Gordon & MacPhail not only released a Glen Grant 1957 recently (the second Mr George Legacy), they also presented this Glen Grant 1952. It is a rare whisky, bottled for the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, celebrating 70 years on the throne. Moreover this jubilee whisky was bottled on February 6, the day of the Queen’s accession.
This Glen Grant comes from a first-fill sherry butt, but you would have a hard time guessing this from the colour. It is the second 70 year-old we’re trying after the Glen Grant 1948 cask #2154, also from Gordon & MacPhail (who else?)
Furthermore, in a fitting tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, G&M committed to donating £20,000 to Trees for Life. This charity which aims to plant 100,000 rare and native trees in Scotland per year.
Glen Grant 70 yo 1952 ‘Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II’ (52,3%, Gordon & MacPhail ‘Private Collection’ 2022, first fill sherry butt #381, 256 btl.)
Nose: starts entirely on beeswax, pollen and polished furniture. Great start. Then apricots and orange zests come forward. Eucalyptus honey. Spearmint. Rubbed flower petals and hints of women’s powder. Then it turns back to tangerines, quinces and honey, with some golden raisins. Subtle gorse flowers. After a while worn leather appears. Such elegance!
Mouth: vibrant spices (black pepper) mixed with lemon peels, tangerines and hints of summer berries. A lot of beeswax notes again, with pollen and herbal honey. This moves towards herbal tea, eucalyptus and subtle leafy notes. Then tobacco leaves and hints of Kabuse tea. It fades on grapefruit peels with nutmeg and a subtle saline note. A drop of water brings back some of the fruity sweetness.
Finish: long, with citrus freshness as well as herbal teas and tobacco. The peppery and mentholated notes stay strong.
This Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee bottling is surprisingly accessible and attractive on the palate, with very few sherry markers. It gets a little more tea-ish and tobacco-driven on the palate, which is understandable. It manages to keep the plain woody notes at bay, which means this is yet another tour de force (French words in a tribute to the Queen of England, sorry) from G&M. It will be available for £ 20,000, contact Gordon & MacPhail if you’re in the UK or retailers like The Whisky Exchange or Master of Malt.