A 10-year-old single grain from Girvan, distilled in 2010 and bottled by independent bottler, Murray McDavid.
Matured in bourbob hogsheads, before being finished for 12 months in eight 1st fill Koval Four Grain casks, that yielded 1742 bottles at 46%.
Part of Murray McDavid’s Select Grain series, which highlights the often overlooked beauty of single grain whiskies.
Official Tasting Notes:
Nose: Rich toffee, creamy fruits and fresh grain.
Palate: Crisp apple, stewed pears and toasted oak.
Finish: Gentle vanilla, creamy and sweet.
Built – out of necessity in 1963 after DCL (Diageo) cut William Grant & Sons supply of grain whisky – by Charles Grant Gordon in a mere 9 months; Girvan remains the only grain distillery in the company’s portfolio. It orginally utilised Coffey stills, however, these were replaced in 1995 by a multiple-column vacuum still setup. Girvan is primarily used as the basis of the Grants blend as well as being sold to other blenders: it is incredibly rare to see it as a single grain release outside of the world of IBs.
Murray McDavid was founded in 1994 by former wine merchant and legend of the whisky industry, Mark Reynier, who named company after his grandparents Harriet Murray and Jock McDavid. Mark was subsequently joined by yet another whisky legend, Jim McEwan: you might recognise these names as part of the team that resuscitated the Bruichladdich distillery in 2000 and subsequently made it the powerhouse that it is today.
Mark’s former life as a wine merchant gave him access to some incredible and unique casks and Murray McDavid quickly established a reputation for innovative and extraordinary cask maturations. Though Mark and Jim both have sinced moved on to other ventures, their ethos lives on through the brand’s slogan, celebrating “The Art of Maturation”. This commitment is made evident in the calibre of casks that they source globally; including bourbon and rye caks from Koval in Chicago, Sherry casks from Bodegas Ximenez-Spinola in Jerez and Port barriques from Caves de Murca in Portugal.
