What it’s like to drink a £20,000 bottle of whisky

Welcome to the 50 year old dram of a lifetime

Gentlemen drink whisky, that much is a fact. But, in order to become a great gentlemen you really have to drink great whisky. And they don’t come much better than Glenlivet’s Winchester Collection 1966 vintage – of which there are only 100 bottles, each costing £20,000.

Named after Master Distiller Alan Winchester, Glenlivet’s second release from the 1966 vintage is the pinnacle of their range. The rarefied 50-year old single-malt has matured over the decades hidden in the walls of the historic distillery.

Originally laid down in 1966 by the then master distiller, Robert Arthur, his successor Alan actually remembers the day it was consigned to its 50 year maturation. ‘I was working as a cooper cleaning the casks and I never thought that one day I would be Master Distiller – let alone have a collection named after me’ Alan explains.

The premier vintage of the Winchester Collection was marked down early in its life as being ‘destined for greater things.’ With the trademark complexity of a Glenlivet, this single malt is unsurprisingly an astonishingly good dram. Compared even to the excellent 18 year old of the same collection, the 50 year old is a symphony of distinctive, full fruity flavours.

Nosing it first will give you all the notes of molasses and moist fruity apricots. To the taste it is exceptionally complex with layered spices intermingled with strong cinnamon and liquorice. Likewise, the finish is exceptionally long and smooth – with a pleasing hint of dryness. The result of its maturation is gloriously dark colour – visibly shades darker than the 18 year old.

Sold in a cherry wood cabinet, designed and constructed by esteemed wood craftsman, John Galvin, before you even get to open the whisky you are treated to a spectacular unveiling as the cabinet opens to present its precious contents to you. The bottle too is a feat of design, handblown by the acclaimed Glasstorm studio’s Brodie Nairn, its elegant shape is inspired by the gentle waters from which the whisky is made. The final touch is a beautiful gold stopper which has a smoky quartz “whisky stone” set into it – so named because it is always cold to the touch.

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