North Port 1979 Rare Malts Selection 20 Years Old

A limited-edition single malt from the closed North Port distillery, released as part of the Rare Malts Selection. The whisky was distilled in 1979 and matured for 20 years. It was bottled in October 1999 at a cask strength of 61.2%. The Rare Malts Selection is a large range of single malt bottlings from lesser-known and silent distilleries. It was created in 1995 by United Distillers (later Diageo) and ran until 2005. The whiskies in the series were all distilled in the late 1960s, 70s or early 80s and aged for at least 18 years. Because of its extensive selection of rare bottles, the range is extremely popular among collectors. The success of the Rare Malts Selection eventually led to the creation of Diageo’s annual Special Releases in 2001. The Highland distillery North Port was founded in 1820 as the Townhead Distillery. In 1832 the distillery’s name was changed to Brechin, and seven years later to North Port, but the distillery went by both names throughout its lifetime. North Port stayed in family ownership for over a hundred years, until it was bought by Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL) in 1922. The distillery was mothballed at the start of the Second World War. It was modernized in the 1970s, but closed again in 1983 together with several other of DCL’s distilleries. North Port mainly produced whisky for blends, and didn’t see any official bottlings in its lifetime. Please note that the box has seen some wear and tear over time: it’s not in pristine condition.