Located on the west coast of Scotland, the Secret Stills distillery is expertly run by Elke Kastner and Fergus Gillanders. Passionate about eaux-de-vie from all over the world, they have teamed up with a number of distilleries, some of which are extremely old, to showcase the full potential of these eaux-de-vie. Each distillery was carefully selected with specific criteria in mind. Ethos and the rarity of the spirits are particularly sought after. It is in this peaceful context that Secret Stills collaborate with seven distilleries, including one dating back to 1798, offering tasty and gourmet spirits. For the owners, the spirits are more than just a reflection of the blend of three ingredients – barley, water and yeast – they are genuine ambassadors of the unique, ancestral expertise that makes these typical spirits unique. 

A Ballindalloch distilled in 1966 and bottled in June 2006 for the Secret Stills range from Scottish bottler Gordon & MacPhail. It is a blend of three sherry hogsheads, #1204, #1449 and #1452. Launched in 2005, the Secret Stills range never directly reveals the name of the distillery featured. The more astute enthusiast will nonetheless be able to hazard a fairly good guess thanks to the information provided on the back label. 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 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. A limited edition of 600 bottles.