The Glenlivet releases its oldest single malt whisky

The Glenlivet 55 Year Old is the oldest whisky that the distillery has released since it was established in 1824.

Just 100 bottles of this limited-edition single malt will be available for purchase, and each bottle has a recommended retail price of €50,000 (£41,710), said the distiller this week.

It said The Whisky Exchange is exclusive retailer of the new release, which has the full name: The Glenlivet Eternal Collection, First Edition: 55 Year Old.

The Whisky Exchange was offering the whisky at £43,500, including VAT, and limited orders to one bottler per customer.

Harold Wilson was prime minister, Richard Nixon was in the Oval Office, and The Beatles had just released Abbey Road when this Scotch whisky was distilled.

The whisky spent more than five decades maturing in a sherry cask before it was bottled this year.

The Glenlivet cask master, Kevin Balmforth, who has directed the final maturation years of the 55 Year Old whisky, described the taste as ‘a medley of autumn fruits, sun-drenched Seville oranges and sticky dates enveloped by the spiced warmth of cinnamon and nutmeg on the nose, alongside the sweet, warming flavours of homemade blackcurrant jam and vanilla fudge, balanced with zesty citrus notes on the palate’.

Chivas Brothers, which owns The Glenlivet, teamed up with artist Michael Hansmeyer to create the display for this whisky.

Hansmeyer, a computational architect, used hand-sculpted jesmonite and rose-gold plating to create the sculpture that houses the decanter.

‘I created this sculpture as a tribute to the complexity of The Glenlivet’s oldest expression and the rugged beauty of the distillery’s Scottish landscape, capturing the spirit of where innovation meets tradition,’ said Hansmeyer.

To mark the launch, The Glenlivet has created a unique auction lot, which will be available via Sotheby’s in October.

The lot will feature a bottle of The Glenlivet 55, alongside a unique Hansmeyer sculpture, with all proceeds going to the National Trust for Scotland.

Balmforth called the launch of The Eternal Collection ‘a monumental moment for whisky connoisseurs and luxury appreciators’.

He added: ‘It epitomises The Glenlivet’s commitment to excellence within Scotch innovation as we continue to push to creative new heights in single malts.’