Gordon & MacPhail debuts 74YO whisky
Scotch producer Gordon & MacPhail will celebrate King Charles III’s coronation with a 74-year-old single malt from his birth year.
On Saturday 6 May, the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will take place. Family-owned Gordon & MacPhail will celebrate the occasion with the release of a whisky from 1948 – the year the King was born. Gordon & MacPhail bottled the whisky from Speyside distillery Glen Grant as part of its Private Collection. It was filled into a first-fill Sherry cask on 10 April 1948 and bottled on 15 December 1948, when the King was christened. Only 281 bottles of the whisky are available, priced at £25,000 (US$31,129). With a cask strength ABV of 50.4%, the resulting liquid offers a nose of festive spices, mulled berries, lemon zest, demerara sugar and subtle beeswax polish. Flavours of red apples, bitter orange and milk chocolate follow on the palate, with a finish of grapefruit and mature oak. 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 70 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.” To celebrate the release of The King Charles III Coronation Edition, Gordon & MacPhail will donate £25,000 to The Prince’s Foundation, a charity that offers an education programme for all ages and backgrounds. “For more than 50 years, King Charles has placed a firm focus on sustainability and supporting communities,” Ranking added. “Our donation to The Prince’s Foundation will support his vision of a more sustainable world and aims to help create future legacies.” Last year, Gordon & MacPhail released a 70-year-old single malt to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. A number of spirits brands are celebrating the King's coronation with commemorative releases.
