St Magdalene was built by Sebastian Henderson circa 1753 in Linlithgow, a royal burgh in the Lowlands of Scotland, at the time home to five distilleries. The distillery prospered and grew as it changed hands, before, like so many others in the early 20th century, falling into decline due to a surplus of competition in a failing market. Distillers Company Limited (DCL) bought St Magdalene from liquidators in 1912, making it one of the founders of Scottish Malt Distillers (SMD) two years later. It was a second crisis in the 1980s that eventually got the better of the distillery and, like so many others, it closed in 1983. All that remains is the pagoda roof, with the rest of the building being converted into apartments in the 1990s. Curious enthusiasts will need to turn to independent bottlings or Diageo’s Rare Malts and Special Releases to get a taste of St Magdalene whisky, which is also found under the name Linlithgow.

A St. Magdalene 19 year old distilled in 1979 and bottled at cask strength for the Rare Malts series. Created in the mid-1990s by United Distillers (Diageo), the Rare Malts series features bottlings from many of the group’’s distilleries, including some of the lesser known whose production was generally used for blends, as well as closed distilleries such as Port Ellen and Brora. Bottled at cask strength, the whiskies in the range are also known for their sometimes astounding alcohol content, often exceeding 60% ABV. The Rare Malts range was discontinued in 2005.