Undisclosed Highland 1988 - 34 Year Old - Alexander Murray

Undisclosed bottlings are whiskies bottled independently without using the distillery’s name on the label. This can occur when an independent bottler releases a cask of whisky from a distillery that has expressly stipulated as a condition of sale that its name be withheld when those casks are bottled. Macallan, Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Glenfarclas and Highland Park are among the most famous, if not necessarily the most frequently-encountered, of the distillers who regularly go unnamed.

Other common reasons for a distillery’s single malt whisky not being named on the label include independent companies simply choosing the flexibility of not naming the source distilleries for their proprietary brands in case they wish to use multiple source distilleries or to change their source distillery at a later date. Bottlings from Undisclosed distilleries are always cheaper than their official distillery counterparts and are generally excellent value in the secondary market.

Alexander Murray Co. is an independent whisky bottler based in California. The company was founded by Scotsman Steve Lipp in 2004 and named after his great uncle, who gave him his first taste of whisky and encouraged his interest. Lipp had worked in the industry in Scotland prior to establishing his company in the USA.

The majority of Alexander Murray’s casks are bottled for the American market but some do turn up in Europe from time to time. The company bottles its whiskies at various strengths from 40% up to cask strength, with the emphasis on the latter in recent years. Alexander Murray Co. also have their own proprietary whisky brands including the Kirkland Signature series and the Monumental range of blended whiskies.