Talk about blast from the past, today we're going to jump through that liquid amber portal and go back half a century to 1975! 

There's always much fervour when it comes to lost distilleries, yet certainly not all - not most - lost distilleries share the same limelight as the the Big Three (of Port Ellen, Rosebank and Brora; all three of which have since been revived). Most lost distilleries, or ghost distilleries as they are romanticised, are precisely as the name suggests, lost to time and fading memories. Whilst it's often bandied around the value of remembering that every drop savoured from a ghost distillery is one less drop left in an inevitably dwindling pool of whiskies that will never be made again - that sometimes feels less so the case with the Big Three. Of course, it bears stating for posterity that indeed even if - and now, more so when - these distilleries are resurrected, they can only truly be revived in name, and that it is simply impossible to produce the exact same style of whisky. Yet given how much we've continue to hear these names tossed around, they certainly don't quite feel very "lost", and perhaps ironically they might even seem more "ghost" if anything, given how much they continue to linger around in some way, shape or form.

What remains of St Magdalene Distillery.

So put these not quite so "lost" distilleries aside, because if you really want to dive into the abyss of a distillery that almost certainly will well and truly be eventually lost to time, with very little impetus for any shred of possibility of a revival of any kind, then you've got to look beyond the slew of mainstream (social) media and actually put on your ghostbusting gear and prepare to go hunting for them - or you could just head down to a highly regarded whisky bar and let the real tastemakers surface them for you. In today's case, we're down at the one and only Swan Song Bar in Singapore, that's helmed by local whisky legend Arun Prashant, who's entirely too humble to acknowledge his stature in the world of whiskies. I've always felt that the ability to find and curate such rare and exotic whiskies maketh a truly great whisky bar, and is a great tell as to the sensibilities of the people who helm it - after all, is the selection not but a reflection of their taste and expertise? You see a back bar of shelves lined with all manners of spirits, I see a curriculum vitae that bears testament to their savoir faire.

Which brings us to today's dram of the night - a 1975 St Magdalene bottled by renowned independent bottlers Gordon & MacPhail, under their Spirit of Scotland series which showcases Scotland's iconic distilleries of yore, having included the likes of also Port Ellen, Brora, Lochside, Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Tomatin and more. The Spirit of Scotland series ran from the 1990's to the mid 2010's, often featuring whiskies from a completely different era, with some of these bottlings having been privately bottled for select key buyers - in this case, the 1975 St Magdalene was bottled in 2008 at 33 Years Old, for the Japan Import System.

But before we get into the whisky itself, let's delve into the truly lost distillery, St Magdalene, and find out more about its story and history - at least before it's completely lost.

So who is was St Magdalene?

St Magdalene Distillery was first founded in 1753 in Linlithgow (more popularly known as the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots), just an hours' drive west from Edinburgh, and was in its earliest days in fact so named after the town itself - and hence Linlithgow Distillery. It was founded by one Sebastian Henderson on what was once a monastery (and before that a hospital founded by the Knights Templar), and wasn't in fact the first distillery in town (the title went to a distillery known as Bulzion, whose construction Henderson had sought to oppose with his own Linlithgow Distillery). Nevertheless, once it was established that the town of Linlithgow had made whiskies, several distilleries would open up shortly thereafter (the town would become known for whiskymaking and would house five distilleries), one of which was therefore Linlithgow Distillery. This would come to form part of the Lowland region of Scotch whiskymaking.

The grand Linlithgow Palace.

Within just a short span of time, the distillery would come to be acquired by one Adam Dawson, who was an experienced whiskymaker and had not only owned the neighbouring Bonnytoun Distillery, but had also operated another distillery around Falkirk. The acquisition of the Linlithgow Distillery is said to have taken place in 1798, which is often cited as the official start date of the St Magdalene Distillery, as it was Dawson who would rename the distillery to St Magdalene after the St Magdalene's Cross location upon which the convent that it had replaced was built upon. Dawson would find much success with the St Magdalene Distillery and would thus concentrate his efforts there, eventually even merging his neighbouring Bonnytoun Distillery into it in 1810.

By 1834, St Magdalene Distillery would move to an incredibly well positioned location, sandwiched between the Union Canal and the national railway line (with even its own wharf and railway tracks), which made it easy and efficient for the distillery to gain access to supplies of barley and coal, draw water from the canal, and at the same time also readily ship off its whiskies to the city center. With the growing success, Dawson had expanded the site, which at its prime stood at a significant 10 acres. The distillery had in its heyday become a sizeable whisky producer, distilling 1 million litres of alcohol annually, with 14 washbacks, 5 stills (two wash, three low wines), 3 wormtubs and 19 warehouses. This was staggering for the Victorian and Edwardian era, and was even noted by historic whisky writer Alfred Barnard for having kept in its stocks some very well aged whiskies. That said, it's worth pointing out that as with most whiskies made during the time, St Magdalene's too was almost entirely used as part of a blend rather than having been presented standalone as a single malt.

