At a private launch in Mayfair, Gordon & MacPhail announced the release of twin whiskies from its Longmorn Distillery Private Collection.
The whiskies were selected for bottling by identical twin brothers, Stuart and Richard Urquhart and contain the oldest Longmorn single malts ever released, originally laid down to mature by their grandfather, George Urquhart on 2 February 1961.
The event included a talk from Professor David Purdie, fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, who worked with Gordon & MacPhail to assist them in uncovering what shapes the character of twins.
Two three-minute short films were included, in which Professor Purdie met with Gordon & MacPhail’s director of prestige, Stephen Rankin – a father of twins himself – to explore how the subject could be applied to the whiskies.
Professor Purdie said: “Like human identical twins, both whiskies share the same make up… It is remarkable to observe how the identical spirit filled into the casks all those years ago has been altered by the natural environment of the casks themselves.”
Both whiskies were bottled at cask strength and matured in first fill, sherry hogsheads. The whisky from Cask 508 – selected by Richard – was nurtured in European oak and bottled at cask strength of 45.0% and the contrasting Cask 512 – selected by Stuart – was nurtured in American oak and bottled at cask strength of 40.8%.
Purdie continues: “Just like the twins who started life at the same time and place, each whisky has then been shaped and developed by a multitude of separate factors to create these subtle differences.”
Stuart Urquhart, Gordon & MacPhail’s associate director of whisky supply explained: “The whisky I selected has a slightly spicy finish and many would attest that my sense of humour is certainly drier and spicier than that of my brother.”
Richard Urquhart, Gordon & MacPhail’s international sales manager for Asia & Americas added: “For much of our lives, Stuart and I have shared similar environments… However, as we’ve grown older, got married and had children, it’s intriguing to see how our individual characters, much like the whiskies, are diverging.”
Sold as a pair, only 97 sets of twin decanters are available worldwide, with a recommended sales price of £30,000.
Born together. Matured separately. Enjoyed eternally.
The whiskies were selected for bottling by identical twin brothers, Stuart and Richard Urquhart and contain the oldest Longmorn single malts ever released, originally laid down to mature by their grandfather, George Urquhart on 2 February 1961.
The event included a talk from Professor David Purdie, fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, who worked with Gordon & MacPhail to assist them in uncovering what shapes the character of twins.
Two three-minute short films were included, in which Professor Purdie met with Gordon & MacPhail’s director of prestige, Stephen Rankin – a father of twins himself – to explore how the subject could be applied to the whiskies.
Professor Purdie said: “Like human identical twins, both whiskies share the same make up… It is remarkable to observe how the identical spirit filled into the casks all those years ago has been altered by the natural environment of the casks themselves.”
Both whiskies were bottled at cask strength and matured in first fill, sherry hogsheads. The whisky from Cask 508 – selected by Richard – was nurtured in European oak and bottled at cask strength of 45.0% and the contrasting Cask 512 – selected by Stuart – was nurtured in American oak and bottled at cask strength of 40.8%.
Purdie continues: “Just like the twins who started life at the same time and place, each whisky has then been shaped and developed by a multitude of separate factors to create these subtle differences.”
Stuart Urquhart, Gordon & MacPhail’s associate director of whisky supply explained: “The whisky I selected has a slightly spicy finish and many would attest that my sense of humour is certainly drier and spicier than that of my brother.”
Richard Urquhart, Gordon & MacPhail’s international sales manager for Asia & Americas added: “For much of our lives, Stuart and I have shared similar environments… However, as we’ve grown older, got married and had children, it’s intriguing to see how our individual characters, much like the whiskies, are diverging.”
Sold as a pair, only 97 sets of twin decanters are available worldwide, with a recommended sales price of £30,000.
Born together. Matured separately. Enjoyed eternally.
