Glen Mhor 21 Years Old 1981 (SMWS 57.13)

This Glen Mhor was bottled by Scotch Malt Whisky Society, a 21 year old, distilled in 1981, from cask 57.13, bottled at 62.5%, one of 420 bottles. Glen Mhor, founded in 1892, was one of Inverness's three vanished distilleries. After closure it was demolished, the site given over to a retail development.

The spirit was distilled slow in the Inverness stillhouse, the worm tubs lending weight, giving a rich, robust Highland spirit. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding a light vanilla over the oily body. At oxidative maturity vanillin and lactones are fully expressed, the oily, worm tub malt deepening. With the distillery gone, the casks that remain are a finite record of its make. A 28 year old appeared in Diageo's Rare Malts collection, a glimpse of the lost distillery. Its make went largely into blends; single malt Glen Mhor is rare and mostly from independents. No new spirit will follow it, the Inverness stills cold since 1983.

At a natural 62.5% it is full and oily. Baked apple, wax and a gentle spice, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A dried fruit and a polished oak give it depth. A long, full finish ends on orchard fruit and beeswax. This is a single malt from one of the lost Inverness distilleries.