The Private Collection range from Gordon & MacPhail is a series of prestige single cask and small batch whiskies from one of Scotland’s oldest and most cherished independent bottlers.
Now in their 131st year, Gordon & MacPhail was founded in 1895 by James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail. In 1998, G&M achieved a life-long ambition of opening and operating their own distillery, Benromach – which had earlier been mothballed in 1983.
Emergence of the Private Collection
The Private Collection first landed on shelves, in very limited quantities, in the early 1990's. The inaugural bottling was a quite stunning Mortlach 1942 50yo, one of just 24 bottles that were yielded from single refill sherry butt number 873 in January 1993.
Bottlings for the range are personally selected by members of the Urquhart family, who have now owned and overseen the business through four generations of their family legacy.
Over the years there have been a number of releases in the series to commemorate special dates and occasions, such as The Queens Platinum Jubilee, King Charles III Coronation and The Recollection Series.
What Makes the Private Collection Special?
Since its inception, the series has been a platform for the company to showcase their oldest and most precious stocks. They now regularly release whiskies that have aged for longer than fifty years in the cask.
Private Collection whiskies are predominantly long‐aged single malts from esteemed, lesser‐known or closed distilleries.
The series has seen a number of cosmetic and rebranding changes throughout its lifespan, with the most recent coming in 2018, when it introduced stunning decanters and heavy duty, oak presentation boxes to compliment the breathtaking liquids held inside.
Key points and historical origins of the series: -
- Family Driven Selection: Carried out by directors and specialists, defined by the long standing family relationship of the Urquhart’s.
- Core Concept & Purpose: Exceptional maturation quality, with long-aged and vintage whiskies at the forefront. Majority filled from single cask and at a natural cask strength.
- Whisky History: Many release come from closed distilleries or surviving casks from particular eras.
- Style & Characteristics: Experimental and diverse maturation; from wine cask finishes to rare sherry casks and long secondary finishes.
- Ultra-Premium Positioning: Highly limited luxury bottlings, beautifully crafted presentations.
Ten of the Best from the Private Collection
We are now going to take a look at some of the rarest and most in demand long-aged bottlings from the range: -
Mortlach 1942 50yo, G&M Private Collection
This outstanding Speyside Mortlach malt was distilled on New Years Eve 1942 and bottled 50 years later, in January 1993, by Gordon & MacPhail for their highly respected Private Collection.
Specially chosen from the Directors own private collection and matured in in refill sherry butt cask number 873, this spectacular expression comes in a beautifully wood crafted presentation case and is one of only 24 bottles.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £8,333.33. Buy Here.
Glen Grant 1948 74yo, G&M Private Collection, Coronation of King Charles III
This monumental royal release from Gordon & MacPhail is a commemorative presentation in honour of the Coronation of King Charles III in May 2023, succeeding his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who passed in September 2022.
One of the oldest single malts ever to be bottled, this Speysider was laid to rest at the Glen Grant distillery on the 10th April 1948 and matured for 74 long years before being bottled for G&M's Private Collection on the 15th December 2022.
Yielded from first fill sherry butt number 1365 at a natural strength 50.4% ABV, this is one of only 281 gorgeous decanters.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £18,750. Buy Here.
Glen Grant 1952 70yo, G&M Private Collection, The Queens Platinum Jubilee
Fresh from the Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection archives, comes this stunning 70 year old Glen Grant that was bottled for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II, celebrated in magnificent style in June 2022.
This ancient Speyside single malt was laid to sleep at the Glen Grant distillery on the 26th January 1952 and bottled by G&M for their Private Collection on the 6th February 2022 - which is exactly 70 years from the date of The Queen's accession back on the 6th February 1952.
Yielded from first fill sherry butt number 381 at a natural cask strength 52.3% ABV, this beauty is one of just 256 bottles.
WhiskyFun scored this special release a spectacular 93 points! This masterpiece truly is a once in a lifetime bottling.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £15,000. Buy Here.
Mortlach 1957 50yo, G&M Private Collection
A quite sumptuous 50 year old Speyside single malt that was laid to rest at the Mortlach distillery on the 26th January 1957 and bottled for the Gordon & MacPhail's Directors' Private Collection series in May 2007.
Yielded from Sherry cask numbers 585 & 586 at 43.5% ABV, this exclusive release is one of just 514 bottles.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £3,750. Buy Here.
Longmorn 1964 46yo, G&M Private Collection
A spectacular 46 year old Speyside single malt that was laid down at the Longmorn distillery on the 27th March 1964 and bottled for Gordon & MacPhail's prestigious Directors' Private Collection range in June 2010.
Filled from first fill Sherry hogshead number 1534 at a natural cask strength 51.9% ABV, this is one of just 164 ultra rare bottles.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £2,500. Buy Here.
Glen Grant 1965 54yo, G&M Private Collection
This gorgeous 54 year old Speyside single malt was distilled at Glen Grant on the 8th March 1965 and bottled for Gordon & MacPhail's Private Collection range on the 14th March 2019.
Charged from single refill Sherry hogshead number 1685 at a natural cask strength 47.4% ABV, this uber-exclusive release is one of only 94 bottles.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £4,166.67. Buy Here.
Craigellachie 1970 50yo, G&M Private Collection
This radiant 50 year old Speyside single malt was laid to sleep at the Craigellachie distillery on the 12th February 1970 and bottled for G&M’s super-elite Private Collection on the 4th November 2020.
Drawn from first fill American hogshead number 1610 at a natural cask strength 44.7% ABV, this ultra exclusive release is one of a scant 13 decanters.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £8,333.33. Buy Here.
Longmorn 1970 51yo, G&M Private Collection
This utterly stunning 51 year old Speyside single malt was laid to sleep at the Longmorn distillery on the 17th September 1970 and bottled for Gordon & MacPhail's prestigious Private Collection range on the 6th January 2022.
Yielded from refill sherry hogshead number 4397 at a natural cask strength 44.1% ABV, this is one of just 78 super UK-exclusive rare decanters.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £4,375. Buy Here.
Clynelish 1972 50yo, G&M Private Collection
This outrageous 50 year old Highland single malt work of art was laid to sleep at the Clynelish distillery on the 16th May 1972 and bottled by Gordon & MacPhail for their revered Private Collection on the 7th November 2022.
Drawn from refill American hogshead number 5335 at a natural cask strength 58% ABV, this is one of only 135 very limited bottles.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £4,791.67. Buy Here.
St. Magdalene 1982 40yo, G&M Private Collection, The Recollection Series
This sizzling 40 year old Lowland single malt was distilled at St. Magdalene on the 1st July 1982 and bottled on the 6th February 2023 for the Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection.
Yielded from refill American hogshead number 2100 at a natural strength 54.5% ABV, this is one of only 150 bottles exclusively bottled for the G&M Recollection Series.
The Recollection Series are annual releases that offer a unique opportunity for whisky enthusiasts and collectors to enjoy forgotten masterpieces that have been lying in wait at the G&M warehouse.
The Whisky Vault Price: net £2,375. Buy Here.
To view our full archive of Private Collection bottlings, head over here.