Hitting the big 125 means different things for different people, but for the folks over at Glenfiddich they celebrated with a big bang by throwing a pretty high-brow dinner party in Singapore that was even attended by Kirsten Grant Meikle, a fifth-generation Grant family member and Director of Prestige at William Grant & Sons UK.
But while the special dinner was probably nice and all – we wouldn’t know, we weren’t invited to attend the black-tie event – with the theme of ‘Love, Lineages & Legacies’ where guests were treated to a special food-and-whisky pairing menu, what’s perhaps more interesting for the rest of us was the unveiling of the Glenfiddich Anniversary Vintage.
Chef Janice Wong of 2am:dessertbar wowing guests with edible art pieces meant to pair with select Glenfiddich whiskies.
One of the rarest whiskies ever released by the whisky maker with only 286 bottles available, this limited-edition 25 Year Old whisky is the latest addition to the Glenfiddich Rare Collection. It’s casked in a European oak sherry butt on Christmas Day of 1987 – Glenfiddich’s centenary anniversary – and a quarter of a century later, Glenfiddich Malt Master, Brian Kinsman would pre-select a small number of the special centenary casks so that on the 125th anniversary of the first spirit running from the distillery’s stills Glenfiddich founder William Grant’s great-great grandson Peter Gordon and his son Dougal could choose cask number 19996 to become the Glenfiddich Anniversary Vintage.
Bronze in colour, Glenfiddich Anniversary Vintage has a nose of rich fruit cake, toasted almonds and cinnamon flavours, underpinned by a zesty citrus note enveloped in vanilla sweetness, allowing hints of liquorice, leather and ground coffee. On the tongue it’s supposed to take on a beautiful velvety texture, rich and spicy with a sweet sherbety flavour. The depth of oak tannin creates an intriguing balance of sweet and dry with a luxurious mouth coating oiliness, which is decadently succeeded by a long-lasting, sweet, oaky finish. Each individually numbered bottle is finished with a rustic copper and blue design and is presented in its own beautiful case.
“Bottled from just one European oak sherry cask and testament to the uniqueness of this exclusive whisky, Glenfiddich Anniversary Vintage has a cask-strength ABV of 55.2%. Glenfiddich has been family run since 1887 and with the freedom of independence and the foresight of long term planning, we have created the largest collection of single malt stock anywhere in the world,” said Malt Master Brian Kinsman.
But it’s going to be exceedingly hard to get your hands on – there’s only just 3 bottles available in Singapore, and will sell for a minimum of S$1,488. If you’re keen to be one of 3 lucky folks in these parts, visit www.glenfiddichanniversaryvintage.com to learn how you can get one of these special whiskies.
[Update: We just got word that the 3 bottles of Glenfiddich Anniversary Vintage have all been auctioned off for charity so they’re no longer available. Hasta la vista, babies.]
