ARTISTRY IN OAK GORDON & MACPHAIL REVEALS DESIGN BY ACCLAIMED ARCHITECT JEANNE GANG FOR THE WORLD’S OLDEST SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
ARTISTRY IN OAK
GORDON & MACPHAIL REVEALS DESIGN
BY ACCLAIMED ARCHITECT JEANNE GANG
FOR THE WORLD’S OLDEST SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
On Thursday 2 October 2025, Gordon & MacPhail is to reveal the ‘Artistry in Oak’ decanter design by internationally acclaimed American architect Jeanne Gang, marking the release of the oldest single malt Scotch ever bottled – Gordon & MacPhail 85 Years Old from Glenlivet Distillery.
Gordon & MacPhail sought to commission a creative partner to design a unique decanter to house their most precious whisky to date. A partnership built on common values and a shared commitment to leave a legacy for future generations, Jeanne Gang’s design is shaped through her close observation of growth and form in nature. The four branches which suspend the glass decanter are made from solid bronze, providing an armature that cradles the precious liquid in the same way the oak cask has nurtured the whisky for eight and a half decades.
Only 125 decanters are available worldwide, each with an RSP of £125,000.
Over the last 130 years, Gordon & MacPhail has been driven by a simple mission: to create single malt Scotch whisky of exceptional quality. Through four generations of family ownership, the company has matched its own specially selected casks with spirit from over 100 Scottish distilleries. Managing a portfolio of casks requires a complex level of expertise which Gordon & MacPhail has honed to fully understand cask maturation matched to different styles of spirit. Patience is undoubtedly a virtue in this realm and Gordon & MacPhail’s whiskies are often the oldest expression ever to be released from a particular distillery.
The decanter design by Jeanne Gang is a celebration of the profound artistry, craft, care and time alongside nature that went into the liquid it encases. The maturation of whisky over very long periods of time is a very challenging proposition often quoted as more art than science. As the oldest single malt Scotch ever bottled, this release is the ultimate expression of this art and testament to the foresight of George Urquhart and his father, John, who selected cask 336 in 1940 to cradle this liquid for decades to come.
“One of the greatest challenges was that this has never been done before. We’re the first to mature a whisky for 85 years. Every year that goes by is a year into the unknown. We have to appreciate we’re always dealing with mother nature so the key traits of this process are patience and trust,” comments Stephen Rankin Director of Prestige at Gordon & MacPhail, and member of the fourth generation of the family that owns the company.
Embracing the creative theme of ‘Artistry in Oak’, the design evokes the idea of a tree slowly entwining a piece of amber. Four separate branches spiral upward, wrapping around a suspended glass vessel that contains the amber liquid originally distilled at Glenlivet Distillery. American oak informed the branches’ design, a nod to the wood used to comprise the Gordon & MacPhail cask which cradled the spirit for 85 years.
“It was of utmost importance that the quality of the whisky itself be manifest in the design of the decanter. Made from handblown glass and cast bronze, I thought about how each material would exhibit its own inherent qualities while fulfilling its purpose to hold and protect the liquid,” explains Jeanne Gang.
The design was conceived as a single object, with the suspended glass vessel relying on the branches for support, evoking the reciprocity between whisky and its cask. Jeanne chose bronze for the four entwining branches that cradle the vessel because it is an enduring material; one that evolves slowly and beautifully over time, much like whisky. As bronze develops a patina, it mirrors the way whisky deepens in colour and character over the years.
“Standing tall and strong, the patinated bronze entwines the vessel, suspending it while revealing the amber colour of the whisky within. Together, the elements depend on and complement each other, in a reciprocal dance whose form, like the whisky it holds, is a product of both natural growth and the nature of its materiality,” expresses Gang.
As part of this landmark release, Gordon & MacPhail is supporting American Forests, the oldest national nonprofit conservation organisation in the United States – a leader in forest restoration – via the online auction of Decanter #1 in partnership with Christie’s.
“Given the importance of oak in our craft, this partnership was a natural fit, aligning with our mission to leave a meaningful legacy for ongoing generations via fundraising for the sustainable future of American oak trees,” adds Stephen Rankin.
The auction conducted online by Christie’s, opening for bids on Friday 7th November and concluding on Friday 21st November 2025, will see proceeds of the lot (minus costs) donated to the American Forests, to support their work dedicated to creating healthy and resilient forests in cities and large landscapes, including the regeneration and long-term sustainability of America’s oak-dominated forests essential for whisky maturation.
As well as Decanter #1, the lot will include a personalised whisky tasting hosted by Gordon & MacPhail’s Director of Prestige Stephen Rankin or Richard Urquhart, Sales Director, both fourth generation family members; a framed, signed sketch of an oak tree by Jeanne Gang, which informed the decanter’s design; and the cask end of cask 336 which nurtured the single malt Scotch whisky, presented in a bespoke frame.
Adam Bilbey, Christie’s Global Head of Wine and Spirits says: “Partnering with Gordon & MacPhail for Artistry in Oak is a moment of pride for Christie’s. The unveiling of Decanter No. 1 from Gordon & MacPhail 85 Years Old is not just a highlight of our season—it’s a celebration of time, tradition, and craftsmanship. Over the last 85yrs this extraordinary spirit has been carefully and patiently nurtured by Gordon & MacPhail, culminating in the extraordinary moment.”
