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World record-breaking Premier Whisky creation scores awards in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible

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Published
12/19/2021 by

Premier Whisky's world record-breaking creation, the Gordon & MacPhail 72 Year Old - Glen Grant 1948, has received the ultimate accolade from the most influential international whisky guide, Jim Murray's Whisky Bible, 2022.

This extraordinary spirit broke the world record paid at auction for a Glen Grant whisky when Decanter no. 88 of 290 was sold, pre-release in January 2021, by Bonham's in Hong Kong for HK$421,600. Now it has won both the Single Cask of the Year and the Scotch Single Malt of the Year awards, with Murray giving the historic whisky his highest ever score of 97.5.

"I really am not sure the nose of a scotch whisky can be better than this," writes Murray. "It has everything you can wish for…and so much more…an incredibly rare case of an impeccable malt filled into an impeccable cask finished in true harmony."

Premier Whisky's impeccable presentation matches the spirit exemplarily. It is housed in a Dartington Crystal decanter with a design inspired by the American sherry-oak cask in which the whisky was matured, and protected by an American black walnut case.

The creation of Gordon & MacPhail 72 Year Old - Glen Grant 1948 was masterminded by Premier Whisky Founder Nicholas Breton. Breton headed the team which chose the cask from Gordon and MacPhail's legendary whisky vaults, and collaborated on its exquisite presentation in a style equally appealing to the fine spirits connoisseur and the discerning investor.

"The project pulled together some of the industry's leading experts, including renowned whisky writer and consultant Charles MacLean, senior family members of Gordon & MacPhail, Asian spirits market authority Michael Cottingham, and the design team behind the highly sought after Japanese whisky Karuizawa," says Breton.

"This spirit sets new standards for investment grade whiskies which can be expected to perform spectacularly at auction. It offers the incredibly rare combination of cask-age, rarity, and exceptional quality. At the great age of 72 years most whiskies would have taken too much from the wood and lost balance, but this spirit has been bottled at its peak."

"I can honestly say this is one of the finest malts it has been my pleasure to taste in forty years of professional exploration," adds Charles MacLean.

"This is a hugely complex and rewarding malt whisky by any standards. Obviously, its great age adds value to the experience of tasting it, conjuring images of what the world was like in 1948, but - more important from a connoisseur's perspective - its flavour opens a sensory door into another era, when whisky was different."

Murray agrees, pointing out that the relative peatiness of the spirit is a reflection of a period of Speyside's history when a smokier character was normal. In 1948, shortly after the Second World War when the whisky was made by legendary Glen Grant whisky creator George Urquhart, coal was in short supply and the distillers had reverted to peat to fire the stills. The subtle peat notes which contribute to the spirit's great complexity are redolent of a bygone era. To taste this spirit is to taste history.

Gordon & MacPhail 72 Year Old - Glen Grant 1948, which is bottled at cask strength, is also notable for having retained a surprisingly high level of alcohol at 52.6% Alcohol By Volume (ABV).

"I am generally sceptical about very old malts because they lose vitality and tend to become fragile and flat. Not in this case," says MacLean.

"For investors the performance to date of this creation speaks for itself," says Breton. "Clients who bought en primeur during the production process saw their investment increase in value by 110% in 18 months, measured according to the Bonham's auction result. The December launch allocation of 100 decanters is already sold out."

A further 100 decanters are available for January 2022 pre-order from Premier Whisky, priced at £40,000 each, bonded in Scotland.

Premier Whisky Founder Nicholas Breton has been responsible for bringing to market a range of spectacular whisky productions valued in excess of USD$50,000,000, including single casks from The Macallan, Port Ellen and Glenlivet distilleries. Breton and his team have also been responsible for "super productions" including the beautiful Glenfarclas Pagoda Series - five years in the making - which sold at HK$1,000,0000 for a five bottle set, and a crystal presentation of a Gordon & MacPhail Glen Grant 70 year old.

Premier Whisky's latest innovative yet classic creation, the world record-breaking Gordon & MacPhail 72 Year Old - Glen Grant 1948, has now been recognised by Jim Murray's revered Whisky Bible as one of the greatest cask whiskies of all time.

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