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Balmenach 1970 - 13 Year Old - Gordon & MacPhail - Connoisseurs Choice

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Lot ID:
0226-728

shipping rate:
3

Total Bids:
52

Winning Bid
£175.00

End Date : Apr 01 2026 08:00 PM

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CONDITION

Wear/creased box. Wear to main label.

FILLING LEVEL

Lower Neck

LOT DESCRIPTION

Balmenach 1970. 13 Year Old. Bottled by Gordon & MacPhail for their Connoisseurs Choice series. 75cl. 40%. In presentation box.

A rare Balmenach 1970 13-year-old Speyside single malt whisky released at 40% by indie bottlers Gordon & MacPhail in 1983 or 1984 as part of their marvellous Connoisseurs Choice series, which was in its magisterial brown-beige label era at the time. Balmenach was still owned by Diageo forerunners DCL when this whisky was distilled and bottled, and although they sold it to Inver House in the late 1990s the distillery’s whiskies are almost never officially bottled.

Distillery: Balmenach

Distillery Status: Working

Bottler: Gordon & MacPhail

Region: Speyside

Distilled Year: 1970

Age: 13

Category: Single Malt

Country: Scotland

Bottle Size: 75cl / 750ml

ABV: 40%

Balmenach distillery was founded in Speyside in 1824. The distillery joined Diageo forerunner DCL’s portfolio in 1925 and was expanded to six stills in 1962. Balmenach was acquired in 1997 by Inver House Distillers, who are now owned by Thai Beverages plc. Balmenach is one of only a few distilleries still using worm tubs to condense their spirit and the resulting muscular, meaty whisky is in high demand from blenders.

Balmenach’s importance as a blending malt means official bottlings are thin on the ground. United Distillers bottled Balmenach 12-year-old for the Flora & Fauna series; Inver House released a handful of limited editions, the last of which was in 2002. Independent Balmenach is relatively common, with some classic old bottlings by Gordon & MacPhail, the SMWS, Signatory, Cadenhead’s and the Italian bottler Sestante among others.

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	£175.00	1st April 2026	07:42 PM

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Lower Price	Upper Price	Bid Increment Value
£1.00	£9.99	£1.00
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£250.00	£499.99	£10.00
£500.00	£999.99	£25.00
£1,000.00	£2,499.99	£50.00
£2,500.00	£9,999,999.99	£100.00