Glen Mhor 27 Years Old 1980 Rare Vintage (G&M)

The Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail bottled this Glen Mhor, a 27 year old, distilled in 1980, bottled at 43%. Glen Mhor ran on Loch Ness water in Inverness for over ninety years before closing in 1983. Mackinlay and Birnie went on to buy the neighbouring Glen Albyn in 1920.

This was worked through the stills and worm tubs for a rich, oily body, for the full, oily make Glen Mhor was known for. Decades in ex-Bourbon oak drew out vanilla and a waxy, oily depth. At this evaporative stage ellagitannins lend a drying structure while oxidation builds a richer, oily fruit. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, which is why it suits both bourbon and sherry. Its water came from Loch Ness, drawn down the River Ness to the distillery. It installed Saladin box maltings in 1954, malting its own barley on site. With the distillery gone, the casks that remain are a finite record of its make. No more will ever be made, the distillery silent since 1983.

At an approachable 43% it is soft and full. Apple, beeswax and a soft oil, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked apple and an oily weight lift it. The finish is long, oily and waxy. This is a rare Highland single malt from a demolished distillery.