Convalmore 13 Years Old 1969 (Connoisseurs Choice)

This Convalmore was bottled by the Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail, a 13 year old, distilled in 1969, bottled at 40%. Convalmore was a Speyside malt distillery whose spirit went almost entirely into blends. A fire in 1909 all but destroyed it, with flames said to reach forty feet, and it was rebuilt.

Made in copper pot stills before the distillery closed, building the old fashioned Convalmore style. A refill bourbon hogshead held it, keeping the waxy character to the fore. By the integrating teens congeners fade and esters build, the firm, fruity spirit growing rounder. The cool Speyside air gave a slow, even maturation in the Dufftown warehouses. Water came from springs in the Conval Hills, which gave the distillery its name. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and honey over a malty wax. From 1910 it ran an experimental continuous still for malt, abandoned in 1916 as the spirit aged poorly. No new spirit has followed it since the stills fell quiet in 1985.

At 40% it is gentle, creamy and fruity. A robust, fruity sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. It is robust and fruity, the full bodied spirit shining through. It finishes robust, fruity and warm. This is the robust, fruity ghost of Convalmore.