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Glenrothes 40 Year Old is distillery’s oldest whisky to date

Speyside distillery The Glenrothes is due to release its first 40-year-old single malt Scotch whisky next month, priced at £2,900 (US$3,574).

The Glenrothes 40 Year Old is the distillery’s oldest single malt to date

The whisky was distilled in December 1978 in copper pot stills that were replaced soon after this date.

It has been matured in various Sherry-seasoned and ex-Bourbon casks to give aromas of orange oil, peach, cedar wood and almond. On the palate, the whisky is said to have notes of sultanas, cinnamon and nutmeg, balanced with tobacco and “soft” oak tannin.

Only 594 bottles of The Glenrothes 40 Year Old will be released through Berry Bros & Rudd on 1 October, each individually numbered and presented in an oak box.

The expression joins the brand’s Soleo Collection, which was brought out in 2018. It features six single malts aimed at the ‘modern drinker’, with each one designed to showcase the influence of Sherry-seasoned oak casks. The range comprises whiskies between 10 and 40 years old.

Gordon Motion, master whisky maker at The Glenrothes, said: “Forty years ago, The Glenrothes distillery was different in many ways, yet our whisky character has remained unchanged.

“To be able to release some of the last remaining spirit from the original still feels like we’re celebrating the end of an era and is incredibly rewarding.

“This whisky will never exist again and that’s what makes the release of our 40-year-old so special and highlights the true rarity of this expression.”

Furthermore, The Glenrothes is also giving away 20 pairs of tickets to an exclusive tasting of the 40-year-old expression at Berry Bros & Rudd’s premises at No.3 St James’s Street, London.

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