Glen Mhor 27 Years Old 1982 Cask #1233 (Morrison and MacKay)

A 27 year old Glen Mhor from the bottler Morrison and MacKay, distilled in 1982, from cask 1233, bottled at 52%, one of 270 bottles. Glen Mhor, founded in 1892, was one of Inverness's three vanished distilleries. The writer Neil Gunn, an Inverness exciseman, famously praised Glen Mhor above all.

This was distilled in a single pair and a half of stills and cooled in worm tubs, for the full, oily make Glen Mhor was known for. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, the gentle American oak letting the full spirit lead. Through the evaporative decades the spirit concentrates, esters folding into dried fruit, beeswax and a waxy oil. The worm tubs gave a full, oily spirit, less copper contact leaving real weight in the make. The worm tubs are the key to Glen Mhor's body, holding the heavier, oily notes in the spirit. After closure it was demolished, the site given over to a retail development. With Glen Mhor gone, every bottle draws on a finite, dwindling stock.

At cask strength 52% it is full bodied. Baked apple, wax and a gentle spice, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked apple and an oily weight lift it. The finish is deep, waxy and oily. This is Glen Mhor's full, oily old Highland style.