North Port-Brechin 1974 Connoisseurs Choice (70cl, 40%)

North Port-Brechin 1974 Connoisseurs Choice is a whisky from North Port (Highland). Bottled at 40% ABV, 70cl. Originally called Brechin Distillery, before being built, the residents of the Angus royal burgh were supplied with whisky by smugglers carrying it south from the north Grampians. The Guthrie family took great pride in their distillery – modern machinery was installed to increase production capacity, though the whisky was distilled in ‘old fashioned’ pot stills and condensed in worm tubs using water from the Den Burn, which ran through the site. Like the illicit whisky smuggling into Brechin, its water and peat also came from the Grampians, while ‘the very best barley’ was sourced from nearby farms. North Port’s whisky was never officially bottled as a single malt during its lifetime, although Diageo had it bottled for its Rare Malts series in 1995, 1998 and 1999, as well as under the name ‘Brechin’ for its Special Releases in 2005. Connoisseurs Choice is one of the most easily recognised ranges from the independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail. This range was launched by George Urquhart - one of the first of four generations of the family to build Gordon & MacPhail - back in the 1960s; a period where most malts were used in blends so this was quite an unusual move for the company. Perhaps due to the popularity surrounding blends, this range did well as the exception by showcasing some distilleries which had never before been bottled as single malts and thus, it has proved to be a hit for more than 35 years. North Port (Brechin) Please note general condition of set.