A TASTE OF LIQUID HISTORY
At 85 years old, this historical liquid has spent decades maturing in a unique cask that has had a profound impact on its flavour. Cask 336 had previously held mature sherry before being re-filled on 3 February 1940 with spirit at the Glenlivet Distillery. This was a time when production across Scotland was much reduced due to the raw materials required being diverted for other uses or there being a shortage in them created by the war.
This long maturation has imparted deep, complex flavours to the whisky, with vibrant, full-bodied notes that remain remarkably robust at 43.7% ABV. The influence of the cask, combined with the rarity and incredible scarcity of the liquid, creates a whisky that is not only extraordinary in its taste but also a living piece of history.
Aroma: Soft, aged leather aromas lead to apricot compote, cinnamon, and subtle waxy, citrus fruit notes. Vanilla gives way to dried sultana and aniseed with underlying beeswax polish. Subtle smoky undertones develop.
Flavours: Smooth and vibrant with cracked black pepper and sweet dried tobacco flavours, followed by Seville Orange peel. Morello cherry and plum flavours are balanced by subtle oak.
Finish: A full-bodied finish with lingering herbal notes.
This exceptional release represents the pinnacle of whisky craftsmanship – an 85-year-old single malt matured over four generations. Not only is it the oldest whisky ever bottled, but its extreme rarity, scarcity and provenance, coupled with the artistry of Jeanne Gang’s design, make it an unparalleled collector’s piece.
GORDON & MACPHAIL 85 YEARS OLD FROM GLENLIVET DISTILLERY
AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE FROM 2 OCTOBER 2025, PRICED AT £125,000
GORDON&MACPHAIL.COM
CHRISTIE’S ONLINE AUCTION OF DECANTER #1
FRIDAY 7TH NOVEMBER – FRIDAY 21ST NOVEMBER 2025
PROCEEDS OF THE LOT (MINUS COSTS) DONATED TO THE AMERICAN FORESTS
CHRISTIES.COM
@GORDONANDMACPHAIL
About Gordon & MacPhail
For more than 130 years, Gordon & MacPhail has been driven by a simple mission: to create single malt Scotch whisky of exceptional quality. Through four generations of family ownership, the company has matched its own bespoke casks with spirit from over 100 Scottish distilleries. Managing a portfolio of casks is a complex level of expertise which Gordon & MacPhail has honed to fully understand cask maturation matched to different styles of spirit. It is this cask curation that allows Gordon & MacPhail to consistently deliver a range of perfectly matured whiskies. Their expert maturation management creates unique, complex but perfectly balanced single malts found nowhere else. At the very heart of business lies the sample room – an exceptional liquid library spanning more than a century of Scotch whiskies featuring a wide range of age profiles and character. But these exceptional snapshots in time are not heirlooms there to impress, they exist to help inform and shape future decision-making and provide an invaluable guide for generations to come.
About Gordon & MacPhail’s Unique Relationship With Over 100 Scottish Distilleries Uniquely, Gordon & MacPhail is the only whisky company to have matched its casks to spirit from over 100 distilleries from all over Scotland. We then nurture it, often for many decades, then lean on experience handed down through four generations to know when to bottle it. Over its 130 history, Gordon & MacPhail built a strong bond of trust and mutual respect with these distilleries to allow the company to fill casks. These relationships were founded on the commitment that Gordon & MacPhail’s releases would complement not compete against those from the proprietary distillery, providing drinkers with interesting nuances in flavour. No other company has the
depth and breadth of whisky in terms of variety of source distillery of the original spirit and age up to 80 years.
About Jeanne Gang
Jeanne Gang is the founding partner of Studio Gang, an international architecture and urban design practice with offices in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Paris. Known for a distinctive design approach that expands beyond architecture’s conventional boundaries, she creates striking places that strengthen connections between people, their communities, and nature. Her diverse, award-winning portfolio across the Americas and Europe includes the Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History, which the New York Times called “a poetic, joyful, theatrical work of public architecture”; a new United States Embassy in Brazil; and an expansion of the Clinton Presidential Center. Intertwined with built work, Jeanne and the Studio develop research, publications, and exhibitions that push design’s ability to create public awareness and give rise to change – a practice Jeanne calls “actionable idealism.” A MacArthur Fellow and a Professor in Practice at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Jeanne has been named one of TIME Magazine’s most influential people in the world.
About Christie’s
Founded in 1766, Christie’s is a world-leading art and luxury business with a physical presence in 46 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific, and flagship international sales hubs in New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris and Geneva. Renowned and trusted for our expert live and online-only auctions, as well as bespoke Private Sales, Christie’s unparalleled network of specialists offers our clients a full portfolio of global services, including art appraisal, art financing, international real estate and education. Christie’s auctions span more than 80 art and luxury categories, at price points ranging from $500 to over $100 million. Christie’s has sold 7 of the 10 most important single-owner collections in history, achieved the world record price for an artwork at auction, launched the first fully on-chain auction platform dedicated to exceptional NFT art and manages an investment fund to support innovative start-ups in the art market. Christie’s is also committed to advancing responsible culture throughout its business and communities worldwide. To learn more, browse, bid, discover and join us for the best of art and luxury at christies.com or by downloading Christie’s apps.
About American Forests
American Forests is the first national nonprofit conservation organization created in the U.S. Since its founding in 1875, the organization has been the pathfinders for the forest conservation movement. Its mission is to create healthy and resilient forests, from cities to large natural landscapes, that deliver essential benefits for climate, people, water and wildlife. The organization advances its mission through forestry, innovation, place-based partnerships to plant and restore forests, and movement building.
