September Scotch: The Glenlivet Eternal Collection, First Edition, 55 Year Old
The acclaimed Speyside distillery’s oldest single malt release ever comes housed in a sculptural vessel by artist Michael Hansmeyer
To commemorate their 200th anniversary, acclaimed Speyside single malt scotch whisky brand The Glenlivet has released their oldest expression thus far—one that they’ve carefully matured (and monitored) for more than five decades. The Glenlivet Eternal Collection, First Edition, 55 Year Old is the latest in a series of ultra-high-age-statement scotch whiskies to garner headlines, but beneath its eye-catching numbers (only 100 bottles, each sold at $55,000) is the type of covetable liquid that collectors dream of. Further, the scotch has been nestled into a distinct, hand-sculpted and gold-plated jesmonite vessel from pioneering artist and computational architect Michael Hansmeyer. To learn more, we spoke with The Glenlivet’s cask master, Kevin Balmforth, for our September Scotch series.
Perhaps the greatest takeaway from our discussion was how hands-on Balmforth; director of blending, Sandy Hyslop; and their team were throughout the entire developmental process of the precious liquid. “We’ve been looking after these casks for decades,” Balmforth tells us. “But it was probably around four or five years ago that we decided we wanted to use them for the 55 year old, to celebrate the 200th anniversary.”
Balmforth and Hyslop pulled aged liquid from a number of casks. “We wanted to elevate its flavor a bit further,” he says. “We thought a sherry cask could do that. We knew we needed something that would move a whisky that was already rich. Finishing it in something more delicate would not have had the impact we wanted. It wouldn’t have even scratched the surface.”
The Glenlivet team reached out to their Spanish barrel partner and requested samples of all of their sherries. Then, they conducted a flavorful test in Scotland. “We narrowed our selection down to Oloroso, Pedro Ximénez and Palo Cortado,” Balmforth says. “Then we made a blend of the three to our own specifications and sent the recipe back to Spain. They conditioned our barrel with it before we used it for the 55 year old.”
For The Glenlivet Eternal Collection, First Edition, 55 Year Old, they only drew a small portion of single malt from the finishing cask—enough for 100 bottles. For the next three consecutive years, Balmforth plans to release another edition from the same source. As for this luscious edition, the liquid noses of ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and orange—but on the palate those baking-spice notes swirl into flavors of pear, tropical fruits and chocolate creaminess. The long, full finish is reminiscent of the earlier citrus notes. It represents a precise balance between single malt, wood, and time.
To put it all into perspective, the maturation duration of The Glenlivet Eternal Collection, First Edition, 55 Year Old is about one-quarter of the distillery’s staggering two centuries in near continuous operation. That alone is reason enough to pay attention—but it would be nothing more than a milestone gesture if the single malt scotch itself wasn’t as delicious as it is.
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