The third release in the fascinating Ghost and Rare series from Johnnie Walker.

For this series, the titanic blending house has focussed on rare whiskies from lost “ghost” distilleries. This time round, the blend includes whisky from the long-gone Glenury Royal, a coastal Highland distillery that was demolished during the downturn of the 1980s. Glenury Royal was known for its fragrant, tropical fruit character, occasionally sporting a little smoke. Spirit from this distillery is now extraordinarily rare.

For this bottling, Johnnie Walker’s master blender Dr. Jim Beveridge used malts from Glen Elgin, Glen Lossie, Pittyvaich, Inchgower and Glenkinchie, alongside the Glenury, and grain spirit from Cambus (another closed distillery) and Cameronbridge.

The result is a beautifully poised and complex dram, that serves up notes of apples, pears, white peach, beeswax, sea spray, black tea, toffee, dried fruits, grain, sherry, cinnamon, oily nuts and floral vanilla.

Bottled at 43.8% ABV for a touch more warmth and body, this is a remarkably delicious whisky, and a real piece of liquid history.

• Product type
  Blended
• Distillery / brand
  Johnnie Walker
• Country
  Scotland
• Non-chillfiltered
  No
• Natural colour
  No
• SKU
  041668