The 35-year-old Gordon & MacPhail 1984 from Glenury Royal is ultra-rare and comes from the last cask of the make maturing in the Gordon & MacPhail’s famous warehouse.

It joins a 1972 Coleburn whisky launched in September. The remaining two whiskies in the anniversary series are set to be revealed in November and December – each as rare and unique as the last.

No spirit has been distilled at Glenury since 1985, when it closed its doors for the final time and was demolished after a long history stretching back 160 years. Founded in 1825 by Captain James Barclay, the suffix ‘Royal’ was added due to the owner’s friendship with King William IV.

Its extreme scarcity in the market has since attracted whisky fans from across the world and it is a prized addition to any whisky connoisseur’s collection.

Just 397 bottles are available worldwide of this whisky, which was laid down on Thursday 7 June 1984 and has been fully matured in cask number 2335, a first-fill Sherry Butt.

Bottled at 49.1% ABV, the liquid itself is a rich amber in colour, with aromas of stewed fruit, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and toasted oak. On the palate, the whisky provides sweet orange peel, cherry, burnt sugar and dried fig giving way to a medium and fruity finish with notes of aniseed and sherry. 

Stephen Rankin, a fourth-generation member of Gordon & MacPhail’s owning family and the company’s director of Prestige, said: “Since 1895 Gordon & MacPhail has released single malts from over 100 distilleries, many of which are lesser-known or closed.  The anniversary series is a true homage to this endeavour.”