Glen Grant Devotion 70yo
Recently there has been a real abundance of old and special editions, among which not a few are "the oldest edition in the distillery's history." Such was the case with Brora Iris 50yo, such was the case with Bowmore STAC 55yo, such is the case with the latest work of the distillers at Glen Grant distillery.
Glen Grant Devotion 70yo (55.5% vol.) is a whisky dating back to 1953, which spent its entire maturation period in a single French oak butt cask, seasoned with sherry. Only 7 (in words: seven) decanters were created, the design of which makes your head spin. Presenting the oldest whisky in the history of the Glen Grant distillery is a collaboration between fine artist John Galvin and master craftsman Brodie Nairn of Glasstorm. The seven-panel crystal work of art that this unusual whisky came in, as well as the beverage itself, are a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who died last year. Hence the repeated use of the number 7, referring to the seven decades of the Queen's reign (1952-2022). The closure of each decanter is made of silver and is decorated with an individual floral motif.
Although it seems unlikely that anyone would pore over opening any of the seven decanters and tasting the whiskey inside, according to the producer, Glen Grant Devotion 70yo in its bouquet offers intense accents of barley sugar, ripe peaches and honey. On the taste we can expect notes of dried fruits, raisins, spices and accents of oak.
Carafe number one will be put up for auction, after which the other six will be put up for sale. However, no retail price has been announced, which is expected to be disclosed if there is interest in buying it. However, it is speculated that it will be in the range of 70-110,000. pounds.
Glen Grant is one of four distilleries located in the small village of Rothes, halfway between Elgin and Aberlour in the Speyside region. It was founded in 1839 by brothers John and James Grant, after whom it was named. It is one of the few cases where the word "glen" in a distillery's name does not refer to a mountain valley. Glen Grant's heyday years were in the second half and end of the 19th century, when the distillery was owned by John Grant's son, also John, but commonly known as Major Grant. He was the first proprietor of an automobile in the Scottish Highlands, introduced a number of innovations in the design and shape of alembics, and was the first to begin exporting the whisky produced. Encouraged by the success of the venture, he decided to build a second distillery. Glen Grant No. 2, as the new distillery was originally called, was located across the main street running through Rothes, and in time was named Caperdonich.
Glen Grant has been known before for releasing editions of old and very old whiskies. The bottling of old and vintage Glen Grants was largely done in collaboration with or under the banner of the independent Gordon & MacPhail, located in nearby Elgin, if only as part of the Private Collection series. Gordon & MacPhail has already bottled 70-year-old and even 74-year-old whiskies from the Glen Grant distillery, but the Devotion 70yo edition is the oldest whisky bottled by the producer itself.
In its current offering, the House of Whisky Online has an extremely an extensive collection of whiskies from the Glen Grant distillery, including several vintage editions, bottled as liquor over 50 years old. We invite you to visit.
[04.09.2023 / Photo: Glen Grant]