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Brands and Distilleries : Signatory

Issue 101 Out Now

Whisky Magazine Issue 101

Whisky families, Mackmyra, Buffalo Trace, A drinker's guide to London and much more...

 

Signatory

Signatory Aberfeldy 1978
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%
7 Less structure than the youthful version from the distillery or the more mature choice, but enjoyable in its own right. As a dessert malt with trifle?

Signatory Ardmore 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00%
8 Robust as ever, but much more peatiness than I associate with this distillery. Oaky, too, for a relatively young whisky.

Signatory Bladnoch 1974
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.60%
7 A whole range of aromas and flavours that are hard to pin down. Sent me into a reverie: a long weekend in a big house, with kippers for breakfast, toasted brown bread and good marmalade. The house als...

Signatory Blair Athol 1973
Single Malt - Scotland - 55.00%
8 Has matured superbly. I love the interplay of sweet and fruity, hot and dry. The orange colour distinguishes this from Signatory's earlier bottling.

Signatory Bowmore 1968
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00%
8 At first tasting, I was hard-pressed to find any Islay character at all. On a second tasting, the next morning with a fresh palate, I began to find some smokiness. Even then, it seemed to emerge on th...

Signatory Bowmore 1975 Cask Strength
Single Malt - Scotland - 51.80%
8 Has mellowed with age. I missed the more assertively maritime characteristics in some younger Bowmores.

Signatory Brora 1981 Unchillfiltered
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00%
7 What a distinctive malt Brora was, and there are some excellent bottlings available.

Signatory Caledonian 1976, 23 Years Old
Single Grain - Scotland - 58.50%
7 Despite their lightness, some grains can stand up to long periods in wood.

Signatory Cambus 1964, 31 Years Old
Single Grain - Scotland - 43.80%
7 A good example of a single grain as a pleasant dram, though that is true of several in this tasting. If someone gave me this whisky in a bar, I would enjoy it, but I have yet to find a single grain th...

Signatory Caol Ila 1981 Cask Strength
Single Malt - Scotland - 62.50%
7 Quite sharp at the beginning then gradually softening. Fruitier than previous Signatory bottlings. Very sensitive to dilution.

Signatory Caol Ila 1984
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00%
8 An excellent example of Caol Illa, a highly distinctive malt that is gaining in recognition.

Signatory Caol Ila 1989
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00%
8 A fine example of Caol Ila – in one of its peatier moods.

Signatory Caol Ila 1989, Cask Strength
Single Malt - Scotland - 58.30%
8 The more typical of the two 1989 versions. For me, classic Caol Ila, with a touch of peat, noses ahead of the fruitier, more sensuous, expression.

Signatory Caol Ila 1991, Port Wood
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00%
8 I would like to try this with lamb.

Signatory Caol Ila Vintage 1981
Single Malt - Scotland - 59.00%
7 Significantly drier than the other Caol Ilas sampled.

Signatory Clynelish 1989 South African Sherry Butt
Single Malt - Scotland - 58.70%
7 A very unusual expression of Clynelish.

Signatory Coleburn 1991
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00%
7 I'm glad still to be able to taste a whisky from this long-gone distillery, but it's really one for the collectors.

Signatory Cragganmore 1989
Single Malt - Scotland - 55.70%
7 Not very old, but was the cask a little tired?

Signatory Dallas Dhu 1978
Single Malt - Scotland - 59.70%
7 More woody and astringent than earlier bottlings at similar ages.

Signatory Edradour 1976
Single Malt - Scotland - 53.10%
7 Still a hint of the typical creaminess. Although its flavours are on the light side, Edradour is quite rich in body. It stands up well to age, but this is not the best '76 I have tasted.

Signatory Edradour Burgundy Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 57.00%
6 Not to my taste. Only useful as a weapon in hand-to-hand combat.

Signatory Glendronach 1976 Cask Strength
Single Malt - Scotland - 53.10%
7 An enjoyable malt, but Glendronach is capable of more.

Signatory Glenlossie 1980
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%
7 Delicate, appetising and refreshing, but falls away in the middle.

Signatory Glenturret 1973
Single Malt - Scotland - 55.50%
8 Distillery bottlings of Glenturret from this era tend to be quite sherryish, but this Signatory edition is not. The absence of sherry reveals the use of a truly peaty malt in the 1970s.

Signatory Glenturret 1985
Single Malt - Scotland - 58.40%
7 Original bunch of flavours that Towser and her descendants would have enjoyed.

