St Magdalene 1982 Gordon and MacPhail Private Collection / The Recollection

St Magdalene, also known as Linlithgow (after its home town) was a large distillery who's output was almost entirely for the purposes of blending. It was built in the 18th century, but was acquired by DCL (now Diageo) in 1912, who operated it until its closure in 1983. Like many others, it was deemed surplus to requirements as the blended Scotch market hit a downturn, leaving DCL over-supplied. As a result of this, its single malt is particularly rare. It was only officially bottled three times by Diageo, but a number of increasingly sought after releases have been bottled by independent companies over the years. The collectability of which is likely only to increase, as unlike other members of the 1983 club, St Magdalene was demolished and is not in line for a resurrection.

This whisky was distilled in 1982 and aged in single refill ex-American hogshead. It was bottled as part of Gordon & MacPhail's Private Collection.

Gordon & MacPhail is an Elgin-based family run business, established in 1895 and owned by the Urquhart family. They are perhaps best known for their independent bottlings of single malt, such as the instantly recognisable Connoisseurs Choice brand, and increasingly as distillers in their own right, having acquired Benromach distillery in 1993. The company also has a stake in the blending business though, and has produced a number of well-regarded products over the years.

This is part of the Private Collection range from the Elgin-based bottlers. As of 2018, this line fully replaced the Rare Old series as its most premium offerings, and come exceptionally presented in decadent glass bottles.

This particular bottling is part of The Recollection Series, which celebrates closed distilleries.

One of 165 bottles.