Rare 50 year old – yours for £12,000 a bottle

Special edition Loch Lomond whisky encased in chest and decanter

Special edition whisky 

Loch Lomond Distillery is releasing its oldest and rarest single malt whisky at a price aimed at connoisseurs and collectors.

Limited to 60 decanters worldwide, it is one of the few 50 Year Old expressions from any distillery in the world and will retail for £12,000 a bottle.

The whisky has been quietly maturing, first in American oak hogshead and then in European oak hogshead at the distillery in Alexandria.  It is drawn from a single cask and bottled at 46.2% abv. 

John Peterson, production director, said: “Our straight neck pot stills were unique in 1966 when they were first installed, and they are still unique to this day, providing us with greater control over the quality and flavour profile of the spirit.”

Crafting the 50 Year Old single malt has been the work of master blender, Michael Henry who said: “The expectations are high when you are working with a whisky as special and scarce as this and it came with great responsibility, but selecting and perfecting this single malt was a true honour. 

“Our stills are synonymous with the fruity notes they give to the whisky.”

Each hand-blown crystal decanter is presented in a bespoke chest created by Method Studio in Scotland., run by husband and wife team, Callum Robinson and Marisa Giannasi.

The numbered chests are hand-shaped in solid oak, leather lined and indigo-dyed until almost black in colour. Only a solid brass key is visible from the exterior, while inside is the bottle of 50 Year Old and a a solid turned brass vial, lined in glass and reminiscent of the straight neck pot still used in the distilling process.

Mr Robinson, creative director at Method Studio, said: “There are few distilleries named after a body of water as opposed to a place, and we drew great inspiration from Scotland’s most romantic, dramatic and historic loch.” 

Colin Matthews, CEO of Loch Lomond Group, said the distillery has been one of Scotland’s best kept secrets. 

“With the launch of the 50 Year Old single malt, we are putting Loch Lomond firmly on the Scotch whisky map and we are proud to become one of a very select few distilleries in the world which have released a 50 year old whisky.”