Rare whisky goes under the hammer for charity

Rare whisky goes under the hammer for charity

Auckland, 20 November 2009 A rare vintage single malt Scotch whisky is to be auctioned in New Zealand next month – a chance to secure the ultimate Christmas gift for the whisky connoisseur.

Just 520 bottles of the Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1975 were ever bottled, and only one of these will be available for purchase in New Zealand. The bottle will be auctioned off by premier New Zealand auction house, Webb’s, at its annual Christmas Wine Auction on 7 December, with all proceeds going to New Zealand Red Cross. (The Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1975 retails in excess of £480 in the UK.)

Lion Nathan Luxury Spirits Ambassador Frankie Walker says, “The Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1975 is a remarkable whisky and testament to the pioneering spirit of the distillery’s founder, William Grant, whose lifelong ambition was to produce the ‘best dram in the valley’.

“We’re pleased to be able to put this one-of-a-kind bottle up for grabs for New Zealand’s most passionate whisky fans and expect to see a bit of a bidding frenzy – not only because it’s a chance to own a piece of history, but it’s also raising funds for a very worthy organisation, New Zealand Red Cross.”

Frankie adds, “It’s also particularly appropriate for Christmas time – being as the first spirit flowed from the Glenfiddich stills on Christmas Day, 1887.”
The 1975 Vintage Reserve, a beautifully light and elegant single malt Scotch whisky, was bottled to commemorate the start of Scotland’s whisky tourism industry in July 1969, when the pioneering Glenfiddich distillery opened the doors of Scotland’s first distillery visitor centre.

Forty years later, a selection panel comprising five former and current tour guides returned to the distillery and joined Glenfiddich Malt Master David Stewart to choose their favourite whisky from a shortlist of exceptional quality casks from 1975. They selected cask no.22000, a European oak sherry butt which was bottled at cask strength.

Glenfiddich Malt Master David Stewart says, “The Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1975 has a rich, vibrant aroma of ripe apricots and plums, balanced by vanilla oak notes from the European oak cask. The taste is tremendously full-bodied, with layers of tannin, spice and fruity sweetness. The flavour of rich oak and soft vanilla develops a spicy character of cinnamon, nutmeg and spiced apple and has an exceptionally long, rich and oaky finish with a hint of bitter dark chocolate.

“In short, I think this whisky has aged magnificently, with every year spent in the oak sherry butt imparting delicate notes and flavours.”

The Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1975 joins the award-winning range of Glenfiddich single malt Scotch whiskies which also includes Glenfiddich 12 Year Old, 15 Year Old, 18 Year Old, 21 Year Old and 30 Year Old, all available at local alcohol retailers.

Premium single malt Scotch whisky is soaring in popularity with Kiwi consumers, reflecting an international global trend that has resulted in a global shortage of some aged whiskies as more and more consumers discover the versatility of single malts and trade up to the premium category.

In New Zealand, Glenfiddich has benefitted from this premiumisation trend, enjoying increased demand and domestic volume growth of 19% (MAT to September 2009).
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