St. Magdalene 1966 Spirit of Scotland (G&M)

A St. Magdalene single malt, selected and bottled by Gordon & MacPhail from 1966 and bottled at 40%. The lost Lowland distillery St. Magdalene, dating to 1753 in the old whisky country west of Edinburgh, was closed in 1983 after some two centuries. After closure the buildings became flats, the pagoda malt barn preserved and listed.

Distilled on artesian well water in old fashioned coal fired stills, building the distinctive oily character it is loved for. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, gentle American oak beneath the wax. With no age statement, it shows the oily, waxy Lowland character in full. Refill oak flatters the make, holding back its sweetness so the grass and wax lead. Run by the Dawson family for much of the 19th century, it passed to DCL in 1912. Tasters often liken its waxy, mineral edge to a fine Riesling. Floor maltings worked on site until 1968, the spirit run from five coal fired stills.

Reduced to 40%, it is mellow. Oily apple, gooseberry and a mineral note sit alongside honeyed oak sweetness underneath. A green apple and a herbal note lift it. The close is slow, grass over soft oak. This is a collectable relic of a cult lost distillery.