Widow Jane Oak & Apple Wood Aged Rye
Brooklyns Widow Jane adds a proprietary spin to its rye whiskey by introducing applewood staves into the barrels during maturation. The finished spirit has rye-forward aromas complemented by a hint of cornbread, while the palate delivers sweetness and spice, with a bitter dark chocolate finish, perfect for a complex Old Fashioned.
The Glenlivet 80 Year Old
Gordon and MacPhail were able to hold on to the top spot of the oldest whisky in the world with The Glenlivet 80 Year Old for less than a full year before The Macallan bumped them into second position. A member of the Generations series, 250 decanters of the historic liquid were yielded from cask 340, ahead of the 2021 release.
Acclaimed architect Sir David Adjaye was commissioned to create its striking decanter and oak case. Decanter No 1 of 250 was auctioned at Sothebys Hong Kong in October 2021 fetching $192,475, with all proceeds donated to Scottish charity Trees for Life.
Worlds Oldest Known Whiskey Sold At Rare Auction
The bottle of Old Ingledew Whiskey, believed to be the worlds oldestwhiskey still in existence, sold for more than four times its pre-sale estimate during Skinner Auctioneers June Rare Spirits online auction.
It fetched $137,500. It had been thought that legendary financier John Pierpont Morgan had acquired the bottle on a visit to Georgia, but further research has now revealed that it was part of a batch of whiskey and Madeira he purchased from the Ridgely family of Hampton Mansion in Maryland in 1902.
Carbon 14 dating analysis carried out by the University of Georgia, and later evaluated by the University of Glasgow, concluded that there was a 53% probability that the whiskey was distilled between 1763 and 1803 the era of The Revolutionary War and the 1790s Whiskey Rebellion.
However, the research also gave the whiskey an estimated age of 195 years, which would place it in the 1820s still older than the 1847 bottle of Bakers Pure Rye Whiskey currently recorded by Guinness World Records as the oldest known whisky in the world.
Although there is no record of an Old Ingledew brand, the whiskey was bottled by Evans & Ragland, described as a grocer and commission merchant, in Lagrange, Georgia, probably in the 1860s. Old Ingledew may have been a proprietary label used by the grocer.
The bottle was recently found by Rex Woolbright while sorting through the estate of his late uncle, Logan Drake, Garden & Gun reported.
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The Oldest Whiskies You Can Buy
There are a lot of bucket lists that include drinking really old whiskey and in some cases, a decades old bottle of whiskey really is a fulfilling experience. The older whiskey gets, the more time its had to develop complex flavors and character, making it a more interesting sip. But people should also realize, getting older doesnt guarantee that its going to be better, only that its going to be more expensive, and you definitely dont have to spend that much to get a great tasting whiskey. Wed much rather get thirty or forty bucks together and drink a good bourbon or rye than drop a couple hundred or even a couple thousand on what could amount to chewing the inside of an old oak barrel. Because what we found pretty quickly was, the alternate title for this list could easily be, The 6 Most Expensive Liquids You Wont Believe You Just Spent Money On.
Gordon & Macphail Is Releasing The World’s Oldest Single Malt Scotch Whisky
In the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh hangs the Monarch of the Glen, Edwin Landseers iconic depiction of a 12-point stag standing staunchly in the foreground of an unmistakably highland scene of craggy peaks and misty glens. It is so Scottish, it hurts.
Yet this seemingly harmless – if a bit kitsch – ode to Scotland is oddly divisive. Many see it as a fantasy – as an image of a Scotland that, if it ever existed, doesnt now.
They see it as classist, as a Scotland which belongs only to the well heeled shooting parties which see the highlands as their playground.
Others see it as illustrative of the spirit of the Scottish people they see Landseers beast standing unyielding in the face of the unforgiving elements that shape Scotlands landscapes as much as they do her people.
Politics and patriotism aside, one thing is undeniable this single painting has irreversibly shaped how the world sees Scotland. Variants of Landseers stag have been splashed over anything from shortbread tins to keyrings, amongst other tartan tat.
But it does pose a good question: can any one thing really define a place?
Archive image of Gordon & MacPhail shop in Elgin, founded in 1895
Instead of seeking to be original here, it is perhaps worth looking to perhaps the most cliched expression of Scotland there is – whisky.
What started as a grocer’s shop in rural Speyside in 1895 is now arguably the most respected independent bottler of Scotch whisky in the world.
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Your Dads Bottle Of Macallan 12 From 1990 Isnt 32 Years Old
A few months ago a friend texted with a question. Hed been rummaging through his parents liquor cabinet, and came across a dusty bottle of Scotch acquired, from what he could tell, when Bush Sr. was in office. Did he find a bottle of 32-year-old whisky? No, he didnt.
Whiskey doesnt keep aging in the bottle. A whiskeys age is a reflection of the time from when it is first put in the barrel till when it is dumped, says Lew Bryson, a whiskey expert and author of Tasting Whiskey: An Insiders Guide to the Unique Pleasures of the Worlds Finest Spirits.
