To make these exclusive purchase extra-special, enthusiasts will also be able to buy a limited edition set, the “Private Collection: Glenlivet Decades.”  This set contains a bottle from every decade from the 1950s to 1990s – giving collectors the rare opportunity to own the ‘liquid lifetime’ of the malt.

Founded in 1895, Gordon & MacPhail is known the world over as the custodian of some of the oldest and rarest single malts available. Members of the third and fourth generations of the Urquhart family now own and manage the business.

David and Michael Urquhart, Joint Managing Directors of Gordon & MacPhail, said: “Following on from the phenomenal success last year of Mortlach 70 Years Old, we decided to release this ‘sister’ Generations cask as there is clearly an enormous demand for greatly aged Scotch Malt Whiskies.

“This cask of The Glenlivet was laid down on 3rd February 1940, on the instruction of our grand-father, John Urquhart. Since then, successive generations of the Urquhart family have been waiting for today – the day it would be ready to share with fellow whisky lovers.

“Throughout the 115 years since we were founded, we have made it our business to nurture and mature some of the finest whiskies Scotland has to offer. The ‘Glenlivet Decades’collection revisits this special malt throughout the years, allowing whisky enthusiasts to get a real sense of how the cask and the maturation process change the character of a whisky.

“Altogether, these six whiskies represent the ‘liquid lifetime’ of The Glenlivet, and six decades of experience, dedication and passion on the part of our family. We’re confident that this investment has resulted in a suite of whiskies of unparalleled quality: a real collector’s piece.”

The whiskies will be revealed to an audience of invited guests at a 1940s-themed ceremony at the historic location of Edinburgh Castle.

GLENLIVET DECADES 5 BOTTLE PACK

50 Private Collection: Glenlivet Decades packs are available, priced at £2,850 per pack.

They contain one bottle of each of the following whiskies: Glenlivet 1954 50.6%; Glenlivet 1963 40.6%; Glenlivet 1974 50.1%; Glenlivet 1980 48.5%; and Glenlivet 1991 54.4%.

Limited quantities of these vintages are sold as single bottles. Tasting notes for each of these vintages follows below.

 

GORDON & MACPHAIL PRIVATE COLLECTION GLENLIVET 1954 50.6%

135 x 70cl bottles available for sale in selected markets worldwide. Recommended retail in the UK is £1,250 per bottle.

Appearance: Deep amber, with rose lights.

Aroma: Very mild nosefeel; with an increasingly drying effect. Immediately, a profoundly fruity nose – juicy to start, then raisins and currants macerated in liquor; dry dates and figs; a trace of glace orange peel. A shake of fine hard-wood sawdust. Add only a spot of water to open it: now the aroma becomes sweeter, with an initial trace of fondant, then more vinous (old Madeira?), with a hint of pencil-boxes.

Taste: Sweet, then drying, with considerable spice in between and a long dusty finish, leaving a venerable ‘old wine’ aftertaste. A drop of water reduces all these characteristics slightly but leaves them intact.

GORDON & MACPHAIL PRIVATE COLLECTION 1963 40.6%

169 x 70cl bottles available for sale in selected markets worldwide. Recommended retail in the UK is £750 per bottle. Pricing in international markets may differ due to exchange rates and local taxes.

Appearance: Pale amber.

Aroma: The low strength means a very mild nosefeel and a low aromatic intensity. The first nose was lightly fruity (fresh peaches in mixed fruit salad, becoming more acidic after a while – Kiwi fruits?), with a slight eucalyptus-leaf medicinal note, combined with a faint smokiness. Fresh and interesting.

Taste: Sweet and smooth, even slightly oily. A predominantly sweet taste, but with a slight citric tingle and a lengthy, warming finish. Liqueur chocolates in mid-palate and peach cream, soft-centre chocolates in the aftertaste.

 

GORDON & MACPHAIL PRIVATE COLLECTION GLENLIVET 1974 50.1%

189 x 70cl bottles available for sale in selected markets worldwide. Recommended retail in the UK is £500 per bottle. Pricing in international markets may differ due to exchange rates and local taxes.

Appearance: Deep amber, with crimson lights; Cream Sherry.

Aroma: Very mild nose-feel. Takes a while to open up, but then cooked fruits, led by fresh strawberry jam, becoming ‘Jammy Dodger’ biscuits, then mince pies. Lightly nose-drying, with traces of lint bandages and sunflower oil. Water increases the oily note, and momentarily introduces a whiff of sulphur, soon vanishing into crème caramel.

Taste: Sweet and voluptuous; plenty of body; warming and drying as you swallow. A sweet taste overall, with a long finish and some bitter dark chocolate in the aftertaste. Becomes sweeterand drier with water, with some burnt caramel in mid palate and chocolate in the finish.

GORDON & MACPHAIL. PRIVATE COLLECTION GLENLIVET 1980 48.5%

61 x 70cl bottles available for sale in selected markets worldwide. Recommended retail in the UK is £250 per bottle. Pricing in international markets may differ due to exchange rates and local taxes.

Appearance: Dark gold.

Aroma: Very slight prickle, and somewhat nose-cooling (pine sap). Dusty, with faint dried mixed herbs, and slightly waxy, but then increasingly sweet (even apricot-jammy for a moment), with an elusive scent of sweet chestnuts. Opens considerably when water is added; light coconut to the fore, with natural turpentine and fragrant wood behind.

Taste: Sweet and smooth, but with some peppery spice over the surface of the tongue. A return of the apricot jam in the aftertaste, which is surprisingly long. Water sweetens it, simplifies it and reduces the spiciness. Pleasant and easy to drink, with desiccated coconut in the aftertaste.

GORDON & MACPHAIL PRIVATE COLLECTION GLENLIVET 1991 54.4%

203 x 70cl bottles available for sale in selected markets worldwide. Recommended retail in the UK is £95 per bottle. Pricing in international markets may differ due to exchange rates and local taxes.

Appearance: Light gold.

Aroma: Mild nosefeel. A predominantly fresh-fruit aroma – fruit salad including apples, pears, figs and pineapple. Behind this a trace of marzipan, becoming sweet fondant. Somewhat shy and withdrawn before water is added, but with a dash of water opens up, becoming more floral-fragrant, with whin flowers and almond cream chocolates. Also more typically Speyside.

Taste: Sweet and fresh, with a fresh citric acidity, and light coconut (whin flowers) in the finish and aftertaste. Warming. A soft texture at reduced strength; not so sweet, but retains the lively acidity, and a curious taste, possibly umami, the mysterious fifth primary taste, rarely encountered in whiskies, and loosely described as ‘savoury’.

Visit Gordon & MacPhail at www.gordonandmacphail.com