1975 Bottling Commemorates 40th Anniversary of Distillery Visitor Centre
Dufftown July 2009: The world’s most awarded single malt Scotch whisky, Glenfiddich, today, released details of the 1975 Vintage Reserve, a beautifully light and elegant whisky, bottled to commemorate the very start of Scotland’s whisky tourism industry.
In July, 1969, the pioneering Glenfiddich distillery opened the doors of Scotland’s first Distillery Visitor Centre and became the first whisky company to invite visitors to tour round a distillery. Forty years later, a selection panel comprising five former and current tour guides returned to the distillery and joined the industry’s most respected and long-serving, Malt Master, David Stewart, to choose their favourite whisky from a pre-selected shortlist of exceptional quality casks, from 1975.
After much discussion, the panel selected cask no.22000, a European oak sherry butt with a current strength of 53.7% ABV*. The cask will produce approximately 520 70cl cask-strength bottles, which will retail at a RRP of £480.
David Stewart commented: “Having joined the Glenfiddich Distillery, in 1962, I was part of the pioneering team there when it became the first distillery to welcome visitors. It was therefore extra special for me, and a great honour, this year, to be leading the panel selecting the Vintage Reserve that would commemorate the opening of the Visitor Centre doors, forty years ago’’.
Describing the Vintage Reserve selected, David added: “Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1975 has a rich, vibrant aroma of ripe apricots and plums, balanced by vanilla oak notes from the European oak cask. The taste is tremendously full bodied, with layers of tannin, spice and fruity sweetness. The flavour of rich oak and soft vanilla develops a spicy character of cinnamon, nutmeg and spiced apple and has an exceptionally long, rich and oaky finish with a hint of bitter dark chocolate. In short, I think this whisky has aged magnificently, with every year spent in the oak sherry butt imparting delicate notes and flavours.”
This is the latest aged Vintage Reserve of over 30 years old to be released by Glenfiddich. When many distilleries are facing shortages of aged whisky, with some even removing the age message from their bottles, the Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1975 is testament to the pioneering spirit of the distillery’s founder, William Grant, whose lifelong ambition was to produce the ‘best dram in the valley’.
The distillery he built by hand, accompanied by a stonemason and his seven sons, has barely changed since the first drop of spirit flowed from the stills, at the Glenfiddich Distillery, on Christmas Day, 1887. Every year, thousands of tourists visit the only Highland whisky company with a team of coopers to mend and tend every cask, a dedicated coppersmith to maintain the stills and the only Highland malt to use a single source of pure spring water (from the Robbie Dhu spring) throughout every stage of production.
Each year, David Stewart and Apprentice Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, pre-select a few exceptional casks and, under their watchful eye, invite a panel of non-professionals to pick their favourite. Previous panels include a team of coopers, international whisky journalists, perfumiers and excise men.
Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1975 joins the award-winning range of Glenfiddich single malt Scotch whiskies which also includes Glenfiddich 12 Year Old, 15 Year Old, 18 Year Old, 21 Year Old, 30 Year Old, 40 Year Old, The Glenfiddich Distillery Edition, and the world’s rarest and oldest single malt Scotch, Glenfiddich 1937 Vintage, which was bottled as a 64 year old, in 2001.
– Ends –
Notes to editors
· Reigning ISC Distiller of the Year William Grant & Sons Ltd has been awarded seven gold medals at both the 2008 International Spirits Challenge (ISC) and the 2008 International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) and for its highly regarded portfolio of premium spirits brands.
· William Grant & Sons is an independent family-owned distiller founded by William Grant in 1886 and today still controlled by the fifth generation of his family. The Company distils some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world’s favourite single malt Glenfiddich®, the handcrafted range of The Balvenie® single malts and one of the world’s leading blended Scotches, Grant’s®, as well as selected other spirits, including Hendrick’s® Gin and Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
Click on www.williamgrant.com for more information on the Company and its brands
Golin/Harris International Limited | Registered office: Ground Floor, 84 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1PX, England | Registered number: 2713976
This message contains information which may be confidential and privileged. Unless you are the intended recipient (or authorized to receive
this message for the intended recipient), you may not use, copy, disseminate or disclose to anyone the message or any information contained
in the message. If you have received the message in error, please advise the sender by reply e-mail, and delete the message.
Thank you very much.
Visit the Glenfiddich at http://www.glenfiddich-whisky.com/
