Glen Elgin 2012 Brave New Spirits – 56,9%

The distillery bears the name of the city to the south of which it is located. It is part of the Speyside and since its construction in 1898, it has changed hands many times over the course of history, until finally it ended up in the hands of Diageo. In 1964, during renovations, it was expanded to 6 stills.

Whether sherry casks from Spanish bodegas, strong wine casks from Madeira, port pipes from Portugal, barrique casks from Europe’s top winemakers, casks from Caribbean rum distilleries or bourbon casks from the USA: Murray McDavid purchases casks directly from the producer. The wooden treasure has become the trademark of the renowned independent bottler. Founded in 1994 by Mark Reynier (today’s CEO of Waterford and Renegade), Simon Coughlin and Gordon Wright (Springbank Distillery), Murray McDavid quickly made a name for himself with post-aging in the exquisite casks. The team is also known for taking over and “rescuing” the Bruichladdich Distillery.

But Murray McDavid is at home in the closed Coleburn Distillery on Speyside. In the traditional Dunnage Warehouse, the bottlings mature here between low but thick walls and on clay soil. Single malt and grain whisky, vatted malts and blended whisky appear in different series. Their heart: Benchmark. Only first-class single malts find their way into the turquoise labeled bottles.