Convalmore 1975 46 Year Old Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection

This elegant old Convalmore was drawn from a single American oak hogshead filled at the lost Highland distillery in 1975. After 46 years of aging it has emerged an intensely aromatic whisky with tropical fruits, candied peel and rose petals on the nose. It shows remarkable concentration with caramelised orange, floral honeys and toasted nuts before a long finish that leaves citrus oils lingering on the palate.

The fourth of the famous seven stills of Dufftown, Convalmore was built at the tail end of the Victorian whisky boom. It produced a fruity spirit with a waxy texture that has often drawn comparisons with the legendary Clynelish. Like so many other great distilleries, it was mothballed during the difficult years of the 1980s, never to reopen. Vanishingly few casks from this old Highlander remain, so releases like this offer a fascinating glimpse of a style lost to history.