Today the fourth edition of Gordon & MacPhail‘s Mr George Legacy series is being released. The 1953, 1957 and 1959 reached some of the highest scores on this blog. This release is a Glen Grant 1958, bottled at 65 years of age from a first fill sherry cask (European oak).
George Urquhart, the second generation of the family that owns G&M selected this spirit and matched it to a cask made to his own specifications. That was ahead of the iconic Connoisseurs Choice for instance. Most whisky was blended away at that time, so it is great to try this whisky after so many years.
Glen Grant 65 yo 1958 ‘Mr George Legacy’ (56,5%, Gordon & MacPhail 2023, first fill sherry butt #3818, 376 btl.)
Nose: stunning furniture polish. Great varnished floors with a leather armchair on top. Also cigar boxes and pipe tobacco, teak oil, drops of eucalyptus syrup, forest honey and plenty of dried herbs. Memories of walks in a pine forest. Something lightly smoky in the distance. I forgot to mention the cherries, prunes and raspberries, as well as the chocolate notes. Rather perfect.
Mouth: plenty of mint chocolates now. Chocolate truffles. Then bags of raisins and prunes, Morello cherries and orange peels. Chestnut honey, hints of Maggi and herbal extracts, but no overdose of oak. Coffee notes, more tobacco with a mentholated side. Liquorice and more dark cocoa in the end.
Finish: long, with hints of toasted oak (including a smoky echo), blackberry and a leathery dryness.
A very complex, polished old whisky, exactly what we were hoping for. It is hard to refer to previous editions since there’s always a year in between, but I think it is close to the 1957. The nose is vibrant and almost ethereal. In the mouth you get an entire spectrum from sour cherry to smoky darkness. Another exceptional heritage. Head over to Gordon & MacPhail for more information. Also available from retailers like The Whisky Exchange.