Allt-á-Bhainne 1996 (bottled 2016) - Connoisseurs Choice (70cl, 46%)
Allt-a-Bhainne 1996 vintage Speyside single malt Scotch whisky. Matured in Refill Sherry Hogsheads and bottled 2016 by Gordon & MacPahil for the Connoisseurs Choice series.
A lesser seen single malt, Allt-A-Bhainne is an unglamorous structure built by Seagram in 1975. Primarily a constituent in blends, Chivas Brothers bottled an official single malt for the first time in 2018. A number of independent releases like this were made available in the preceding years however, and are still a popular addition to catalogues today.
Gordon & MacPhail are one of the largest and most recognisable whisky companies in the world. Although they began distilling at the newly refurbished Benromach distillery in 1998, for most of their history they were an independent bottler. Their labels are recognised by whisky lovers the world over, and their licensed bottlings from distillery's like Macallan and Talisker in the 1970s and 1980s, when the companies were not bottling themselves, are a huge part of the success of those distillers today.
The Connoisseurs Choice label is one of the most recognisable independent bottlings on the market. It was initially created for renowned Italian importer, Edoardo Giaccone in the early 1970s, but became a mainstay of the core Gordon & MacPhail portfolio in 1979.