Just one cask is released by The Glenrothes distillery each year, so it’s no mistake that the third release in the Extraordinary Cask Collection from The Glenrothes Single Malt Scotch Whisky is precious and rare. Very rare, in fact, because only 28 bottles of The Glenrothes Single Cask 1968 #113507 have been made available in the U.S. for connoisseurs willing to pay $9,250 for a hand-blown lead crystal decanter set inside a leather presentation case.
British super-premium spirits merchant Berry Bros. & Rudd Spirits and U.S. importer Anchor Distilling Company present the special bottling from Cask #13507, a second-fill hogshead cask that yielded only 145 bottles. The Glenrothes hallmarks of quality and purity are evident in the balanced and elegant single malt, fastidiously expressed by this single cask bottling. Like all Glenrothes’ whiskies, the bright gold liquid is natural in color and unchill-filtered.
And the presentation is superb, with each decanter hand-made by a craftsman at Atlantis Crystal in Alcobaca, Portugal. A brass plaque is engraved with the year of distillation and the bottle number, ensuring authenticity. The hand-engraved brass collar on the decanter neck is the work of Charles Stott, from Edinburgh’s Scottish Silversmiths. The tasting notes label is personally signed by the malt master, Gordon Motion, then numbered and dated. For a clever finishing touch, the stopper is carved from the wood of cask #13507, the same cask that held the whisky as it matured for 46 years.
“This cask follows our initial Extraordinary releases: a Single Cask from 1970 and a Single Cask from 1969, both of which have entirely sold out,” notes Ronnie Cox, Brand Heritage Director at Berry Bros. & Rudd. “The latest bottling, a venerable cask from 1968, is in keeping with The Glenrothes’ philosophy to bottle at peak maturity.”
On the nose, drinkers will note rose petals, tinned peaches, apricots in syrup, mirabelles in honey, beeswax polish and candles. On the palate: Glenrothes’ creamy texture with mascarpone, orange blossom, white pepper, and Turkish delight, followed by a lingering, leathery finish.
