The Famous Grouse has unveiled what it says is its “most exclusive whisky to date”, with the release of a 40-year old blended malt.
Schiphol Airport Retail will have exclusivity on the product until the end of September and expects to have the decanter, which will have a retail price of £2,000 (US$3,045), in stores in August.
Selected by former master blender for The Famous Grouse, John Ramsay, the whiskies in the blend come from four casks, which were then married and matured slowly in sherry casks. Only 276 decanters are being produced.
The Moodie Report was present at the launch of the blend this afternoon at the Soho Whisky Club in London.
The Famous Grouse Master Blender Gordon Motion, Schiphol Airport Retail Category Manager Liquor and Tobacco Marc Gatoux and Maxxium Travel Retail Country Manager Benelux Marion Steenbeek present The Famous Grouse 40 Year OldThe blend came about after Schiphol Airport Retail enquired about the possibility of creating six limited-edition bottles. During this process, Ramsay realised he had the stocks required to create a 40-year old blend.
Maxxium Travel Retail is distributing the spirit within European travel retail, with an allocation of 40 bottles across the continent. Allocations for other regions are yet to be decided.
The decanter was created in partnership with Scottish designers Timorous BeastiesCurrent Master Blender Gordon Motion explained the challenge of creating the whisky and detailed what drinkers should expect.
“Most of the whiskies we have will be used up by the time they are 12 years old, so you get less and less left as they get older and you have a limited palette to play with,” he told The Moodie Report.
“The whisky is full of life, it has a real zing to it. You get the dried fruits and orange peel, before you get the exotic spices coming through. The first taste is very smooth, despite its strength, and it has a real burst of flavour.”
The spirit has been bottled in a decanter created in partnership with Scottish designers Timorous Beasties. It features a hand-engraved, bespoke design of the brand’s icon, the red grouse, nestled amongst detailed foliage. The decanter is completed with a Scottish silver stopper, and cased in a luxury wooden gift box.
It will be available in selected domestic markets, including Sweden, Taiwan, the UK and Australia, from 1 November. The UK domestic market has been given an allocation of 50 decanters.
The blend has an ABV of 47.3% and this week won a Gold medal and was named Best In Class (Distillers Blended Malt category) at the International Spirits Challenge 2013.
