Glenlivet releases 50-year-old Winchester Collection Vintage 1967, a blend of rare single malts, the youngest of which was laid down by former The Glenlivet Master Distiller, Robert Arthur in 1967.
Glenlivet Winchester Collection 1967 brings together malts from several rare oak casks, the youngest of which was filled in December 1967. Slowly matured in its cask over the 50-year period, portions of the whisky have evaporated through the wood over time, as typical with aged whiskies, resulting in a precious amount of rare liquid that remained for bottling in June 2018.
The whisky is non-chill filtered at cask strength, and boasts a rich and fruity nose, notes of apricot jam and sweet ripe peaches, and a hint of toasted almonds. The smooth taste continues with fondant orange and milk chocolate flavors, velvety texture and a long, and a luxuriously sweet finish.
Designer Bethan Gray collaborated with Winchester to design the bottle and case, which are said to have been inspired by the landscape of Cairngorms National Park where the distillery is situated. The bottles were hand-made by glassblower Brodie Nairn with an ombré colour effect that ‘mimics the ageing process of the liquid inside’.
Each bottle has also been engraved and hand-painted with a Dhow pattern said to reflect ‘the layers of mist that gather in the surrounding valleys’ around The Glenlivet distillery.
The launch is the third in The Glenlivet Winchester Collection, which celebrates over 40 years of dedication to Scotch from Master Distiller Alan Winchester – and follows the release of Vintage 1966 in 2016 and Vintage 1964 in 2014. Each bottle will retail at a suggested MSRP of $25,000 with 150 bottles released globally.