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Glenturret reveals new core whisky line and redesign

The Glenturret has unveiled a new core collection of Scotch whiskies and a refreshed look for the series, as it discontinues its previous range.

The new core Glenturret range features the founding family’s coat of arms

The Glenturret in Perthshire, which claims to be Scotland’s oldest working distillery, originally planned to launch its rebrand in June. However, it was pushed back to September due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The new core range includes four expressions: Triple Wood, 10-year-old Peat Smoked, a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old. There are also two limited edition whiskies, a 25-year-old and 30-year-old.

The range was created by The Macallan’s Bob Dalgarno, who joined The Glenturret as whisky maker last year.

“I saw Glenturret as a great opportunity to work alongside an understated yet highly skilled team who influence the creation of the distillery new make spirit as only their hands can,” said Dalgarno.

‘Alongside this was the challenge of creating a new range of whiskies with a different cask and character profile. Building on previous experiences and having the freedom to influence and develop, respecting the history whilst writing new chapters was a perfect fit.”

Ian Renwick, distillery manager at The Glenturret, said Dalgarno’s appointment was a “recognition of the scale of our ambition and a testament to our transformative work over the past eight months’’.

The new range is also the first under the distillery’s new owner, Glenturret Holding, a joint venture formed in April 2019 between luxury goods company Lalique Group and Swiss entrepreneur Hansjörg Wyss, Lalique’s second-largest shareholder. The Glenturret, home to The Famous Grouse Experience, was previously owned by Edrington and was sold in December 2018.

John Laurie, managing director of The Glenturret, said the rebrand had been in development for more than a year.

He explained: “You only get one chance at a first impression, even though the distillery is the oldest working distillery in Scotland, in recent memories and during the recent boom in the global single malt market, The Glenturret brand was a subsidiary to The Famous Grouse Experience.

“This for all intents and purposes has made us the oldest new kid in town. This strange background has added a complexity to our launch plans, we needed to create a brand vision that was relevant to today whilst respecting our unparalleled history and heritage.”

Each expression comes in a new, heavier rectangular bottle with a broad shoulder to embody The Glenturret’s “elegance and stature”. The packaging also carries The Glenturret crest, which was inspired by the Murray family’s coat of arms. The Murray family founded the distillery and has played a key role in The Glenturret over the past 250 years.

The Glenturret’s previous range, which includes the Triple Wood, Sherry Cask, and Peated bottlings, has been discontinued. A small amount of remaining stock is available for retailers. The original new make spirit is still used to make the refreshed range.

Core range

The new Glenturret Triple Wood (43% ABV) has been aged in three casks: American, Sherry and Bourbon. It has notes of sweet fruit and caramel, ginger cake and vanilla. It is priced at RRP £47 (US$61).

The Glenturret 10 Years Old Peat Smoked offers fresh citrus fruit, vanilla and light spice, along with sea salt and heather. It is bottled at 50% ABV and priced at RRP £52 (US$67).

Meanwhile, the 12-year-old whisky is described as having notes of rich fruit cake, walnuts, sweet apple, ginger, and lemon tea. It has an ABV of 46% and is priced at RRP £60 (US$78).

The 15-year-old expression (55% ABV) offers vibrant lemon zest, toffee apple and spice. It is priced at RRP £110 (US$143).

Limited to 204 bottles, the 25-year-old brings notes of fruit sponge, lemon and caramelised apple. It also has layers of cinnamon and vanilla, soft oak and ginger. It is bottled at 44.5% ABV and priced at RRP £980 (US$1,271).

Finally, The Glenturret 30 Years Old offers tropical fruit, vanilla, green apple, pear and oak. It is bottled at 45.7% and limited to 750 bottles, priced at RRP £1,600 (US$2,000).

The new Glenturret range will be available at select hotels, restaurants, bars and retailers across a number of markets including the UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, China and Taiwan. It is also available to buy online from The Glenturret website.

The Glenturret also hopes to open its renovated visitor centre in December this year. Laurie also said there may be an additional product launching at the end of the year.

The distillery aims to produce 215,000 litres of alcohol this year with the capacity to produce 500,000 litres annually in the future. Renwick is currently working on a project looking at the best way to achieve the expanded capacity while preserving the site’s traditions and spirit character, and taking into consideration the environmental impact.

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