Gordon & MacPhail have unveiled a 64-year-old whisky, the second in the Mr George Legacy series, which aims to honour a member of the company’s owning family George Urquhart.
The whisky was laid down 64 years ago while Urquhart – otherwise known as Mr George to those who knew him best – was at the head of the business. Only 298 bottles of the single cask whisky are available.
The producer has described the whisky as having nose notes of rich fruitcake intertwined with festive spices, with morello cherries and tobacco notes on the mouth followed by a spicy full-bodied finish. The dram spent its entire maturation in a first=fill sherry butt, the second edition was bottled in November 2021 and comes in with a cask strength of 56.1%.
Grandson of Mr George, Stuart Urquhart, also Operations Director at the distillery, said the following on the release: “In some industry quarters my grandfather was fondly thought of as slightly eccentric due to his relentless focus on maturation, painstakingly selecting the right cask to match with each particular spirit. He was intrigued to know how long the whisky might take to reach its peak and would have known he might not be around when that moment came. That is his legacy to our family and to whisky drinkers who love the rich complexity of the ultra-aged single malts he laid down decades ago.”
Former Whisky Mag editor Charles Maclean noted on the release: “This is a gorgeous whisky, rich and multi-layered, still vibrant and vital in spite of its great age. A worthy tribute to the man who first drew the world’s attention to the glories of single malt – Mr George Urquhart”.
The whisky was laid down 64 years ago while Urquhart – otherwise known as Mr George to those who knew him best – was at the head of the business. Only 298 bottles of the single cask whisky are available.
"Mr George"
The producer has described the whisky as having nose notes of rich fruitcake intertwined with festive spices, with morello cherries and tobacco notes on the mouth followed by a spicy full-bodied finish. The dram spent its entire maturation in a first=fill sherry butt, the second edition was bottled in November 2021 and comes in with a cask strength of 56.1%.
Grandson of Mr George, Stuart Urquhart, also Operations Director at the distillery, said the following on the release: “In some industry quarters my grandfather was fondly thought of as slightly eccentric due to his relentless focus on maturation, painstakingly selecting the right cask to match with each particular spirit. He was intrigued to know how long the whisky might take to reach its peak and would have known he might not be around when that moment came. That is his legacy to our family and to whisky drinkers who love the rich complexity of the ultra-aged single malts he laid down decades ago.”
Former Whisky Mag editor Charles Maclean noted on the release: “This is a gorgeous whisky, rich and multi-layered, still vibrant and vital in spite of its great age. A worthy tribute to the man who first drew the world’s attention to the glories of single malt – Mr George Urquhart”.