The Scotch whisky brand has added the latest instalment to its rarest collection.
Amid all the whispers that Scotch’s recent glory days might be waning, The Glenlivet has defiantly reaffirmed its dominance. At the recent Distillers One of One auction, naysayers went quiet when the hammer went down on £650,000 (approx. $866,700) for The Glenlivet Spira 60 Year Old – some £540,000 over its top estimate.
In the wake of this unpredicted boon, the Scotch brand has revealed the second edition of its Eternal Collection: a 56-year-old Scotch whisky, released in collaboration with design studio Fredrikson Stallard. The concept is confusing at first glance but, in essence, the Glenlivet Eternal series comes with two releases. First, a one-of-one bottling featuring a slighter rarer liquid and an elaborate bespoke sculpture by a chosen artist, which goes up for auction.
Next, a still rare but less exclusive liquid of the same age statement, sold alongside a notably smaller sculpture by the same artist behind the one-of-one. Still following? This version goes on general sale, limited to just 60 editions. While more attainable than the one-of-one, it still commands a premium, hovering around the $50k mark.
The one-of-one edition of the 56 year old sold at auction for £75,000 (approx. $100,000) with Sotheby’s at the end of November. The 60 bottles that make up the second part of this release are on sale now for €52,500 (approx. $61,100).
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While many of the recent sculptural accompaniments to premium whiskies have verged into the abstract, Fredrikson Stallard’s take is refreshingly straightforward and is simply inspired by landscapes encountered during a visit to The Glenlivet’s Speyside home.
Golden branches point out from beside the 24-karat-gold capped bottle, inspired by the heather that coats the Scottish Highlands. The entire piece sits on a miniature brass-plated cairn, representing the stacks of rocks that dot the nation’s hills. “The scorched heather branches emerging from ancient rock symbolise both nature’s enduring strength and the delicate, complex beauty that time and terroir create,” says Patrik Fredrikson of Fredrikson Stallard.
And then, the liquid itself. Bar the record-breaking Distillers One of One 60 year old, the 56 year old marks The Glenlivet distillery’s oldest release. Finished for three years in a bespoke Spanish sherry cask – seasoned with Oloroso, Pedro Ximenez, and Palo Cortado – the whisky is oaky, but with plenty of fruited sweetness.
At a tasting in London, I’m sat next to The Glenlivet’s cask master Kevin Balmforth who confesses that crafting a ‘Christmassy’ whisky was never the plan. Yet conveniently, the latest release delivers exactly that: a spirit with hints of gentle spice, toffee and a lick of alcohol-soaked raisins.
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