Gordon & MacPhail Unveils 85-Year-Old Glenlivet

Gordon & MacPhail, known for its extra-aged single malt whiskies, has released the oldest-ever single malt (as of this writing), an 85-year-old whisky distilled at Glenlivet Distillery. The new make spirit was filled into one of Gordon & MacPhail’s casks in February of 1940, just as World War II was breaking out across Europe. It spent most of its maturation time at the distillery, and was eventually transferred to Gordon & MacPhail’s warehouse in Elgin, Scotland.

“It’s just incredibly exciting,” said Stephen Rankin, Gordon & MacPhail’s Director of Prestige. “From my cousin Stuart recognizing that this whisky is coming to the right point in time, it’s going to be at its best for its age, and now’s the moment. We’ve been working on this for two and a half years knowing that this was the point that Stuart said ‘look, any more than this and we’ve got to be careful,'” he said in a Zoom interview.

Only 125 decanters designed by the noted American architect Jeanne Gang will be sold with a price tag of £125,000 each. The first decanter will be auctioned at Christie’s in an online auction that begins on November 7 and runs through November 21, with net proceeds being donated to the conservation group American Forests.

Tasting notes for the Gordon & MacPhail 85 Years Old from Glenlivet Distillery are available here. Mark Gillespie’s interview with Stephen Rankin will air on this weekend’s WhiskyCast podcast.