Signatory Glen Garioch 14 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.00%
7 The cask was too tired to give roundness to that elegantly grassy malt. Alcohol needs to be tamed by water but still…

Whisky Magazine - Recommended - Winner

Signatory Glen Grant 1976
Single Malt - Scotland - 58.20%
8 So like an armagnac. Sherry at its best. At its peak. Why not with foie gras and a fig compote?

Whisky Magazine - Editors Choice - Winner

Signatory Highland Park 1988
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00%
8 A lovely whisky. A sweetish bottling. More complex and elegant than the 'official' 12 Years Old, but not quite as expressive as the 18.

Whisky Magazine - Editors Choice - Winner

Signatory Laphroaig 1988 Unchillfiltered
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00%
8 I enjoyed this very much, but it does not add a great deal to the canon.

Signatory Linlithgow 1975
Single Malt - Scotland - 51.50%
7 Good for its age, but I preferred it two or three years ago.

Signatory Millburn 1983
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00%
7 Confusing aroma, but otherwise the most enjoyable Millburn I have tasted.

Whisky Magazine - Recommended - Winner

Signatory Mortlach 1989 Unchillfiltered
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00%
8 The most complex and structured of the Mortlachs in this tasting.

Whisky Magazine - Recommended - Winner

Signatory Port Ellen 1978
Single Malt - Scotland - 59.00%
8 More body and richness than the '79. Still not a great warrior but a hearty fisherman.

Whisky Magazine - Editors Choice - Winner

Signatory Port Ellen 1978 Port Wood
Single Malt - Scotland - 58.00%
8 Typical fragrant, alert Port Ellen, but the port finish lends more fruit and an amazing orangey-pinkish colour.

Signatory Port Ellen 1979
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%
7 A rather pleasant dram but a paler version of Port Ellen.

Signatory Rosebank 1989
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%
6 With its curiously greeny-white colour, this one actually looks like a ghost. A shadow of a great malt.

Signatory The Glenrothes 1968 32 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.50%
8 Less soft than the younger expression. A drier, more robust, expression.

Signatory The Glenrothes 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00%
7 An elegant and luxurious malt. Glenrothes. This is an elegant and luxurious interpretation of it.

Signatory Tormore 1989
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%
7 Wood has the word in the finish. An assertive Speysider to enjoy after dinner.

Signatory Tullibardine 1973
Single Malt - Scotland - 49.60%
8 Rounder than a previous Signatory bottling at 1972.

The state of independents
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Finding Nemo
The fifth Whisky Live in Japan not only attracted a sell-out crowd, but it was a major success too. Marcin Miller reports

February 2004, Issue 37, page 16

Whisky Live 2003!
Rare and delicious whiskies are just waiting to be discovered

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Rising star
Andrew Symington has made huge success of Signatory, the world's second largest independent bottler. But this is just the beginning, as Tom Bruce-Gardyne found out.

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Spectacular!
Jonny McCormick reports on the year's top priced bottle and salutes Glenmorangie's gains.

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Back for more at Edradour
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Ask the expert
I have a moderate collection of various malt whiskies (54) all in various stages of consumption with the exception of six “specials” My wife purchased a bottle of Balvenie Single Barrel 15 Years O...

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From the Editor
At last this year's worst kept secret in whisky can be revealed. Andrew Symington has purchased Edradour Distillery from Chivas Brothers. The major frustration of publishing is that of schedules and d...

October 2002, Issue 26, page 5

Byrne's right
The Byrne family has been selling whisky for generations. Richard Jones looks at the Lancashire-based business

July 2005, Issue 49, page 52

Wright On
The Wright Wine Company doesn't do exactly what it says on the tin. Richard Jones investigates

March 2005, Issue 46, page 40

A question of soul
Edradour may be small but it's perfectly formed and as it starts to bottle malt distilled under its current owners, it looks set to continue to punch above its weight. Dominic Roskrow visited it.

