A Brief History of The Glenturret
Positioning itself as Scotland’s oldest working distillery with roots back to 1763 The Glenturret has catapulted itself into the whisky limelight since its acquisition from Edrington by the Lalique Group in 2019 – famed for their crystal glassware that houses the world’s most collectable bottles including notable The Macallan releases.
Many readers will be familiar with the story of Towser, The Glenturret cat who earnt a Guiness World record as mouse catcher extraordinaire. Before Towser’s sad demise at the mighty age of twenty-four, it is estimated that she caught 28,899 at a rate of 3 or 4 a day and wrote herself into The Glenturret folklore.
The Glenturret had a total rebrand in 2020, recruiting the best in the industry, and putting out not only excellent quality aged whiskies but also some of the coolest collaborations going. Projects with Jaguar, The Gleneagles and St Andrews Golf Course were snapped up quickly by collectors and their first Manager’s Dram bottling saw rapid price appreciation and even with recent corrections is double its 2021 release price.
Innovation has always been part of The Glenturret story and focusing on small batches is part of the DNA. So today let us have a look through some of the rarest releases from the distillery.
The Glenturret X Amber Island – 30-Year-Old
During the summer of 2022, the global duty-free operator Gebr. Heinemann launched Amber Island. An innovative force looking to digitalise the world of whisky collecting. Membership was secured through buying digital keys through blockchain technology. Becoming a member opened the door to exclusive bottles and experiences.
Amber Island needed a partner distillery for the first member release. The progressive and experimental approach of The Glenturret lent itself perfectly. The liquid needed to be exceptional and aspirational and the team at The Glenturret isolated a small parcel of 30YO stock to fit the bill. The whisky itself was unique, different from any of the other 30YO annual releases and bottled at a slightly higher strength (46%)
The team at Amber Island comprised an interesting blend of whisky experts alongside, the smartest minds working the tech fields of NFT, Web3 and Blockchain technology. Having found quality liquid it was important that the design and packaging reflected that.
Amber Island commissioned Digital artist Mark Inducil to create something unique for the label. His expertise lies in digital art, where he crafts intricate pieces using 3D modelling. Inducil’s work has become known for its textured richness and emotional depth, reflecting his exploration of memory, psychology, and emotional processing. This certainly translated onto the label!
Only thirty bottles were made and in March 2023 sold out in 7 minutes at 2,100 GBP. Each bottle came with a unique numbered certificate signed by former MD John Laurie, and Distillery Manager Ian Renwick. Only one has featured at auction since release, selling in September this year at 3,000 GBP.
The Glenturret, Annabel’s Bespoke Release, 24-Year-Old
Annabel’s is a private members club situated in Berkeley Square, Mayfair. The club has a rich history dating back to 1963 when it first opened its doors to the international jet-set. Its opening night was so busy that they famously turned away Peter O’Toole who had just lit up the screen with his academy award nominated performance in Lawrence of Arabia.
The club has evolved over the years moving locations within Berkeley Square. It is rumoured that Diana, Princess of Wales and Sarah Ferguson attended disguised as police offers and in its earlier days the only person exempt from wearing a tie was Mick Jagger.
The original five hundred club members paid five guineas a year for lifetime membership which continues today with a yearly charge of just five pounds. Joining now is a slightly more expensive proposition, if you are lucky enough to be selected…there is currently a waiting list of more than 12,000! An individual membership will set you back 3750 GBP plus a joining fee of 1850 GBP.
Besides gaining access to a very exclusive club and the ability to rub shoulders with celebrities and royalty, it also unlocked access to some very special liquids. Annabel’s has collaborated with The Dalmore on a special selection bottling and famed Tequila producer Patron on a charity release.
In the autumn of 2022, a bespoke bottling of The Glenturret was quietly offered to select members. The internet is virtually silent on this release. It has only come to auction once and has no entry on Whiskybase. Aged 24 years, it was bottled at 44.3% with only twenty made. Featuring an elegant and simple label design and no gift packaging this is a lesson in understatement. Nothing is known about the flavour profile but with Bob Dalgarno having selected the liquid it is sure to be special.
The next bottles on our rare The Glenturret list are particularly quirky. The Amber Island and Annabel’s bottlings have a clear strategy and purpose; to serve their members and exhibit exclusivity, however the decanters filled from casks 580 and 588 seem to be something of a mystery.