St Magdalene's Distillery before being demolished.

And so for over a century, the St Magdalene Distillery would operate under the ownership of the Dawson family (officially incorporated as A&J Dawson in 1895).

Nevertheless by the turn of the 19th Century, the distillery was beginning to face intense competition amidst a softening market (as well as being hit with the untimely death of a key Dawson family member), which ultimately forced the Dawson family to liquidate their company in 1912, resulting in the sale of St Magdalene Distillery to Distillers Company Ltd (DCL), who would license the distillery to William Greer & Co. Just two years after, St Magdalene Distillery, along with fellow Lowland distilleries Rosebank, Glenkinchie, Clydesdale and Grange, would all be combined together under the Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD) company. From henceforth, St Magdalene's production would be directed towards the blends made by DCL (later acquired by Diageo).

By the treacherous 1980's, the Scotch whisky scene (and really the whisky scene globally) had found itself in a serious downturn, and thus like numerous other DCL-owned distilleries, the decision was ultimately made to shutter St Magdalene Distillery in 1983. And whilst some of these distilleries (like the ones mentioned above) have since been revived, that was not to be for St Magdalene. The distillery site was eventually sold to developers who demolished it - only keeping its distinctive pagoda roofs, malting barn and kiln - and have since been redeveloped as residential flats. St Magdalene Distillery was in fact the last of the five Linlithgow distilleries, having outlasted its neighbours, and had it still stood today, it would have proven to be one of the oldest Scotch whisky distilleries.

The staff at St Magdalene Distillery in 1975.

Getting into St Magdalene's whiskymaking, it is often said that its whiskies are rather unlike the typical light and floral Lowland style. In fact, in its earlier years, the distillery had preferred to use heavily peated malt (the peat harvested from bogs near Falkirk and Slamannan) that would more closely resemble Islay whiskies. Nevertheless, the distillery would ultimately move towards reflecting the typicity of its region into its later years, moving towards non-peated whiskies that yielded lighter, smoother and more fruity whiskies. Water used for whiskymaking was said to be drawn from the Loch Lomond, with then two distillation runs.

Given the distillery's predominant role as supplying malt whisky to be used as part of blends, much of its single malt expressions have thus come from independent bottlers who interchange between the names St Magdalene and Linlithgow, with its parent Diageo having only released three official bottlings till date, with two as part of its Rare Malts Series (a 23 Year Old 1970 and a 19 Year Old 1979), and a single 30 Year Old 1973 that was part of the 2004 Diageo Special Release.

And so with all that said, let's give this a taste!

Let's go!

Whisky Review: Spirit Of Scotland St Magdalene 1975 / 2008, 33 Year Old, Speymalt Whisky Dist. Ltd (Gordon & MacPhail, G&M) For Japan Import System, 47.5% ABV

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Gold, Copper

Aroma: Honeyed and candied with maltose syrup decked over deep, vibrant aromas of multi-coloured tropical fruits of pink guava, passionfruit, yellow apricots and watermelon hard candy - incredibly aromatic and exotic! A layer under, there's richer and darker Sherried scents of leather, dried plums and prunes, garnished with bouquets of white florals, lilies and lavender. Wow!

Taste: Medium-plus bodied, it's luscious and syrupy, really rounded, with bounties of those tropical fruits of watermelon hard candy, passionfruit, apricots and pink guavas, strikingly vibrant and reaching through great depths! It has an oiliness about it, with then once again that darker, more Sherried base of leather and dried plums and prunes, here with also a whiff of industrial smoke. Those exotic florals come through as well, of lavender and fresh linen. Mirroring it's aromas, here we find bright fruits and bright florals absolutely singing!

Finish: A turn towards a more industrial quality here, with more engine grease, yet at the same time bolstered by still a waxy, honeyed, candied body of maltose. Those Sherried tones persists, leather, dried plums and prunes, once again given an air of industrial smoke. Lavender carries on, delicate as it is vibrant. A rancio bitterness on the finish, with this immense oiliness for texture, almost of bacon fat that lingers on with that industrial grease.

My Thoughts

An immense whisky that is still so full of life and vibrance, with an ample body that feels so raw and fresh! This liquid time capsule feels almost like it's been lost in time, unearthed completely intact, and has so beautifully hidden itself from said passage, so much so that it's as if not the slightest brunt has been effected on it. It's retained all of its power and verve, rendering itself with complete purity and vigour!

Seamlessly consistent from nose to palate, it unveils this incredible bouquet of tropical yellow and pink fruits, garnished by bouquets of exotic white and purple flowers - singing as if it were! - with then that brightness matched with a depth of Sherried richness of leather and dried dark fruit. The body brings about a more industrial aspect that carries through the finish, yet so successfully again holds on to all of that unmatched potency, with also this fatty, waxy oiliness, that all amps up into the finish, with then finally this meatiness of bacon fat cooked in a well beaten cast iron skillet that lingers on for what feels like forever.

What an absolute showstopper!

Kanpai!

@111hotpot