Luxury whisky for collectors: top 10 releases to buy

From lifestyle pages to sale rooms, rare whisky continues to make the headlines. A liquid asset that was once criminally undervalued now routinely fetches six-figure sums when the rarest bottles come to auction. Distillers have not been shy about their ambition to cash in on this increasingly global demand, as collectors from Shanghai to San Francisco vie to get hold of the latest long-aged, highly limited release. When only a few hundred bottles are released onto the market, eye-watering price tags are no longer any obstacle to making the sale. Buyers have to move fast – or risk being disappointed. Such is the turnover of rare whisky releases that it’s almost impossible to keep up. Just about every distillery in Scotland is raiding its warehouses to seek out decades-old casks to bottle, often tweaking the whisky’s character with an unusual finish to catch the eye of potential purchasers. Scotch and beyond [subscriber-content]Larger distillers, such as the biggest name in Scotch whisky, Diageo, have a rolling programme of these bottlings. Previously it was the company’s annual Special Releases that attracted the most attention. Now it’s Prima & Ultima : whiskies that explicitly celebrate scarcity by being the first, or the last, of their kind. Private inventories are also being opened up for public consumption. The House of Hazelwood ’s first two tranches of whisky, released this year, are drawn from the stocks of the Gordon family, owner of Glenfiddich and Balvenie distiller William Grant & Sons. They’re an eclectic array of blends, blended malts and grains, but share the key collector-friendly aspects of scarcity and age. Nor is this phenomenon confined to Scotland. Rare spirits specialist The Last Drop Distillers released its first Japanese whisky this year: a blended malt including spirit from the fabled Hanyu distillery. It also released a remarkable American whiskey created by Sazerac master blender Drew Mayville (see below) . As any auction house will tell you, whiskies from outside Scotland are in increasingly strong demand now. [caption id="attachment_486014" align="alignnone" width="630"] The Macallan Horizon[/caption] Luxury collaboration As whisky becomes more collectable – and more expensive – distillers are moving beyond its borders to collaborate with new cultural partners. Highland single malt The Dalmore has a three-year partnership with V&A Dundee that unites whisky-making and design (see below) . While luxury market leader The Macallan has unveiled The Macallan Horizon , a ‘concept whisky’ in tandem with luxury car maker Bentley Motors. Islay distillery Bowmore works with Aston Martin; Highland malt The Glenturret has partnered with Jaguar Cars. It says much about whisky’s newfound status that – so far – much more has been revealed about The Macallan Horizon’s design and packaging than of the whisky inside it. Nonetheless, some aspects of the collectable and rare whisky market will never change: the most sought-after bottles will always combine the key attributes of scarcity and desirability. For the latter, the name on the label, and the millions spent on marketing, will never be the most crucial consideration; instead, complexity, balance, character and true quality will enable them to stand out from an increasingly populous crowd. Whisky for collectors: ten of the best A Breath of Fresh Air, House of Hazelwood, The Legacy Collection £1,450, House of Hazelwood An uncommon beast indeed, this 37-year-old blended grain Scotch whisky proves that grain can be great, if somewhat hard to pin down in flavour terms. Ethereal and delicate at first, with floral aromas alongside eucalyptus and pink peppercorn, it becomes more confident on the palate: honeyed cereal notes, dark honey and a firm grip emanating from the cask. Alcohol 46% Brora 1981, 40 Years Old (Prima & Ultima) £7,500, Justerini & Brooks You never know where you are with Brora. For a start, this Highland distillery hasn’t always been called Brora. Once a ‘ghost’ distillery, it’s now making whisky again after a near-40-year hiatus. In flavour terms, it has veered between multiple styles; but this is a joy. Juicy fruits drenched in honey, a whiff of snuffed candle, a pinch of nutmeg and a shy wisp of peat smoke. A whisky to lose yourself in. Alc 44.1% Bushmills