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Lochside 1966 - 1989. 22 Year Old. Bottled bySignatory Vintage. Cask numbers 7253-55. One of 800 bottles. 70cl. 43%. In presentation box.
Distilled at the now-lost Lochside Distillery on 15 December 1966 and bottled by Signatory Vintage in August 1989, this 22-year-old Highland single malt is one of the earliest releases from what would become one of Scotland's most respected independent bottlers. Matured in oak casks #7253-7255 and bottled at 43% ABV, it forms part of Signatory's original Vintage Collection, a series that helped establish the company's reputation for showcasing individual distilleries with full distillation and bottling details long before such transparency became commonplace.
Lochside occupies a unique place in Scotch whisky history. Located in Montrose, the distillery was unusual in being capable of producing both malt and grain whisky, although its single malt has become the most celebrated. Following its closure in 1992 and demolition in 2005, official bottlings became increasingly scarce, leaving independent releases such as this among the few remaining opportunities to experience the distillery's distinctive character.
Limited to just 800 bottles this early Signatory release is both a fascinating snapshot of Lochside's elegant spirit and an increasingly collectible bottling from the pioneering years of independent Scotch whisky.
Lochside distillery started life as an 18th century beer brewery. The site was converted into a grain distillery in 1957 and two pairs of pot stills for malt whisky production were added in 1961. Lochside was therefore one of only a handful of Scottish distilleries capable of producing a single blend whisky, where both malt and grain spirits are from the same distillery.
Grain distillation was discontinued at Lochside in the early 1970s and in modern times only a handful of Lochside’s extraordinary single blends have been bottled, most notably by indie bottlers Scott’s Selection. The distillery’s single malts were also generally excellent, with a prominent fruity character often enhanced by sherry casks. Sadly, Allied Distillers bought and closed Lochside in 1992, and then sold the site in 1997 to a property developer who demolished Lochside soon afterwards - a sad end for a wonderful distillery.
Signatory Vintage Whisky Company was founded by Andrew Symington in 1988 after a spell as assistant manager at the Prestonfield House Hotel, where he had the opportunity to buy a cask of Glenlivet 1968. A robust and canny businessman, Symington had soon acquired some outstanding parcels of casks from great distilleries, and quickly established a reputation among single malt fans for good value, high quality single casks, the majority of which were released at full strength.
Throughout the 1990s and beyond, Signatory released outstanding whisky from Ardbeg, Glenfarclas, Springbank and many more, with frequently remarkable examples of lost or obscure distilleries. Soon established as one of the leading new wave independent bottlers, Symington was also an early exponent of bottling whiskies without colouring or chill filtration, a policy that has also served Signatory well at their Edradour distillery, which was purchased in 2002.
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