In a previous article, we discussed how Gordon and MacPhail became the guardian of the temple of the single malt Scotch whisky. Although today, the famous merchant house bottles its most precious vintages in the Private Collection range, they were also at the heart of another range called Book of Kells, which was discontinued in 2018. This article looks back at the origins of this range, by making a stop over the Glen Grant distillery, the Scottish merchant's long standing partner.
A tribute to an illuminated manuscript
The story starts in the 1980s. Gordon and MacPhail, the renowned Scottish bottler, launched the Book of Kells, a range named after the title of the illuminated manuscript made by Celtic monks in the early 9th century. Written in Latin, the Book of Kells contains the four Gospels of the New Testament. The creation of this gospel is often attributed to the monks of Iona Abbey, an island off the west coast of Scotland. This title makes reference to Kells Abbey, located in Ireland, where it is said to have been transported by monks fleeing Viking attacks. The manuscript is currently kept in Ireland, in the library at Trinity College in Dublin.
The first bottlings of the Book of Kells range seem to date back to the beginning of the 1980s. Amongst those, we can list a Macphail’s 1964, with an age statement of 17 years, a Pride of Strathspey 1938 45 Year Old and two MacPhail’s 1938 Old Highland Malt of the same age. The first of these two very old vintages was bottled in a carafe and the second in a standard bottle. Reserved for very old malt whiskies, the Book of Kells series brings together vintages dating from the mid-1930s to the late 1980s. Most of them are over 20 years old.
Since the start of the 21st century, the bottlings were mostly produced in standard bottles, however some of them - including many editions marketed right up until 1998 - are offered in decanters of different shapes. The most famous are those of Pride of Strathspey 1938 – short and rectangular bottles, with motifs engraved in the glass - followed by the wide Glen Grant 1956, bottled in 2015 to mark the 60th anniversary of La Maison du Whisky. Another distinctive graphic feature of this latest bottle and of the range, is the striking illustrated labels they don with a person raising his glass, in a graphic style reminiscent of book illumination. Hence the nickname sometimes given to the Book of Kells range: The Dram Takers.
The favourite distillery of Mr. George
Amongst the recurring bottlings from the Book of Kells range are those from Glen Grant, made up of vintages from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s. Favourite distillery of George Urquhart, Glen Grant was founded in 1840 by brothers John and James Grant. This is the oldest distillery in Rothes, established before Glenrothes, Glen Spey and Speyburn (Caperdonich, called Glen Grant 2 for a long time, closed in 2002) and the only one in the town open to visitors. Glen Grant is notably one of the first real whisky brands in history, bottled as a single malt at the turn of the 20th century, and available in Africa, Australia and the United States. Glen Grant became very popular in Italy from the 1950s, thanks to the influence of a Milanese hotelier, Armando Giovinetti, who brought back several cases of this single malt from Scotland to promote it in his country. Until the mid-1990s, Glen Grant 5 Year Old accounted for 70% of single malt sales on the Italian market.
The distillery today belongs to the Campari group who acquired the company in 2006 from Pernod Ricard which, following the purchase of Allied Domecq, was unable to retain certain distilleries, and therefore sold, among others, Bushmills, Laphroaig and Glen Grant. Throughout the decades, a steam-heating system was installed, the usage of peat was abandoned and the choice of cask for ageing has mostly inched away from sherry casks and towards bourbon casks instead. These evolutions strengthen the uniqueness and character of Glen Grant's expressions bottled by Gordon and MacPhail, much older than the official bottlings marketed by the distillery itself and primarily aged in old sherry casks. In addition to the expressions in the Book of Kells, the Distillery Labels collection offers other (superb) very old editions of Glen Grant. Thanks to its close links with the distillery, the Elgin-based merchant was able to obtain a licence and produce versions using the official Glen Grant bottling label.
On the market
It is difficult to find better value than Glen Grant’s bottlings in the Book of Kells range today. At a time when single malts exceeding fifty years of age are being marketed at a price exceeding (sometimes easily) £10,000, these old Glen Grant’s are putting up a fight. On average, the Book of Kells editions from Glen Grant sell at auction for between £2,000 and £3,000, below even the price of expressions from other similar distilleries (Benriach, Longmorn, Glenlivet, to name just a few). However, the exceptional tasting that is sure to follow any purchase shows that these versions are true marvels.
Tasting
We give you an exceptional tasting of five Glen Grant bottles from the 1950s. Gradually, the expressions of the Book of Kells series have become exclusive editions for long standing customers. The six editions mentioned below have been bottled by La Maison du Whisky.
GLEN GRANT 58 Year Old 1953 Gordon and MacPhail Book of Kells 47.9%:
Colour: mahogany.
Nose: rich, oxidative. Marked by aromas of red fruit jam, orange marmalade and cherries poached in brandy - the first taste is dense. These fruity notes play an incredible ballet with aromas of tobacco, sweet pepper and mint that refresh the olfactory space.
Palate: lively, balanced. At first peppery, the attack on the palate brings an abundance of energy to the tasting experience, rounded off by the heat of ginger tea. The mid-palate, where coffee, blood orange and mustard seed come together, continues the momentum. Aeration brings out a lovely salinity.
