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Ardbeg 1974-1994 - Gordon & MacPhail - Connoisseurs Choice

LOT ID: 0723-326

End Date : Sep 13 2023 08:00 PM

Quick Links: 40-46%, Ardbeg, Islay, 70cl, Gordon & MacPhail, 1990s, Independent Bottler, Single Malt, Connoisseurs Choice, 20-30 Year Old, Scotch Whisky,

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Total Bids: 20

Winning Bid
£775.00

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LOT DESCRIPTION

Ardbeg 1974 - 1994. Bottled by Gordon & MacPhail for their Connoisseurs Choice series. 70cl. 40%. In presentation box.

A legendary dram from Gordon & MacPhail’s series of extraordinary Ardbeg 1974 editions released between 1991 and 2003. This version was bottled for the Connoisseurs Choice range at around twenty years old in 1994 under the famous Old Map Label and was one of the highlights of the series, with a shockingly powerful presence on the palate for its strength and abundant rich, dry phenols balanced with a complex mix of fruit and spices.

CONDITION

Good.

FILLING LEVEL

Into Neck

Distillery: Ardbeg

Distillery Status: Working

Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail

Region: Islay

Distilled Year: 1974

Bottling Year: 1994

Category: Single Malt

Country: Scotland

Bottle Size: 70cl / 700ml

ABV: 40%

Founded in 1815, Ardbeg is one of Islay’s iconic distilleries. Ardbeg was purchased by Diageo forerunners DCL and Hiram Walker in 1973, with Walker taking full control in 1977, the year the distillery’s maltings were closed. Ardbeg was mothballed for most of the 1980s; production began again in 1989 under new owners Allied Lyons, but only for two months a year until 1996 when the distillery closed again. In 1997 the dilapidated Ardbeg distillery was bought by Glenmorangie plc (now part of LVMH) and its fortunes turned. Ardbeg was restored and relaunched, kickstarting the craze for heavily peated single malt whisky.

Ardbeg was seldom commercially available before the Allied/DCL takeover - the old white label official bottlings are now very rare. Allied bottled a handful of black label Ardbegs in the 1990s including the popular Ardbeg 30-year-old. The breakthrough bottlings were the Ardbeg 17-year-old and Ardbeg 1974 Provenance released by Glenmorangie in 1997 - these were soon followed by numerous magnificent single casks from 1970s vintages that cemented Ardbeg’s reputation. Independent Ardbeg is uncommon nowadays.

Founded in Elgin as a merchant grocer and wine and spirits wholesaler in 1895, Gordon & MacPhail are one of the oldest independent whisky bottlers in Scotland. Co-founder James Gordon owned shares in Longmorn, Strathisla and Glen Grant, and Gordon & MacPhail were soon bottling officially licensed single malts from several distilleries and sending empty casks from their wine business to be filled with new make spirit and returned for maturation in their Elgin warehouses.

Gordon & MacPhail pioneered high strength single malts at 100 proof (57%) in the 1950s, and in 1968 the company launched Connoisseurs Choice, one of the first integrated ranges of small batch independent whisky bottlings. After finally becoming distillers themselves with the purchase of Benromach in 1993, in 2010 Gordon & MacPhail bottled the first 70-year-old single malt whisky (a Mortlach 1938) and in 2020 the company released the first ever 80-year-old whisky: Glenlivet 1940.

DISCLAIMER

Although a condition report is normally included in the Lot description, we do recommend viewing/close inspection prior to placing any bids. If this is not an option and you have questions beyond the offered description and images, please use the form below "Ask A Question" to make specific enquiries or to receive a more in-depth condition report. Otherwise, Lots will be sold as seen and described.

Please note: due to the various ages of bottles, corks and their seals, condition of liquid is at the buyer's discretion. And no claim can be lodged against failure/leakage in transit.All bottles are checked by our whisky specialists Wayne & Harrison Ormerod prior to any auction. We do not auction opened bottles so therefore all items are sealed unless stated under certain circumstances where seals were never issued by the producer.

No item is deemed new, however many items are generally in good condition. When this is not the case, we aim to mention any faults in the description. The images supplied are of the actual item you will receive. If the filling level of the liquid is not visible in the images provided, we aim to indicate the current position in the description. If the filling level is impossible to determine, such as with ceramics decanters, we will provide an overall weight of the decanter in KG. Our filling level guideline can be found here.

All information in this listing is provided to the best of our knowledge including when we chose to date the age of a bottle. If you are unhappy with the listing or believe there is an error/discrepancy, you should notify us immediately and we will address the Lot accordingly. Placing a bid confirms you have checked the Lot and are satisfied.

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BID HISTORY

	BID	DATE	TIME
Last Bids	£775.00	13th September 2023	19:45

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