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The Glen Grant releases its oldest ever whisky
Speyside distillery The Glen Grant has announced its oldest ever release — a 70-year-old single malt whisky, with one decanter estimated to go for £70,000-£110,000 at auction.
The distillery is releasing seven unique decanters of The Glen Grant Devotion 70-year-old single malt. The whisky is at a high strength of 55.5% ABV, and has been sourced from a single French oak butt seasoned with oloroso sherry filled in 1953 at The Glen Grant distillery.
Master distiller Dennis Malcolm OBE, craftsman John Galvin and hot glass master Brodie Nairn of Glasstorm were united in bringing this release together. Only seven hand-blown decanters have been created for the release, with each one-of-a-kind design created to celebrate a different decade of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.
Commenting on this release, master distiller Dennis Malcolm, said: “In the true spirit of The Glen Grant, we bring together the inspiring legacy of our story with the personal devotion of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, to realise this exquisite masterpiece. To be devoted, is to show unwavering loyalty and love to something you care for deeply, which sits at the heart of our whisky-making philosophy, as well as shining through with our creative collaborators. This is a lifetime of character and legacy captured in a magnificent creation, like nothing we have ever seen.”
To support the preservation of Scotland’s native woodland, decanter Number One will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in an online sale running from 11-22 September 2023 with 100% of the proceeds donated to the Royal Scottish Forestry Society, of which Queen Elizabeth II was the Patron. The Glen Grant hopes further the work of the Royal Scottish Forestry Society and The Major’s legacy in the creation of a 27-acre Garden of Splendours, with a new planting site on Speyside. The exclusive decanter Number One features The Queen Elizabeth Rose, named for Her Majesty, and engraved in gold and with distinctive embellishments, which are unique to this auction piece.
Following the auction of decanter Number One, the remaining six decanters will be made available for sale with price available upon request, starting in October of 2023.
Each of the seven decanters, which feature a silver capsule adorned with their own individual floral engraving, will be available for sale in select global markets:
UK – Rose
Singapore – Orchid
Hong Kong – Daffodil
US – Daisy & Clematis
China – Begonia
Japan – Stephanotis
Jonny Fowle, global head of spirits at Sotheby’s, said: “This whisky embodies so much of what is important in whisky collecting: quality, rarity, age and most of all provenance as the oldest whisky ever to be released directly from The Glen Grant Distillery itself. This whisky displays a fantastically deep, dark colour after seven decades of oak maturation, which contrasts beautifully with John Galvin’s opulent light wood structure making it the perfect centrepiece for the world’s most impressive whisky collections.”
The decanters sit within a wood sculpture handcrafted from a fallen elm tree discovered within the distillery gardens. Engravings on the sculpture’s silver diameter pays homage to Her Majesty’s favourite flowers, the Lily of the Valley, and features the proud Thistle of Scotland.