Late January 2009 Dru McPherson (proprietor with his wife Irene of the Clockhouse Restaurant, Tomintoul) had another idea and told of it over a cappuccino to Mike Drury, co-owner with his wife Cathy of The Whisky Castle Tomintoul.

The idea gestated by Dru McPherson was for Tomintoul to be the first place in the World to have a bottle of Scotch Whisky with a capacity over 100 litres in volume. Never on record as being done before! The ultimate goal for the bottle to be recognised as the “Largest Bottle of Scotch Whisky in the World” by Guinness World Records. – The conspiracy had begun. Secrecy – the ultimate order.

Much of the motivation was generated by the untimely retirement from Terry Wogan’s early morning BBC Radio program of the famous Mrs McKay no longer to sweep the snow from the Lecht every Winter. With Terry Wogan not mentioning “Tomintoul”, (Highest Village in the Highlands – possibly in Scotland), so often on his radio show, this tiny little village on the A939 between Deeside and the Spey River needed a PR boost! The bottle seemed a perfect solution!

The pair of conspirators managed to convince the Tomintoul Distillery owned by Angus Dundee PLC to provide the malt whisky to fill it with and the very special bottle was commissioned.
6 months later, after many traumatic events simular to those found by any adventurer exploring the unknown, finally a bottle to specs was made by a German glassmaker. A massive cork was made and an oversized label was printed, based upon the superb 14 year, 46% alcohol by volume, non-chillfiltered and naturally coloured, single malt whisky from the Tomintoul Distillery.

On the 27th August 2009 the bottle was installed in a specially made crate, furnished by Dennis of Glenlivet Hardwood Services and placed in the casking hall of the Tomintoul Distillery. Here an Angus Dundee team of 14 under the leadership of Distilleries Director Robert Fleming , Sales Director Duncan Baldwin and Steven McNeil, Senior Production Manager filled and furbished the bottle under the judicious eyes of Gauger Bob Wilson, witnessed by Judge Alistair Sharpe and Solicitor at Law Catherine Hastings.

All observations and documents concerned with the validity of the contents and volume of the bottle were notorised by Neil Masson.
These documents in evidence were sent to the Guinness World Records Offices in London, where they were ratified six days later as being “The Largest Bottle of Scotch Whisky in The World”.

Visit the Clockhouse Restaurant at:

 http://www.glenlivet-cairngorms.co.uk/clockhouse.php

Visit Tomintoul Distillery at:

http://www.tomintouldistillery.co.uk/