History poured in an exquisitely crafted bottle – that is what The Glen Grant unveiled recently in New Delhi. The first debut from its Splendours Collection launched earlier this year, this 65-year-old legend is the oldest expression from the company located in Scotland. The whisky is so exclusive that till date only 151 handcrafted decanters have been created globally with each priced at a whopping $50,000 (about 44 lakh INR). No surprises there – it is one of the oldest single malts in the world.
Distilled in 1958 in Scotland’s Speyside region, the whisky spent over six decades in a single French oak butt. The result is a deep mahogany colour. Its inspiration is the delicate Himalayan Blue Poppy, one of the rarest flowers on earth that surprisingly blooms in an iconic Victorian-style garden in Scotland.
“I wish I could try this,” was my first thought when I attended the event where it was released. But alas, when something is so special, one must have patience. So, speaking to Master Distiller Greig Stables, my first question was obvious. What was his reaction when he tasted it? “It just blew me away. It’s quite exceptional. It’s still lovely and fruity and elegant. So it’s quite a phenomenal liquid.”
Preserving a whisky that’s aged over decades is not simple. Stables tells me that maturing it in the right environment is the key – it is kept in Warehouse No. 4, the oldest in the distillery. “We have got warehouses with stone walls which were built in. So the temperature is very constant there and the atmosphere is just right,” he explains. “It’s checked just maybe twice a year,” he explains.
I am intrigued to know more about it. Stables tells me that despite being 65 years old, it has retained its strength with 55.5 percent alcohol, which he says is a testament to the oak wood where it rested. “It is a lovely dark colour – almost like a chestnut. When you taste it, it takes you on a journey because the initial flavour is dark cherries, then there’s sandalwood and a hint of smoke at the same time. Once you’ve tasted it, you don’t want to clean your teeth when you go to bed because the flavour just lingers.”
It is branded as the ‘Pour of a lifetime’, because as Stables put it, “it captures not just six decades but a lifetime of character.”
The bottle which holds this liquid symbolises that character. A hand-blown decanter, placed in a Mobius cradle made from cherry wood, is shaped to represent timelessness. Rose-gold details and engraved Himalayan blue poppies on every decanter makes it a collector’s treasure. It is almost a piece of art – one of the most exquisitely crafted bottles I have seen.
Inspired by the rare Himalayan blue poppy, the whisky pays tribute to a legacy dating back to 1840, when two brothers founded the distillery. One son, an avid traveler, collected plants and fruits from his journeys to grow in glasshouses, creating a Victorian garden that still thrives today. Among its survivors is the Himalayan blue poppy—a symbol of the eternal quest for excellence.
The whisky’s launch in New Delhi marked the arrival of India as an uber luxury market for brown spirits. What was handed round that evening were 10, 12 and 18 year old Glen Grant whiskies, that are also a perfect fit for the whisky market in India. But many eyes, including mine remain on the 65 year old creation. Maybe someday I will get to taste it.
Also Read:
Princess Gauravi Kumari Unveils Jimmy Choo’s Limited-Edition Diwali Capsule
Rahul Mishra x Johnnie Walker Blue Label: Couture Meets Whisky for Diwali
The Serpent Arrives in India: Bvlgari Unveils Serpenti Infinito at NMACC This October
