Life is often a few steps forward one or a number back, a sideways shuffle and then depending on your luck forward or backwards. My whisky rationalisation/de-escalation process is a bit like that. I've offloaded 20 something bottles to friends and auctions. In the auction I offloaded stuff to I noted a case of 1959 Mccallums Blended Perfection up for sale. They split the case into numerous smaller lots. Now they knew it was a case of 1959 as there was a certificate in it. Now I'm pretty sure the std determining what whisky hasn't changed to much over the last few decades in terms of age. In fact I think it was in WWI that to stop to much drunkenness they made a minimum age of 3 years so this must be mid 1950s stock..maybe earlier definitely making it the oldest stuff I have tried. I flagged with a couple of mates and we split 2 bottles of it between 3 of us. We picked them up for $100USD each which was a steal as they retail on whisky exchange for £500 and the last auction in the UK i saw it go for nearly a few hundred €. Benefits of small nz market with ltd demand! 1 bottle went to a mate and me and another mate split the other. It was in mint condition it seemed until I peeled the metal cap off and saw rust. The cork split from the top and I had to get a wine opener to remove. Initial tastes were meh nothing special but I let it open up for a week and definitely improved. I've had older blends before. One I think an older white horse was like pure molasses. This is similar but lighter in that aspect both on the nose and taste. Caramalised, toffee pop cigar smoke and more. Very complex and unique. Now I don't want to seem older than my age but damn the blends in the good old days definitely have more character than the current incarnations. This is easy a 4.25 on it's own..maybe even 4.25 to 4.5. Given it's a bog std blend its definitely well above today's offerings and would rate higher on that scale. Very well balanced and flavourful. I could have scored another 1960's bottling of another blend for even less...and I'm kicking myself I didn't. Honestly folks in today's stupid whiskey prices ignore the well overpriced single malts and hunt the stuff no one wants..old blends. You'll get to taste a slice of history and get something you just can't get today...a unique experience of what a good bog standard blend should be. Update: Verdict so far from other friends I shared with. The 1959 they preferred over the 1971 (and that was blind tasting as i never labelled the samples). I agree... the more I drink I'm hooked and going well down the rabbit hole..upgrading to 4.5.