Whisky distilled in 1987 in casks 580 and 588 was finally bottled at 29YO in 2019. The production was a minuscule seven bottles in total. Four bottles were filled from the liquid aged in cask 580 and three from cask 588. The distillery used heavyweight crystal decanters from Glencairn and sold them exclusively through the distillery shop.
The bottles do occasionally appear at auction, about once a year, and appear undervalued considering the age and scarcity. It may be that The Glenturret collecting market puts a premium on the bottles post the Lalique rebrand that occurred in 2020.
The effort involved in sourcing the decanters, engraving them, filling them, and marketing them in the distillery shop was negligible in terms of profit for The Glenturret but for the collectors who have obtained one they are no doubt an absolute bargain!
The Glenturret – Sotheby’s Connection
The momentum The Glenturret has experienced in recent times can, in some measure, be put down to its collaboration with Sotheby’s auctioneers. As its chosen auction partner Sotheby’s has been able to showcase the rarest bottles ever produced by the distillery setting records along the way. Before we continue our journey through these gems, James Gray, Senior Whisky Specialist, Sotheby’s was kind enough to share his thoughts…
“The Glenturret Distillery has gone from strength to strength since it was taken over by The Lalique Group in 2019. They possess fantastic old stock and under the expert eye of Whisky Maker Bob Dalgarno have released some extremely high quality, aged expressions.”
Through their shrewd use of brand partnerships and leaning into their ability to use stunning Lalique crystal decanters, The Glenturret have created some of the most iconic and distinctive whisky expressions in recent years. We are delighted to be the chosen auction partner for The Glenturret Distillery, with each offering so far achieving exceptional results and raising substantial sums for charity."
The Glenturret Uaine
The inaugural Distillers One of One auction in December 2021 featured lots from the worlds most famed distillers. Bowmore created a unique 51YO magnum bottle, Glenfiddich offered up the 1950’s collection featuring four different bottles each into their 60’s and Talisker donated a cask from 1978.
The auction provided The Glenturret a chance to really flex their creative muscles and they did not disappoint with ‘Uaine’ (green in Gaelic). This unique 29YO single malt was selected and hand-crafted by legendary Whisky Maker Bob Dalgarno and is presented in a beautiful Lalique decanter in one-of-a-kind jade-green crystal designed by Marl Larminaux, Head of Creative at Lalique. They employed Scottish craftsman Callum Robinson to fashion a hand sculptured bespoke chest to house the bottle.
The bidding on the bottle was strong. The estimate of 15,000 GBP – 26,000 GBP was smashed at 37,500 GBP, resulting in a new record price for a bottle of The Glenturret at the time.
The Glenturret Enduring Spirit
Fast forward two years and it was time for the second Distillers One of One auction. The trade had seen the results of the first auction and this time more distilleries joined in and although not a competition there was certainly the air that everyone needed to up their game.
Bowmore unleashed their oldest release ever with STAC 55YO, Brora created IRIS 50YO and Glen Grant donated “Visionary” a 68YO magnum. The Glenturret certainly did not rest on their laurels and produced The Enduring Spirit.
The relationship with Lalique was front and centre. To house these unique whiskies, Lalique created four beautiful crystal decanters using a vintage mould from the 1980s. Each decanter features a lasered image from artist Kirstin Burnet which depicts a key moment from one of the four centuries The Glenturret has been in existence.
The bottles are housed in a trunk hand-crafted by Method Studio, the same craftspeople that created The Glenturret Uaine One of One in 2021. The whiskies vary in age from 25YO to 44YO and each unique in their own way in taste and bottle engraving.
Sotheby’s estimated 40,000 GBP to 80,000 GBP for the single lot. It ended up being one of the most heavily fought over in the entire sale, as well-heeled fans of the brand went back and forth. It closed at over triple the low estimate making it the most expensive and rarest The Glenturret in the distillery’s history – 125,000 GBP. We are only a year away from the next auction and so I am sure that the team there already have their thinking caps on!
Conclusion
So, there we have it, a whistle stop tour through some of The Glenturret’s most limited releases. It may be some time before we see the Distillers One of One bottles come to light (if ever!) and wait with bated breath for the next one in 2025. However, those with patience may be able to track down some of the other collectables on this list through the secondary online auction market.
If you cannot wait then Cask 580, 588 and the Annabel’s Bespoke release are available immediately duty paid in the UK through Spirits Sourcery. Please visit www.spiritssourcery.com or contact me via email info@spiritssourcery.com to find out more.
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