February 2009, Issue 78, page 42

Live over London - the biggest show in town
Whisky Live London has grown into a major event attracting hundreds of whisky lovers from across Europe

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All a matter of taste
Pip Hills has compiled a directory comparing the taste profile of some leading malts and blends – and has reached some startling conclusions. Here he explains

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The rise of the independents
A couple of years ago there was a spate of takeovers of Scottish distilleries and independent buyouts. What happened to them? Ian Buxton investigates

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Join the debate
email the team editorial@whiskymag.com

July 2009, Issue 81, page 74

Stock of French whisky event rises
The first Whisky LiveParis was held inteh old Parisian stock market - and it was a success

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Keeping it Live!
What will make Whisky Live 2003 the event of the year

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From the Editor
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Bigger in Japan
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Toronto tasting
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Russians seek out a taste of luxury
A new elite in Russia is demanding the world's very best products, quality single malt among them. Marcin Miller reports

January 2006, Issue 53, page 38

Hiding out from the High Street hell
Salt is the first of a new trend – High Street whisky bars. In the first of a new review series Dominic Roskrow visits it

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From the Editor
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An offering you can't refuse
Luvian's Bottle Shop has built a reputation for fine drinks products. Gavin Smith looks at its whisky offering

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The unsung saint
Gavin D Smith charts the history of one of the founding distilleries of DCL (Distillers Company Limited) that still entralls enthusiasts.

September 2009, Issue 82, page 32

A table of two names (Brora)
Gavin D Smith delves into Brora's past.

January 2008, Issue 69, page 30

In conversation with Andrew Symington
Charles Maclean talks to Andrew Symington of Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky

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A giant culled
Gavin D Smithlooks at the recent loss of Dumbarton,a once vast grain distillery

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Edinburgh, whisky and crime (Ian Rankin)
Marcin Miller talks to author Ian Rankin, 'the hottest name in British crime fiction', a whisky enthusiast with a gift for finding good bars

April 2001, Issue 15, page 56

Fort William's loss
Gavin D.Smith charts the history of one of the two Fort William distilleries,Glenlochy.

July 2009, Issue 81, page 32

London hosts whisky heroes
Come to the United Kingdom's premier whisky tasting event and take the opportunity to enjoy a masterclass or two. This selection of tutored tastings gives you access to rare – sometimes unique - exp...

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A distillery seeped in history (Clynelish)
Ian Buxton travels North of Inverness to the remote distillery at Clynelish

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The Whisky Academy
The inaugural annual Whisky Magazine award for those individuals who have excelled in their contribution to the whisky industry

May 2002, Issue 22, page 18

The 40 degree proof is in the pudding
A freelance writer devoted to whisky, Martine Nouet is also a keen advocate of malt whisky dinners. She runs 'cooking with malt whisky' classes in Paris and wants to promote the blending of whisky wit...

November 2000, Issue 12, page 66

The battle for independence
Tom Bruce Gardyne profiles Muray McDavid, the enfant terrible of independent bottlers.

September 2000, Issue 11, page 56

The voice of the people
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The black sheep of the family (The Whisky Shop)
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The St Andrews Crusade
John Lamond describes the miracles worked by Lennie Maguire proprietor of the St Andrew's Bar

August 2002, Issue 25, page 48

Blackadder goes forth
Tom Bruce-Gardyne talks to Robin Tcek, proprietor of the independent bottler blackadder, and finds out why he dislikes filtering, industry attitudes and armchairs

April 2001, Issue 15, page 52

Osaka bound
Dave Broom gives us his tips on places to go when in Japan.

December 2007, Issue 68, page 36

Vote for your whisky favourites
Icons of whisky is the new name for our annual awards. And this year we're introducing the radical step of letting you do the voting 2004

February 2004, Issue 37, page 20

Soup up your starter
Martine Nouet provides us with some warnimg soup recipes and shows us how to liven them up with a drop of whisky to make an ideal starter to any meal

December 2003, Issue 36, page 36

From monsters to minnows
Pip Hills looks at who owns what in the world of whisky

March 2003, Issue 29, page 17

Worth Czeching out Prague
Prague is known for great beer.But what about whisky? Jefferson Chase went in hunt of the perfect Czech whisky retailer

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    Ardmore Distillery
  • Kennethmont. Huntly. Aberdeenshire. Scotland. AB54 4NH
  • Tel : +44 1464 831 213
    Glen Grant Distillery
  • Elgin Road. Rothes. Moray. Scotland. AB38 7BN
  • Tel : + 44 (0) 1340 832 118
  • Fax : +44 (0) 1340 832 104
    Glendronach Distillery
  • Forgue. Huntly. Aberdeenshire. Scotland. AB54 6DB
  • Tel : +44 1466 730 202
  • Fax : +44 1466 730 202
    Tormore Distillery
  • Advie. Grantown-on-Spey. Moray. Scotland. PH26 3LR
  • Tel : +44 1807 510244
  • Fax : +44 1807 510352

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