Gordon & MacPhail has concluded its Mr George Legacy Series with a 70-year-old whisky whisky serves as the collection's fifth and final instalment.
The series, which has been released annually since 2021, pays homage to George Urquhart, second-generation member of the family which owns Gordon & MacPhail, known as "Mr George", who in the 1960s created the company's Connoisseurs Choice range. The latest Mr George Legacy release, of 130 bottles, also marks Gordon & MacPhail's 130th anniversary.
Like the previous iterations, new release Mr George Legacy Series 1954 was distilled at the Glen Grant Distillery — a favourite distillery of Mr George. The spirit was distilled on 24 April 1954 and has spent its 70-year maturation period in a first-fill sherry puncheon cask. Gordon & MacPhail says the whisky is "bursting with fruity notes", as well as fudge, coffee, apple, walnut, and dark chocolate.
Stuart Urquhart, operations director at Gordon & MacPhail, said: "The fifth and final release from the Mr George Legacy Series is the perfect tribute to my grandfather’s lifetime of work, which still impacts our approach today. As we celebrate our 130th anniversary, we not only honour the past but also inspire future generations to continue the innovation and craftsmanship championed by 'Mr George'.
"As a fourth-generation, family-owned business, we want to commemorate our historic roots and while the Mr George Legacy Series may culminate with this release, my grandfather’s quest for perfection lives on within Gordon & MacPhail."
Charlie MacLean, whisky writer and expert, added: "Mr George joined his father, John, in the family business in 1933. Over the next 70 years, he established close relations with distilleries throughout Scotland. He was arguably the world’s foremost expert in combining spirit, oak and time, and is justifiably described as 'The Father of Malt Whisky'.
"This final release in the series is surprisingly vibrant for such an old whisky, but with the multi-layered complexity that can only be developed by long-maturation in the right cask. A whisky worthy of Mr George Urquhart, who will have selected the cask and who would have been proud of the result."
The Mr George Legacy Series 1954 from Glen Grant Distillery is bottled at a cask strength of 50.5% ABV and available via www.gordonandmacphail.com at RRP £8,000.
