Glen Mhor 13 Years Old 1974 Fine Old Higland Malt (Sestante)

From the Italian bottler Sestante, a 13 year old Glen Mhor, distilled in 1974, bottled at 58.4%. Glen Mhor, a lost Highland distillery by the Caledonian Canal, fell silent in 1983. The writer Neil Gunn, an Inverness exciseman, famously praised Glen Mhor above all.

Distilled in a single pair and a half of stills and cooled in worm tubs, building the distinctive Glen Mhor style. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanilla and a light sweetness under the fruit. Integration folds eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) into the malt, the body fuller and oilier. The oily, waxy texture is a mark of well aged Glen Mhor. With the distillery gone, the casks that remain are a finite record of its make. The worm tubs are the key to Glen Mhor's body, holding the heavier, oily notes in the spirit. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the oily, waxy core over the decades. No more will ever be made, the distillery silent since 1983.

At 58.4%, undiluted, it is deep and waxy. A rich, oily orchard fruit, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Soft orchard fruit and a waxy oil sit behind the cask. It finishes full, oily and waxy. This is Glen Mhor, the malt Neil Gunn prized above all.