St. Magdalene 31 Years Old 1982 Cask #RO/13/01 (G&M)

This is a St. Magdalene single malt, chosen and bottled by Gordon & MacPhail, a 31 year old from 1982, drawn from cask RO/13/01 and bottled at 46%. A release of 308 bottles. Built in 1753 in West Lothian's county town, St. Magdalene was brought to a halt in 1983. Run by the Dawson family through the 19th century, it passed to DCL in 1912.

The spirit was made in floor malted, coal fired pot stills in the old way, for an elegant, waxy make quite its own. Maturation in Oloroso sherry laid dried fruit over the waxy malt. Long ageing brings an oily depth, tropical fruit and a mellow, waxy character. Years in oak build a waxy weight over the mineral, grassy distillate. 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.

At 46% it is soft, oily and grassy. The Oloroso brings dried fruit, fig and a nutty depth, and vanilla and a light cream from the barrel, with sharp white fruit and a grassy wax. The mouthfeel is oily, the fruit carried on a waxy body. The finish runs oily, mineral and warm. This is stock from a closed Lowland legend, ever scarcer.