Glen Albyn 1978 SMWS 69.1

One of three closed distilleries in Inverness, Glen Albyn was rarely seen as a single malt with the majority of its output being used in blends. The distillery was one of many which closed its doors in 1983. Its owners in the very early 1970s, Mackinlay’s, were early fans of single malt bottlings though, and did produce a handful of official releases. Little was to follow when DCL (now Diageo) took control in 1972, with the next distillery bottling not appearing until the Rare Malts Selection was released over 20 years later. Most of the opportunities to sample this lost distillery therefore come in the form of independent labels like this.

This Glen Albyn was distilled in 1978 and matured in a single cask until 1989.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) was founded in 1983 by a group of friends lead by tax accountant Phillip ‘Pip’ Hills as a private members club. The concept behind the society was to source casks from all over Scotland which would then be bottled and made available exclusively to its members. Perhaps the most famous feature of these bottles are the unique codes. Each distillery is represented by a different number and the following digits indicate that particular release. That same year, the SMWS set up its first location in Leith’s Vault buildings in Edinburgh where it still stands today.