Bryson also explains that the age on the label is a reflection of the youngest ingredient in the final bottle.
There are probably older whiskeys blended into the mix, he says, a whiskeys age statement is, legally, the age of the youngest whiskey in the bottle, at the time of bottling.
So if the interaction with wood is where aging happens, that means our hypothetical bottle of Macallan has always been 12 years old, even while it sat in a cabinet.
Whiskey doesnt age in the bottle. In fact, its quite inert. Assuming its properly stored, whiskey wont change much itself in the bottle. What change it does see has to do with oxygen exposure, light exposure, and temperature fluctuationsand all of these things are generally bad for it.
The best you can hope for with an old bottle of a 12-year-old whiskey is that it still tastes like a great 12-year-old whiskey.
Is Whisky Getting More Expensive
The standard bottlings of Scottish MaltWhiskydistilleries have remained very stable price-wise over the decades. If you consider inflation, the price has even decreased. However, independent bottlings’ and rare Whiskies’ prices are increasing.
Quite regularly, we are asked for the best Whisky available. Mostly this is done by inexperienced people who want to give a Whisky as a present and who want to splash out.
What is the answer to this question? Macallan 25 years or Johnnie Walker Blue Label? Why not Chivas Royal Salute 21 or Bowmore 30 years? Would you rather recommend the older or the more expensive?
Let’s answer this question with a metaphor: a reasonably famous politician was asked by a radio reporter at the opening of a Mercedes branch office, what the best car in the world was. Without thinking much about it he answered Rolls Royce. He made a typical beginner‘s mistake: He transferred his personal wishes and preferences to a question for which there is no generally valid answer.
It’s the same with Whisky: The answer to the question about the best Whisky depends on so many basic conditions that no reasonable solution can be found without asking the customer a number of questions.
Quality, reputation of the distillery and age of a Single Malt Whisky are the most important factors influencing its price.
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The Macallan 72 Year Old In Lalique
Its safe to say that The Macallan is amongst Scotlands most collectible distilleries. Add a name like Lalique into the mix and combine that with an accolade of the oldest whisky ever distilled by The Macallan and youre on to something truly special.
Crafted to mark the opening of The Macallans new $186m distillery and visitor experience, only 600 of The Macallan 72 Year Old in Laliquewere released. The striking Genesis decanter took design inspiration from the new buildings architecture while the bespoke case by Burgess Studio drew from the spaces interior. All 600 were snapped up at around $60,000 each but you can now expect to pay a much heftier sum.
Karuizawa 48 Year Old 1964 Cask 3603
When talking about some of the oldest most sought after whiskeys one name will be spoken in soft, reverent tones, Karuizawa. A distillery from Japan that is now closed, if your after their unique, one of a kind 48 year batch be prepared for a bottle worth more than many peoples yearly salary. Then again, if your after this whiskey then you know those whove had it will swear its worth every single penny.
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The Dalmore Decades No6 Collection $124m
On October 8 2021, The Dalmore Decades No.6 Collection became the most valuable whisky auction lot ever sold by Sothebys in Asia when it was bought by a private collector.
The Decades No.6 Collection brings together a one-of-a-kind selection of six milestone releases from 1951, 1967, 1979, 1980, 1995, and 2000 chosen by The Dalmores legendary master distiller, Richard Paterson. This includes notable bottlings that mark key moments in the 180-year-old Scottish distillerys history such as the first whisky distilled in the new millennium as well as the coveted Dalmore 60 Year Old, distilled from the two final casks remaining from the fabled Mackenzie era
The Dalmore will donate 15% of the proceeds to the V& A Dundee, Scotlands first design museum.
Glen Scotia Releases Its Oldest Whisky To Date A 46 Year Old
The Glen Scotia Distillery recently unveiled its oldest and rarest expression to date, a 46-year-old single malt Scotch whisky with only 150 individually-numbered bottles coming to market.
It was originally put in refill bourbon casks and matured for 36 years before being re-casked in first-fill bourbon casks in 2011. The liquid was then finished four more years in Oloroso sherry butts, giving the whisky a velvet-like finish.
The distillers notes show the whisky to have notes of tropical fruits with creamy, subtle maritime nuances that make up Glen Scotias signature profile.
Glen Scotia 46 Year Old
A statement from the distiller noted that this rare whisky exists to pay homage to a special time in Glen Scotias history while celebrating the craftsmanship of a different era.
In the winter of 1974, the Glen Scotia distillery team finished their last production during a four-year investment program that brought opportunity and optimism in the town. Those final years marked the end of a chapter defined by tradition and craftsmanship, and it was these final casks that matured patiently under the care of distillery managers until now.
The 46-year-old whisky comes in a handmade oak display case, where inside an oak tile rests beneath the bottle holding a plaque that includes the individual bottle number and tasting notes.
The limited release is bottled at 41.7% ABV and has a suggested retail price of £6,750 per 70cl bottle.
