‘Like Nothing We’ve Ever Seen’: This Elizabeth II-Inspired Scotch Was Aged for 7 Decades and Could Fetch Upwards of $140,000 At Auction
The Glen Grant has unveiled its whisky to date, a 70-year-old single malt. It will go under the hammer at a Sotheby’s auction. (Photo: The Glen Grant/Sotheby’s)
The Glen Grant released its oldest scotch to date, a 70-year-old single malt encased in a stunning sculpture in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. The extreme-age-statement scotch, named “Devotion,” is set to go under the hammer at Sotheby’s and could fetch prices upwards of $140,000, the auction house announced Friday.
This 70-year-old scotch was matured in a French oak Oloroso sherry butt and filled in 1953 at The Glen Grant. It is encased in a sculpture made of wood from an elm tree from the distillery’s gardens. All the proceeds will be donated to the Royal Scottish Forestry Society.
Seven decanters exist in the world, meant to serve as an homage to the monarch’s 70-year reign. Each decanter has a distinctive flower engraving, meant to represent different chapters in the monarch’s life.
“In the true spirit of The Glen Grant, we bring together the inspiring legacy of our story with the personal devotion of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, to realize this exquisite masterpiece,” Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm in the news release. “To be devoted is to show unwavering loyalty and love to something you care for deeply, which sits at the heart of our whisky-making philosophy, as well as shining through with our creative collaborators. This is a lifetime of character and legacy captured in a magnificent creation, like nothing we’ve ever seen.”
Additionally, each decanter was crafted by John Galvin and glass master Brodie Nairn of GLASSTORM. Both artists chose to add seven facets to each jewel-shaped decanter to mark each decade of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. A Lilly of the Valley, the Queen’s favorite flower, is engraved on each vessel in addition to the Thistle of Scotland.
Number One, the first piece, is unique in that it is engraved with the Queen Elizabeth Rose in honor of Her Majesty.
The brand describes the 70-year-old single malt as possessing floral aromas, with plenty of intense barley sugar qualities and ripe peaches. On the palate, expect dried fruits, raisins, sultana, dry spice and a touch of oak. The finish lingers on with richness and complexity and fades away with wafts of spiced smoke.
The Glen Grant ‘Devotion’ Decanters in Further Detail
Decanter 1: The Queen Elizabeth Rose engraved in gold, which is currently up for auction at Sotheby’s.
Decanter 2: Orchid in celebration of The Queen’s bridal bouquet from her marriage to HRH Duke of Edinburgh.
Decanter 3: Daffodil, the flower of Wales and a celebration of the Diamond Jubilee flower.
Decanter 4: Clematis, a flower grown around Buckingham Palace gardens and at Windsor Castle — The Queen’s final resting place.
Decanter 5: Daisy, Her Majesty’s birth flower.
Decanter 6: Begonia from Silver Jubilee celebrations.
Decanter 7: Stephanotis, a flower that symbolizes Scotland and was in the Queen’s Coronation Bouquet.
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