St. Magdalene 26 Years Old 1982 Cask #2219 (Ian Macleod)

Bottled by Ian Macleod, this St. Magdalene, aged 26 year old from 1982, drawn from cask 2219 and bottled at 50%. Only 390 bottles were released. St. Magdalene, also bottled as Linlithgow, was built in 1753 in West Lothian's county town and brought to a halt in 1983. It became a cult name only after closure.

The spirit was made in floor malted, coal fired pot stills in the old way, for an elegant, waxy make quite its own. A refill American oak cask held it, keeping the distillery character to the fore. Beyond twenty five years the malt grows waxy and tropical, beeswax and candied fruit over an oily base. Time in the cask deepens the oily spirit into tropical fruit and beeswax. 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. It is among the most lamented of all Scotland's lost Lowland distilleries.

Undiluted at 50%, it is layered. Vanilla and a light cream from the barrel runs under apple, hay and a faint wisp of smoke. A beeswax and a sharp white fruit give it real depth. The finish is deep, waxy and tropical. This is a piece of Lowland whisky history in the glass.