla and oak. Tobacco. Tea with lemon. Then growing drier, a little resinous and softly herbal (laurel and cloves). More earthy as well, with hay and liquorice root.
Finish: not too long, on dry ashes with a salty edge and pine resin.
This St Magdalene 1964 is nothing like a modern Lowlands malt. In fact it’s unlike any modern malt.
The slight dryness of the finish prevents a higher score, but this is still a legendary dram.
Score: 93/100