(Photo: Johnnie Walker)
On Wednesday, Johnnie Walker paid homage to the legacy of Scottish distilling with a 52-year-old blend of six rare malt whiskeys and two grain whiskies. The batches were sourced from a variety of ghost distillers, some of which shuttered their doors as early as the 1980s.
The expression has been limited to just 200 bottles slated to go on sale at a suggested retail price of £23,500 ($25,000). Here's what the whisky entails:
For the single-grain whiskies, master distiller Emma Walker gathered liquid from Cambus, which closed in 1993, and Caresebridge, which closed a decade earlier in 1983. The single grains are said to imbue flavors of butterscotch, spice, tea leaves and hints of menthol to the final product.
Things get a little more complicated when it comes to the single malts. Five of the six were sourced from closed distilleries: Glenury Royal, Glenlochy, Glen Albyn and Brora. The final whisky in the batch was produced at Dalwhinnie, which continues to distill its namesake liquor brand to this day.
According to the brand, the Glenury Royal and Glenlochy liquid added flavors of berries, confectionary fruit and oiliness while Glen Albyn and Dalwhinnie contributed "salinity, cured meat and cacao." The Brora whisky is said to impart "soft smoke, blue cheese and deep complexity."
“Alongside my small team of whisky experts, we hand-selected some of our oldest and most precious casks of Highland single malt and Lowland single grain whiskies for my first ultra-rare release as master blender," Walker remarked in a news release. "With this deceptively simple cask combination, our intention was to create a new, masterful blend in homage to our founders’ achievements."
As is the case with all blended spirits, the 52-year age statement etched on the bottle reflects only the youngest liquid in the batch. Other whisky used in the blend is almost certainly older, though Johnnie Walker has not disclosed by how much.
The expression is bottled at 41.2% ABV, currently available through Diageo private client services and select luxury retailers.
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