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The Limits Of Age Statements
Age statements can also be reductive. Many of the bottles labeled 12 years old could contain a blend of whiskeys aged from 12 to sometimes 15-16 years of age or more, depending on the brand. With the exception of single barrel or single cask whiskeys , some bottles are the product of a master blender using a variety of whiskeys to achieve the desired final result.
Master blenders might use older stock to add nuance to younger whiskey, in order to replicate the profile of a whiskey from batch to batch. But the whole process is sort of like trying to mix a new can of custom paint: You may have to use different ingredients the second time.
Making a 12-year-old whiskey is not so easy as just taking a few pallets of 12-year-old whiskey and dumping it into a tank.
Barrels mature differently, and no two are the same. Balvenie Global Ambassador Gemma Paterson emphasizes that even with upwards of 20 million casks in warehouses across Scotland, every single one as unique as a fingerprint, a snowflake. The art of maturing whisky really is a waiting game that relies on time and patience. Samples have to be drawn from casks on a regular basis and shared with our Malt Master to then determine when that whisky has hit the sweet spot in maturation.
Worlds Oldest Whisky Sold For 93000 Per Bottle In Belgian Shop
Two bottles of the oldest single malt Scotch Whisky in the world, which sat in a barrel for 80 years, have been sold by a local store in West Flanders for 93,000 per bottle.
Just over one month after Martin Coene opened the doors of his brand-new whisky shop Top Malts in Moorsele, he sold two carafes of the Gordon & MacPhail Generations 80 Year whisky from the Glenlivet Distillery in Ballindalloch, Scotland.
This is the oldest whisky ever made, Coene told The Brussels Times. Its 80 years old, which is the longest whisky has ever sat in a barrel for. Thats why its unique.
The spirit itself was laid down on 3 February 1940, by the firms George Urquhart and his father, John, in a bespoke Gordon & MacPhail cask.
Coene explained that it is very rare to keep a whisky in barrels for such a long period of time, as the spirit usually loses 1-2% of its alcohol percentage per year.
Once that alcohol level is below 40%, you cant call it whisky anymore, he said, but that in the Gordon & MacPhail warehouse, they are able to keep a constant temperature of 12-14°C, so less of the liquid evaporates.
The floor of the warehouse is made of earth, which keeps the barrels cooler, and the barrel itself does not breathe much, so, again, less liquid evaporates when kept inside this special cask.
The bottle created by architect and designer Sir David Adjaye. Credit: Gordon & MacPhail
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The Macallan 81 Year Old
In early February 2022, The Macallan unveiled the oldest whisky ever released: The Macallan Reach. Distilled in 1940 during the Second World War, it spent 81 years building character in a single sherry seasoned cask before just 288 artisanal decanters were filled.
Costing $125,000 each, every decanter is cradled in a bronze sculpture of three hands. The artwork, created by sculptor Saskia Robinson, is intended to represent the characters in The Macallans history that had a hand in producing this prized liquid.
The Pendennis Club Myth
For decades, the creation of the old-fashioned was attributed to the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky. David Wondrich points out in his book “Imbibe!” that this is false: The club opened in 1881, but a year before that, “old-fashioned cocktails” were mentioned in the Chicago Tribune. There was even an “ambiguous newspaper squib” that mentioned old-fashioned drinks as early as 1869.
In truth, the old-fashioned formula dates back to the 1850s, if not earlier. It was made with whiskey, brandy, or gin . It was quite simply liquor, sugar , and ice. Add bitters, and you have the original definition of a cocktail.
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Old Ingledew Whiskey: Currently Believed To Be The Oldest Known Whiskey In Existence
Old Ingledew Whiskey: Currently Believed to be the Oldest Known Whiskey in Existence.
Skinner is pleased to offer this historic bourbon whiskey at auction. Skinners Rare Spirits expert, Joseph Hyman, remarks The Old Ingledew Whiskey, bottled by Evans & Ragland, Lagrange GA, c. 1860s, is thought to be the only surviving bottle of a trio from the cellar of J.P. Morgan gifted in the 1940s to Washington power elite.
Carbon 14 dating conducted in 2021 in collaboration with the University of Georgia indicates, with the highest probability, that the whiskey was produced between 1762-1802. The raw data was subsequently evaluated by the University of Glasgow and determined to be Bourbon with a 53% probability of being produced between 1763-1803, which places it in the historical context of The Revolutionary War of the 1770s and the Whiskey Rebellion of the 1790s.
We assess that the whiskey was produced circa the late 1700s. Standard practice was to store spirits in large glass demijohns after being aged in oak barrels.
The Old Ingledew was bottled by Evans & Ragland, Grocers and Commission Merchants, LaGrange, Georgia. Archival information indicates that Evans & Ragland were active in business circa the 1860s-70s, and the bottle is consistent with glass manufacture circa 1840-70.
This bottle will be offered at auction in the June 22-30 Rare Spirits online auction with an estimate of $20,000-40,000.
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