Gordon & MacPhail Launches 74-Year-Old Whisky to Honor King Charles III's Coronation
Gordon & MacPhail is set to unveil a special single malt whisky from 1948 – the year of his birth – to honour King Charles III’s Coronation in May.
The Private Collection 1948 from Glen Grant Distillery was filled into a first-fill Sherry cask on 10th April 1948 by Gordon & MacPhail. Only 281 bottles will be available of this ultra-rare release which was bottled on 15th December – the anniversary of His Majesty’s christening.
Priced at £25,000, the whisky retains a remarkable cask strength of 50.4% after more than seven decades of maturation. And the result is a vibrant and fragrant single malt packed with festive spices, mulled berries, a hint of raisin and lemon zest.
Last year, Gordon & MacPhail released a 70-year-old single malt to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Prior to this, HRH Prince Charles – as he was known then – officially reopened its Benromach Distillery in 1998.
To celebrate the release of The King Charles III Coronation Edition, a donation of £25,000 will be made by Gordon & MacPhail to The Prince’s Foundation. The charity runs a diverse programme of education and training for all ages and backgrounds, including traditional arts and heritage craft skills, horticulture, wellbeing and hospitality, and regeneration projects to support communities.
Stephen Rankin, Director of Prestige at Gordon & MacPhail, said: “This exceptional whisky is a fitting tribute to His Majesty, who has continually promoted and protected British tradition and excellence over many decades. This release has been carefully nurtured for over seventy years and is testament to great patience, long term thinking and commitment to creating high quality products; principles that have been handed down through generations of people working for our family business.
“For more than 50 years, King Charles has placed a firm focus on sustainability and supporting communities. Our donation to The Prince’s Foundation will support his vision of a more sustainable world and aims to help create future legacies.”
Founded in 1895, Gordon & MacPhail has bottled spirit from over 100 Scottish distilleries, forging close relationships in the process over many decades.
For more information, visit www.gordonandmacphail.com
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Fragrant festive spices complement mulled berries with a hint of raisin. Lemon zest comes to the fore alongside demerara sugar and subtle beeswax polish.
Palate: Red apple flavours infuse with bitter orange and milk chocolate. Subtle smoke develops accompanied by fresh peppermint leaves.
Finish: Full finish with lingering grapefruit and mature oak.
All images belong to Gordon and MacPhail