Causeway Collection 2000 Port Cask £275, The Whisky Exchange One of a trio of fresh Irish releases for 2022 in the County Antrim distillery’s high-end Causeway Collection. This is another delicious showcase for the winning combination of Bushmills’ distillate with Port casks – which can be overpoweringly sweet and blowsy in the wrong company. Rich, ripe red fruit mingles with punchy spice, white chocolate and light treacle. Cask strength, but carries it well. Alc 54.1% The Dalmore Luminary Series No 1 Collectible Aged 15 Years £250, Majestic First in a three-year series created in partnership with V&A Dundee, this Scotch is a showcase for whisky-maker Gregg Glass and designer Maurizio Mucciola. The whisky is as eye-catching as the packaging. Finished in Amarone wine casks and hybrid ‘kintsugi’ casks combining Scottish, American and Japanese mizunara oak, it’s tawny-orange in colour and shows a lighter, softer side to Dalmore, with aromatic orange zest, red cherry and white chocolate. Alc 46.8% Glenfiddich Grande Couronne 26 Year Old £445.79, Master of Malt A relatively lengthy, two-year finish in ex-Cognac French oak casks takes the world’s best-selling single malt into fresh, opulent territory. Time and wood concentrate the distillery’s signature green fruit aromas into baked apple pie and poached pear, dusted with brown sugar and drizzled with dark honey. The French oak adds a gently spicy dryness to the finish, undercutting the otherwise dominant sweetness. Alc 43.8% Linkwood 50 Year Old, Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection £6,757.56, The Single Malt Shop Independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail draws on unrivalled stocks of aged single malt to create masterpieces like this exclusive for Dublin online retailer The Single Malt Shop. Beautifully aromatic, with hedgerow florals, pot-pourri and that refined earthy dimension that only comes from long ageing in refill oak. An admittedly expensive gem that’s well worth tracking down. Alc 42.4% The Last Drop Release No 28 Signature Blend £3,100.34, Brunswick Fine Wines The 28th release from rare spirits specialist The Last Drop is the company’s latest Signature Blend: a combination of aged straight bourbon and rye whiskeys created by Sazerac Master Blender Drew Mayville. Limited to fewer than 1,500 bottles and likely to set you back over £3,000 (for which you get one full and one 50ml sample bottle), it’s a high-octane mix of dark, dried fruit, fiery rye spice and classic white oak vanilla. Alc 60.7% The Last Drop 20 Year Old Japanese Blended Malt £4,200, The Vineyard The first Japanese whisky released by The last Drop, this blended malt includes spirit from the beginning and the end of the 20-year lifespan of the famed Hanyu distillery, along with other unnamed Japanese malts. Married in an ex-Sherry cask, it belies its high strength with subtle aromas of exotic fruits, jasmine and green tea. Restrained, elegant and beautifully textured, with a little creamy vanilla on the finish. Alc 60% [caption id="attachment_484738" align="alignnone" width="630"] The House of Hazelwood collection[/caption] The Next Chapter, House of Hazelwood, The Charles Gordon Collection £4,000, The House of Hazelwood The epitome of scarcity, there are (or were) only 157 bottles of this 50-year-old blend available. But what a blend it is… Breadth and depth in equal measure, with rich, rounded flavours of creamy toffee and hazelnut ushering in a powerful mix of dry spice, antique leather and dried apricot and mango. Complex, but harmonious. Alc 44% The Singleton of Glen Ord 1987, 34 Years Old (Prima & Ultima) £1,070, Justerini & Brooks Few would namecheck Glen Ord in a roster of collectable Scotch single malt names, but this remarkably vigorous whisky should elevate its status. It’s a malt that rewards endless nosing, thanks to its hugely fragrant, floral character, accompanying zesty fruit, ginger and a faintly drying smoky hint from the oak. Water opens up even more aromas of honeysuckle and vanilla. Alc 49.4% [/subscriber-content] Related articles Ten of the best: whiskies for Christmas 2022 New release: Finn Thomson whisky Shirakawa 1958 single malt set for release

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Luxury whisky for collectors: top 10 releases to buy

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