Martin's Blended Scotch: Five whiskies bottled between 1945 and 1977

Photo by Mr. PT

James Martin, boxer and whisky merchant, created his own blended whiskies and exported them beyond Scotland in the late 1800s. Macdonald & Muir Ltd bought his brands in 1912, and started delivering Martin's VVO to the US the following year. Macdonald & Muir then scooped up Glenmorangie Distillery a few years later, so they had their own malt source for their blends. In 1996 the company changed its name to Glenmorangie PLC, and was then sold to LVMH eight years later.

(A fun bit of whisky trivia: Alexander Mackendrick's 1949 film, Whisky Galore, was based on an actual whisky-bearing cargo ship crash. In 1941, the SS Politician smacked into the Hebridean Isle of Eriskay, releasing 22,000 cases of scotch, including 10,000 cases of Martin's. Locals relieved the wreck of its whisky for quite some time, until customs agents broke up the fun.)

The Martin's expressions included the VVO 8-year-old, De Luxe 12-year-old, and Fine and Rare 20-year-old, as well as the occasional 25yo and 30yo. Most of these whiskies did not survive into the late 20th century, and the entire range ended once LVMH took over in 2004.

I'm a dusty blend guy, but I haven't seen many Martin'ses in the primary or secondary wild, so when the generous Mr. PT announced he was splitting up FIVE of his bottles I was quickly on board. Fifteen months later, I'm sitting down with this quintet:

• Martin's Gold Bar VVO, NAS (likely ~8 years old), S111 tax stamp, bottled 1945-1960, 43.4%abv
• Martin's 8 year old VVO, S112 tax stamp, bottled 1961-1977, 43.4%abv
• Martin's 12 year old DeLuxe, S111 tax stamp, bottled 1953-1960, 43.4%abv
• Martin's 12 year old DeLuxe, S112 tax stamp, bottled 1961-1977, 43.4%abv
• Martin's 20 year old Fine & Rare, S111 tax stamp, bottled 1953-1960, 43.4%abv

The 12yo and 20yo didn't make it to the US until 1953, but both likely (or in the 20's case, definitely) contain pre-WWII distillate. The dustier VVO might have a good deal of that element as well. But no matter what, olden blends are the source of my geekiest excitement, so this is thrilling! And all hail the 43.4%abv (76 UK Proof) strength!

(Sources: here, here, and here)

Here they are, broken up by expression, along with a new(!) type of grade...

V.V.O.

Martin's Gold Bar VVO, NAS (likely ~8yo) S111 tax stamp, bottled 1945-1960 43.4%abv	Martin's VVO 8yo S112 tax stamp, bottled 1961-1977 43.4%abv
The nose is LOUD, full of stewed fruits, dried orange slices, cinnamon, and lemon candy. Meaty and dunnage notes give it some more angles.	It's an OBE bomb on the nose. Very dusty, metallic, and soapy. It gets soapier with time, but beneath that noise are mild touches of dried apple slices, dried mango, and cloves.
The palate arrives bitterer and smokier than expected. It's intensely ashy, tart (citrus), and metallic, getting smokier with time.	Though also very dusty, the palate is more approachable with considerably less soap. Tangy oranges, simple syrup, cologne, and glass. Yes, it's like licking glass.
It finishes with super tart citrus and ash, with a hint of sweetness, and very good length.	The finish reveals layers of peppercorns, tart oranges, and talcum powder.
Comments: Despite being in the bottle of 65-80 years, this whisky hasn't lost a microgram of oomph. This was by far the smokiest of the five, and one of the most vivid in style. It's a muscular youngster after all this time.	Comments: This one spent less time cooped up in the bottle, but the OBE nearly kills it. There are fruity, floral, peppery aspects locked up in the background. Thankfully, they sneak forward when one fashions a highball.
Old Bottle Effect: 3 out of 10 gray hairs	Old Bottle Effect: 8 out of 10 gray hairs
Rating: 84	Rating: 78

DE LUXE

Martin's DeLuxe 12 year old S111 tax stamp, bottled 1953-1960 43.4%abv	Martin's DeLuxe 12 year old S112 tax stamp, bottled 1961-1977 43.4%abv
Pineapple, crystalized ginger, apple sauce, and Mr. Sketch light blue marker lead the nose, with ocean hints in the background. While it does take on a little bit of soap with time, the fruits stay on top.	The nose feels a bit faded, as it starts out with quiet notes of dust and antique glass. But it picks up steam within 30 minutes, as golden raisins, dried cranberries, cherry pie filling, honey buns, and plum sauce appear.
The palate balances tart, sweet, and floral perfectly. It's also very malty. Limes, oranges, and citrus blossoms lead the way. Very-little-to-no smoke here.	The surprisingly bitter palate shows no signs of decrepitude. In fact, it reads rather modern, with its vanilla, drying tannins, and agave nectar. Lemons and chile oil give it a slight boost.
The finish is saltier and warmer than the palate, with lots of oranges and a hint of burlap.	It finishes more tannic and sweeter, with an mix of chile oil and talcum power (again).
Comments: My second favorite of the group, this whisky offers a style that some Speyside distilleries would probably love to mimic. Yes, this blend reads more like a single malt than some contemporary single malts. I would absolutely buy a bottle of this were it made today.	Comments: The nose, once it wakes up is the best element by far. Had the palate matched it, I'd be raving about the whisky like the older De Luxe. Instead it's a bit odd, both old and new fashioned at the same time. I wonder if the two S112 bottlings were stored differently than the S111s.
Old Bottle Effect: 4 out of 10 gray hairs	Old Bottle Effect: 5 out of 10 gray hairs
Rating: 87	Rating: 81

Fine & Rare

Martin's Fine & Rare 20 year old S111 tax stamp, bottled 1953-1960 43.4%abv
Ohhhh, the nose: White nectarines, apricots, incense, plum sauce, black walnuts, hint of mesquite, hint of fish market, and a lot of molasses.
Here comes another list for the palate: Lychees, guavas, peaches, fresh ginger, sea salt, wood smoke, umami, and a lovely tartness.
The peaches dominate the finish, with lychees and lemons in the middle, salt and umami in the background.
Comments: An absolute fucking home run.
Old Bottle Effect: 3 out of 10 gray hairs
Rating: 91

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Yes, the 20 year old earned its own table. Was its 65-70 glass years responsible for this? I have no idea. I'm so distracted by the 20's quality that I'm having trouble focusing on the bigger picture. Here, I'll start a new paragraph.

The S111 tax stamp Martin'ses dominate the S112s, though I'm not sure if that's due to where the bottles lived for 2-3 generations, or simply the blends' original quality. Four out of five of the noses were great-to-excellent, so the palates marked the whiskies' differences. The S111 12yo and 20yo palates were gloriously fruity, while the S111 VVO delivered an Islay-style peaty punch. The S112 palates freshened up when applied to highballs, but felt quite off when neat. The company did start selling Glenmorangie as a single malt in 1959, so perhaps fewer of the better and older casks were available to the Martin's blenders after that. Or perhaps OBE is the culprit.

No matter what, I'm sending virtual hugs and kisses to the people who protected the 20yo Fine & Rare bottle for 65+ years!