St. Magdalene Rare Malts Selection 23 Years Old 1970

This official St. Magdalene single malt, a 23 year old from 1970 and bottled at 58.43%. St. Magdalene was founded around 1753 by Sebastian Henderson between the canal and the railway, and silenced in 1983. It became a cult name only after closure.

The spirit was run through the distillery's five stills, two wash and three spirit, to build an oily, individual make that blurs Lowland and Highland lines. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, the classic wood for these casks. Around two decades the oily spirit deepens, grass and white fruit knitting with the oak. Long, cool Lowland maturation lets the oily spirit take oak slowly over many years. St Magdalene took its name from a convent and leper hospital that once stood on the site. The Union Canal ran past the distillery, carrying its casks through the whisky boom years. It was one of the five founding distilleries of Scottish Malt Distillers in 1914.

At a natural 58.43% it is full and oily. Green apple, citrus and an oily wax meet soft vanilla and honey from the cask. Beneath it run lemon, grass and a waxy weight. It closes long, waxy and grassy. This is a finite pour from a lamented lost Lowland distillery.