The Oldest Single Malt Scotch Ever Bottled Will Be Up for Sale This Year

Looking good for 80.

Gordon & MacPhail, known as “one of the oldest and most revered independent bottlers in Scotch Whisky’s history,” just introduced the oldest single malt Scotch ever bottled. Generations 2021 is a spirit bottled from the Glenlivet distillery in a G&M bespoke cask back in 1940. Cask 340 has yielded a total of 250 decanters for sale, according to the company.

“That this whisky — the oldest single malt Scotch ever bottled — remains so full of vibrant flavor with a strength of 44.9% ABV, is testimony to knowledge handed down over successive generations of my family,” says Stephen Rankin, Director of Prestige at Gordon & MacPhail Whiskies (and a member of the fourth generation of the family that owns the company).

To commemorate the whiskey, Gordon & MacPhail partnered with architect and designer Sir David Adjaye OBE to create a decanter and oak case. This collaboration will be revealed in September 2021, where decanter number #1 will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in early October. Auction proceeds will be donated to the Scottish charity Trees for Life.

So, how much will it be going for? A 75-year release by G &M via the Mortlach distillery fetched around $28,000 in 2016. We don’t have tasting notes on this current release, but that 75-year old whisky was dubbed the “Ingrid Bergman of single malts,” although that, admittedly, doesn’t shed much light on this Glenlivet product. When we reviewed a 50-year old release directly from that distillery a few years back, these were our notes: “On the nose, you’ll find rich, fruity, ripe pears, some apricot jam and a hint of roasted almonds. We had tried the 15-, 18- and 21-year expressions just before this, and these were pretty consistent themes throughout the tasting.”