Finish: long, tonic. The start of the finish reveals an oxidative character of nuts and infusions such as Pu Erh or mint tea, flirting with the smoke. Then, freshness explodes with ginger tea, mint and orange sweets. In the back of the mouth, notes of peach skin.
After 58 years of ageing, the strength is always present, underlined by a spicy tasting sequence. The fragrances evoke preserves and flavours of herbal and fruity infusions perfectly illustrate the alternation of rich and airy sequences. Superb aromatic and taste complexity.
GLEN GRANT 59 Year Old 1954 Gordon and MacPhail Book of Kells 53.1%:
Colour: amber.
Nose: fresh, aerated. Wonderful fragrances of peach, mango and passion fruit characterise the tones of the aromatic palate, marked by an exoticness that is hard to ignore. The herby notes of mint, lemon balm, and rosemary anchor the tasting experience firmly in Speyside.
Palate: delicate and generous. Flowery with hints of lavender and poppy, the palate then ventures into syrupy territory, with notes of peach and sultanas. The spices that appear on the mid-palate - like pepper, cardamom, and cinnamon - are delicious and underline the finesse of the flavour palette.
Finish: both bold and silky. With its salinity and acidic apple flavours, the start of the finish blurs lines and takes us on a journey to the world of Calvados. Then, notes of melon, watermelon and strawberry accentuate the freshness of the finish. In the back of the mouth, a superb layer of vanilla.
Contrary to the previous version, the influence of long ageing in sherry casks is less marked. Both fresh and indulgent, this Glen Grant is absolutely remarkable with its precision. Its fruity sequences are wonderful. A whisky to be tasted blind by a Bowmore fan from the 1960s.
GLEN GRANT 59 Year Old 1955 Gordon and MacPhail Book of Kells 60.8%:
Colour: deep mahogany with ruby-red glints.
Nose: dense, concentrated. This crosses into territory normally reserved for rums, with flavours of vanilla, an exotic side with mango and coconut, and herby notes - think sugarcane, or tobacco leaf. Then, is the return to whisky, where organic (tar), bitter (chocolate) and fruity (almonds, sultanas) notes underline the complexity of the olfactory palate.
Palate: rich, lively. With flavours of strong coffee, dark chocolate and tobacco, the attack on the palate is bitter. With an exceptional density, the mid-palate is marked by notes of luscious walnut and intense sandalwood notes. The finish is the same register, both mineral (pencil led) and herbaceous (liquorice).
Finish: intense, balanced. Saline, the start of the finish is also spicy with fiery bursts of nutmeg and Hungarian paprika. Notes of hazelnuts, milk chocolate and vanilla add a touch of sweetness and deliciousness. Then the aftertaste of beef steak kicks things up a notch.
It is not uncommon - with Glenfarclas coming to mind as I write this - for certain old Speyside whiskies to evoke the aromatic and gustatory world of rums. It is the case of this Glen Grant, where tasting transports us to Jamaica then in the French Antilles. The ABV of this version strengthens its wonderful intensity.
GLEN GRANT 60 Year Old 1955 Gordon and MacPhail Book of Kells 51.6%:
Colour: mahogany.
Nose: elegant, harmonious. The flavours of dates, makrouts and zlabia transport us to the Orient. Finely ground grey peppercorns, slices of chocolate marbré and kouign-amann perfectly underline the subtlety and depth of the aromatic palette.
Palate: lively, generous. The herby and saline notes of green tea, liquorice and black seaweed are the first of the palate and act as an interlude following the ocean of deliciousness that the nose has poured over the tasting. The mid-palate brings us back to it, with its flavours of honey, cream puffs, sugar brioche and grapes.
Finish: ample, frank. It is a new aromatic universe that lets us discover the start of the dry and strong finish, marked by sandalwood. Then, we go back towards the herbaceous countryside of liquorice and coriander. A tasting so good could, and should, only ever end with a gourmet treat, and here we find a rum baba in the aftertaste.
Of all the tastings, it is the most generous and indulgent Glen Grant. Each aromatic and flavour sequence paints a picture that only old Speyside Scotch can offer
GLEN GRANT 1956 Gordon and MacPhail Book of Kells 53.9%:
Colour: mahogany with orange glints.
Nose: frank, concentrated. The nose starts by revealing scents of resin from pine and fir. Then, magnificent notes of peppercorns and prime rib reveal the meaty nature of the olfactory palette. Finally, the third olfactory sequence of notes of slate underline the mineral character of the nose.
Palate: rich, balanced. Flavours of coffee, of brown sugar and boudoirs take us through to dessert. Mid-palate, by notes of chocolate and liquorice, subtly flirt with bitterness. Aeration unveils an absolutely remarkable nobility, with an increasingly silky mouthfeel.
Finish: dense, haughty. A return to minerality at the start of the finish, with notes of charcoal. Afterwards, flavours of infused red fruits, toast and salted butter continue the constant to-and-fro between sweet and savoury.
The final expression unveils the most rustic, with its dense, bitter olfactory and gustatory sequences. Beyond this character, the tasting is enriched by flavours of great delicacy.
