Scotland, Isle of Islay. Distillery operational. Owner: Remy Cointreau

Owned by Invergordon Distillers from 1968 until 1993, when it joined the Whyte & Mackay portfolio, Bruichladdich closed in 1995. At the time it produced an unpeated malt primarily used for blends. Whilst well-known for its bourbon casks released in 10, 15 and 21 year old versions, it was above all the sherry-cask versions selected and bottled for the Italian market that made a lasting impression. It was for Moon Import that Penny Black 1968 and Bruichladdich 1965 (52%) - celebrating the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer - were bottled in ceramic jugs.Bought in December 2000 by Mark Reynier and reopened in May 2001, the distillery has since released endless limited editions and exclusive bottlings, including a superb 40 year old, several 1970 and 1972 vintages, and the Legacy range, primarily featuring bottlings from the late 1960s.

A Bruichladdich distilled in 1991 and bottled in 2015 by Gordon & MacPhail for the Cask Strength range, matured in a refill American hogshead (#2775-76-80). Gordon & MacPhail is one of Scotland’’s oldest independent bottlers. It was founded in Elgin in 1895 by James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail. As was often the case at the time, the business started out as a delicatessen and wine merchant. In 1915, John Alexander MacPhail retired and a new partner joined the business, John Urquhart. He was joined by his son George in 1933, a few years after James Gordon sadly died in a car crash. Gordon & MacPhail works with many of Speyside’’s leading distilleries, from whom it has accumulated considerable stocks. It is also licensed to bottle whiskies for many of them, including Glen Grant, Linkwood, Mortlach, Macallan and Glenlivet. The business really took off in the 1970s, acquiring distributors in a huge range of countries and selling casks to several Italian bottlers in selections that would become legends in their own right. Gordon & MacPhail is still run by the Urquhart family today, from the same building, and is one of the most iconic bottlers in the industry, with incredible stocks of sometimes very old and rare whiskies. The company is in complete control of the entire maturation process. Gordon & MacPhail has also owned the Benromach distillery since 1993. The Cask Strength range replaced the Cask range, Gordon & MacPhail’’s first foray into cask strength bottlings when this became a burgeoning trend in the 1980s.