The Glenlivet 70 Years Old

Today, the remaining bottles of the world’s joint oldest single malt Scotch whisky goes on sale.

Gordon & MacPhail is releasing the remainder of the 100 bottles of the Glenlivet 70 Years Old giving collectors and consumers (ones with deep pockets anyway!) a final chance to own a piece of Scotland’s liquid history.

Distilled in 1940, the first batch of the Gordon & MacPhail Generations Glenlivet 70 Years Old was released in March 2011 and met with international acclaim. All 100 large decanters sold out quickly.

The decanters now on sale are the last drops left of the Glenlivet 70 Years Old from this cask.

Michael Urquhart, Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the international interest for our Generations range. The Glenlivet 70 Years Old is a sublime whisky and is a treasure for whisky enthusiasts and collectors.

“Our family has passed its knowledge and expertise of Scotch whisky from generation to generation since we were founded over 117 years ago. We’re proud to be able to share this with the rest of the world.”

Cask 339 was filled at Glenlivet Distillery on 3rd February 1940, to the instruction of John Urquhart, grandfather and great-grandfather of Gordon & MacPhail’s current owners.

Seventy years on, the whisky has now been bottled at cask strength (45.9%).

World-renowned whisky expert, Charles Maclean, said: “The Glenlivet 1940 comes from a distillery which has been the benchmark against which other malts have been measured since the 1820s. Such a whisky will never be seen again. It is incredibly rare, and therefore highly collectable. But, more importantly, it is also celestial on the palate.”

Each bottle is presented in a tear-shaped hand-blown crystal decanter with an elegant British Hallmarked silver stopper. The decanter has a Sterling silver base and is framed in a handmade box, crafted in Scotland using Scottish Yew.

And now for the price – expect to pay around £15,000!

TASTING NOTE – Gordon & MacPhail Generations Glenlivet 70 Years Old by Charles MacLean
(70YO Single cask Speyside @45.9%Vol)

Appearance: Deep amber, with tawny lights. First fill sherry butt.

Aroma: A mild nose-feel. The first aroma is of an old cocktail cabinet, with sherry notes predominating: polished wood, soft leather and a trace of candlewax. Behind this are fruity notes, lightly baked apples (even Tarte Tatin), but also fresh orange juice, and a thread of smoke or ash in the distance Adding a drop of water suppresses the fruity notes and slightly enhances the sweetness (now tablet) and smokiness.

Taste: A waxy, teeth-coating, mouthfeel; smooth and voluptuous. The taste is sweetish to start, then savoury, with a trace of salt – might this be a rare example of ‘umami’ in whisky, the elusive fifth primary taste? The finish is long, with a faint smokiness in the aftertaste. Drinks well at natural strength. With a drop of water the flavours remain intact.

Development: Fades gracefully towards vanilla fudge and sanded wood.

Comment: A stupendous whisky! Although it resonates with aged character – and indeed characteristics from another era – it retains vitality, both on the nose and in the mouth.