First Time Ever for Glenturret Distillery

September 30, 2022 by Catriona Anderson

For the first time ever, The Glenturret announces a 50 Years Old Release, the first decanter of this highly limited, 50 Years Old expression, has been auctioned off by Sotheby’s for £63,000 as part of their ‘Whisky in Lalique’ auction.

The Glenturret, Scotland’s Oldest Working Distillery, is proud to be releasing a spectacular 50 Years Old whisky, for the first time ever. As a distillery that is celebrated for specialising in small-batch, hand crafted whiskies, The Glenturret is known to have a genuinely scarce volume of whisky available, making this expression a greatly coveted release for any serious collector.

This historic new expression is being produced in an edition of just 150 bottles and retails for £40,000. Housed in a striking, black crystal decanter produced by luxury French crystal house, Lalique, the exterior truly does the liquid within justice; black crystal – the rarest and most expensive crystal as it is the most difficult to produce, mirroring the craftsmanship and skill that went into producing such an extraordinary whisky. Designed by Marc Larminaux, Artistic and Creative Director at Lalique, barley is the inspiration for the decanter, represented through a tactile smooth and frosted finish on the motif, hand carved into the crystal by Lalique Craftsmen at its sole factory in Alsace which celebrates 100 years this year.

To mark this ultra-limited aged whisky being made available by The Glenturret, Sotheby’s has auctioned off decanter number 1 of 150 during their Whisky in Lalique auction – the first whisky auction in history to exclusively offer Scotch in Lalique. The​​ final auction price of the bottle came to £63,000 and was presented in a bespoke black case with mother of pearl inlays.

This first decanter was the only one to be offered with a unique artwork, devised in collaboration with Method Studio who commissioned Scottish artist Matthew Draper for the project. Edinburgh based Draper works with his hands and his heart, responding emotionally to the landscape; instinctively communicating the interplay between light, water, and land. On this occasion, the artwork titled ‘Loch Turret’ depicts the ancient freshwater Loch Turret that provides The Glenturret Distillery with the water that will become its whisky. This beautiful, one-off collector’s item has been created from pigments and inks that have been harvested by charring and burning the 50 Years Old cask staves – a variation on an ancient ink-making technique based on tannic reaction that is a nod to the values of provenance, prowess, and passion, which The Glenturret places at the heart of its whisky making.

The whisky was drawn from a singular remaining cask which was filled in 1972; it has spent the last five decades maturing in a refill Sherry cask which gives the whisky a beautiful antique oak colour. Speaking about the release of the 50 Years Old, The Glenturret’s Managing Director, John Laurie, said, “We are so excited to be releasing a 50 Years Old expression for the first time ever. But to do it in partnership with the extraordinary creative talents, Lalique, Method and Matthew Draper, whose values both mirror our own philosophy when it comes to craftsmanship and the importance of making things by hand, is just incredible. The result is a rare and unique collector’s piece, and the work that has gone into this project really does justice to the remarkable liquid that can be found inside.”
The Glenturret 50 Years Old is now available online, Glenturret Distillery 

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