Glenlivet Drops 55-Year-Old Scotch Whisky Housed Sculpture of Resin and Rose Gold — With One Heck of a Price Tag
The Glenlivet unveiled a rare 55-year-old scotch to celebrate its bicentennial. It costs over $50,000. (Photo: The Glenlivet)
The Glenlivet announced on Tuesday that the scotch whisky brand debuted a 55-year-old single malt — its oldest whisky yet. The release dropped just as the Speyside brand continues to celebrate its bicentennial. It hosts a suggested retail price of €50,000 or $55,788.
The single malt was aged in a seasoned sherry cask for over five decades, and housed in a decanter crafted by Michael Hansmeyer. Hansmeyer created a decanter inspired by the River Livet, inside the Spey Valley. It was sculpted out of jesmonite, a type of resin, and plated with rose gold.
“The 55 Year-Old is the highest-age Scotch ever released from The Glenlivet Distillery and combined with the incredible talent of Michael, it tells of the timelessness of The Glenlivet,” The Glenlivet Cask Master Kevin Balmforth said in a statement. “Thanks to decades of collaboration from our team of cask experts, past and present, the introduction of The Eternal Collection represents a monumental moment for whisky connoisseurs and luxury appreciators to add a pivotal piece of Scotch whisky legacy to their collection. It epitomizes The Glenlivet’s commitment to excellence within Scotch innovation as we continue to push to creative new heights in single malts.”
Just 100 bottles exist of this expression and bespoke sculpture. When asked about the sculpture, Hansmeyer expressed that he created the whisky sculpture “as a tribute to the complexity of The Glenlivet’s oldest expression and the rugged beauty of the distillery’s Scottish landscape, capturing the spirit of where innovation meets tradition.”
The Glenlivet shared that to honor its bicentennial, The Glenlivet teamed up with Sotheby’s auction house to create a one-of-a-kind auction lot offering a custom 55-year-old single malt housed in a Hansmeyer sculpture. The whisky will be available for auction on October 22 through November 5.
As for what this scotch whisky expression tastes like, Balmforth explained it featured flavors of “autumn fruits” complete with “sun-drenched Seville oranges and sticky dates enveloped by the spiced warmth of cinnamon and nutmeg on the nose, alongside the sweet, warming flavors of homemade blackcurrant jam and vanilla fudge, balanced with zesty citrus notes on the palate.”
This latest release continues Glenlivet’s year-long celebrations of its bicentennial. In February, the scotch brand dropped over $400K of whisky distilled in 1972 on the The Whisky Exchange Cabinet, and the brand used AI to make the labels for the collection.
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