Elgin's Gordon & MacPhail unveils world's oldest whisky – an 80-year-old Glenlivet – at Sotheby's
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ELGIN-BASED whisky creators Gordon & MacPhail today unveiled the world's oldest whisky in London – an 80-year-old single malt from Glenlivet Distillery.
Only 250 special bottles of the whisky will be available – with decanter number one to be auctioned by Sotheby's Hong Kong on October 7 to benefit Findhorn-based environmental charity Trees for Life, whose mission is to rewild the Caledonian Forest.
The jewel-like decanter and oak pavilion – itself a work of art – was designed by world-renowned Ghanaian-British architect and designer Sir David Adjaye OBE.
Gordon & MacPhail's Generations 80YO is being exhibited from today, September 3, at Sotheby’s galleries in London in advance of the October auction.
A bottle has also gone on display at the 126-year-old business's shop on Elgin's South Street.
For four generations the firm has matched its own casks with spirit from more than 100 Scottish distilleries.
The spirit from Glenlivet Distillery was laid down on February 3, 1940, by the firm's George Urquhart and his father, John, in a bespoke Gordon & MacPhail cask.
George Urquhart was passionate that each whisky should be left to mature until the cask and spirit had combined to create the desired quality.
The time for Cask 340 was to be 80 years – longer than any other Scotch whisky in history.
The decision was taken to finally bottle the cask’s precious contents on February 5 last year.
Stephen Rankin is the firm's director of prestige, a fourth-generation member of the Gordon & MacPhail family owners and a Master of the Quaich. He said: "This whisky has been lying there since it was made in 1940 – so it's been around for 40 per cent of Glenlivet Distillery's life, which is quite incredible.
"Back then the Scotch whisky world was focused on blended whisky.
"When the grey clouds of war gathered in 1939 the industry, relying on barley, was suddenly under threat. The war effort needed manpower and whisky's raw ingredients.
"Between 1939-1940 the industry in Speyside lost about a third of its production. Unfortunately at Glenlivet it lost about two-thirds of its production. In 1941 it limped on with all the raw ingredients being rationed and in 1942 the raw ingredients were stopped. A few distilleries managed to distill into 1943 but not many.
"Rationing continued through to 1954. As whisky was a good "dollar earner" as Winston Churchill put it, it was important that whisky companies carried on producing bottled whisky. The problem was they weren't making a lot of spirit to be matured to go into that so it meant they were using all the stocks they'd laid down and emptying their warehouses.
"This whisky survived all of that."
Mr Rankin added: "We deal in oak so we partnered with Trees For Life with a view to generating a sizeable sum of money which will help the nursery part of their operations, growing trees from seedlings.
"There will also be oak trees planted in Ghana where Sir David is originally from. This continues our commitment to legacy."
Sir David, whose award-winning body of work ranges from furniture to civic buildings, was knighted in 2017.
The creative theme for the release is "Artistry in Oak". The oak case Sir David designed symbolises 80 years in the same way a 50th anniversary is commemorated by gold and reflects the spirit's eight decades of maturation in an oak cask.
The buyer of bottle number one will get a framed original cask end, Sir David's drawings, and a tasting of the whisky with Mr Rankin and Sir David.
The price of the world's oldest whisky, with a strength of 44.9 per cent ABV, will be revealed after the auction.
