Glen Mhor 21 Years Old 1980 Cask #878 (Signatory)

From the Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage, a 21 year old Glen Mhor, distilled in 1980, from cask 878, bottled at 43%, one of 714 bottles. Glen Mhor is a closed Highland distillery, its single malt now a finite, dwindling stock. A 28 year old appeared in Diageo's Rare Malts collection, a glimpse of the lost distillery.

This was drawn off the stills into worm tubs for the full, oily Glen Mhor make, for the full, oily make Glen Mhor was known for. Ex-Sherry wood added a dried fruit richness to the full, oily malt. At oxidative maturity aldehydes lend a nutty edge while ellagitannins add a drying, structured grip over the oily malt. Most Glen Mhor went to the blenders, a little kept back to mature as single malt. It condensed its spirit in worm tubs, the source of its full, oily body. It passed to the Distillers Company in 1972 and was closed in 1983. The cool Inverness air gave a slow, even maturation in the old warehouses. No new spirit will follow it, the Inverness stills cold since 1983.

Bottled at 43%, it is rounded. A rich, oily fruitiness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A baked apple and an oily weight lift it. The finish is deep, waxy and oily. This is a full, oily Highland single malt of real age.