St Magdalene 1982-2008 - Berry Bros & Rudd - Berrys Own Selection - Single Cask 2199

St. Magdalene distillery (sometimes known as Linlithgow) is one of the greatest and most sorely missed of the lost Lowland distilleries. The distillery’s 1983 closure attracted little outcry but a handful of extraordinary Rare Malts bottlings in the late 1990s brought home the scale of the loss. Thankfully, a great many casks of St. Magdalene/Linlithgow have appeared from independent bottlers, with high strength versions by Cadenhead’s, SMWS, Douglas Laing and Gordon & MacPhail all performing well at auction.

St. Magdalene’s spirit, although sometimes showing a typical Lowland grassiness, was also frequently considerably more robust and austere than one would expect, with the pre-1975 vintages in particular displaying a minerally, oily waxiness more akin to the old Highland style malts than the soft Lowland archetype, while post-1975 vintages sometimes tend more towards elegance and fruitiness. A marvellous distillery that malt fans must try while bottlings still exist.

Founded in 1698, Berry Bros. & Rudd is the UK’s oldest wine and spirit merchant, with their iconic premises in St. James’ Street in London an institution in the drinks trade. Berry Brothers were among the first English merchants to bottle bespoke whiskies for sale in the 19th century and in 1923 they launched the Cutty Sark blended whisky which went on to great success in the United States in the post-Prohibition era.

Berry Bros continued to bottle single malt whiskies after WWII, with notable examples from Longmorn, Macallan, Glen Grant and Laphroaig (among others) occasionally cropping up at auction today. Since the late 1990s the company has expanded its spirits operations, briefly owned the rights to the Glenrothes single malt brand after selling Cutty Sark in 2010, and now have an adventurous range of expertly-selected single malts, blended malt whisky and rums.