THE GLEN GRANT SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY – DEVOTION # 1 – To be auctioned by Sotheby´s

Finest Whisky | The Glen Grant 70 Year Old Devotion

THE GLEN GRANT SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY REVEALS DEVOTION 70-YEAR-OLD, A SCULPTURAL MASTERPIECE AND THE OLDEST EVER RELEASE FROM THE DISTILLERY

The first of the seven total decanters, each one-of-a-kind, auctioned by Sotheby’s from September 11-22

ROTHES, SCOTLAND –on September 1st The Glen Grant Single Malt Scotch Whisky, located in the heart of Speyside, announced the oldest ever release from the distillery in its 180 years. The Glen Grant Devotion is an exquisite 70-year-old single malt whisky, presented as a handcrafted sculptural masterpiece, many years in the making.

Inspired by the remarkable reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, this release is a tribute to seventy years of resolute service and a lifelong devotion to nature. These commitments, shared by forefather James ‘The Major’ Grant and Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm OBE, lies at the very core of The Glen Grant.

Sourced from a single French oak butt seasoned with oloroso sherry filled in 1953 at The Glen Grant distillery, Devotion was hand-selected for its lifetime of character achieved through exquisite maturation. The striking deep chestnut hues combine with a definitive floral aroma of intense barley sugar, ripe peach, giving way to honey sweetness. The palate is captivated with rich dried fruits, raisins, sultana, dry spice with just a hint of oak. Showcasing the excellence and unparalleled aging potential of The Glen Grant whiskies, the whisky is at a high strength of 55.5% abv.

_{John Galvin
The Glen Grant Devotion
©Courtesy. Sotheby´s 2023}

The Glen Grant Devotion 70-year-old was brought to life through the combined talents of Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm OBE, award-winning craftsman John Galvin and hot glass master Brodie Nairn of GLASSTORM. With only seven beautiful, hand-blown decanters created, and each one of-a-kind, The Glen Grant’s Devotion is as rare as it is extraordinary.

_{Brodie Nairn
The Glen Grant Devotion
©Courtesy. Sotheby´s 2023}

All seven of the unique decanters are presented as a mesmerising gem-shaped objet d’art, with seven facets celebrating each decade of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. Each features a silver capsule, adorned with its own individually meaningful floral engraving as a celebration of her inspiring life. The jewel-like decanter is perfectly balanced within a striking wood sculpture handcrafted from a fallen elm tree discovered within the distillery gardens and features an intricate woven design of shapes and forms inspired by nature. The engraving on the sculpture’s silver diameter pays homage to Her Majesty’s favourite flowers, the Lily of the Valley, and features the proud Thistle of Scotland.

To support the preservation of Scotland’s native woodland, Decanter Number One will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in an online sale running from September 11th- 22nd September 2023 with 100% of the proceeds donated to the Royal Scottish Forestry Society, of which Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was the Patron. This promise will further the work of the Royal Scottish Forestry Society and The Major’s legacy in the creation of his beloved 27-acre Garden of Splendours, with a new planting site on Speyside. The exclusive decanter Number One features The Queen Elizabeth Rose, named for Her Majesty, and engraved in gold and with distinctive embellishments, which are unique to this auction piece.

Commenting on this release, Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm, said,

“In the true spirit of The Glen Grant, we bring together the inspiring legacy of our story with the personal devotion of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, to realise this exquisite masterpiece. To be devoted, is to show unwavering loyalty and love to something you care for deeply, which sits at the heart of our whisky-making philosophy, as well as shining through with our creative collaborators. This is a lifetime of character and legacy captured in a magnificent creation, like nothing we have ever seen.

Jonny Fowle, Global Head of Spirits at Sotheby’s said:

“This whisky embodies so much of what is important in whisky collecting: quality, rarity, age and most of all provenance as the oldest whisky ever to be released directly from The Glen Grant Distillery itself. This whisky displays a fantastically deep, dark colour after seven decades of oak maturation, which contrasts beautifully with John Galvin’s opulent light wood structure making it the perfect centrepiece for the world’s most impressive whisky collections.”

Following the auction of decanter Number One, the remaining six decanters will be made available for sale with price available upon request, starting in October of 2023. Each of the seven decanters will be available for sale in select global markets:

Singapore – Orchid
Hong Kong – Daffodil
US – Daisy & Clematis
China – Begonia
Japan – Stephanotis
UK – Rose

The floral details of the seven decanters are as follows:

Decanter #1: The Queen Elizabeth Rose named for Her Majesty engraved in gold, making this first decanter a true one of a kind creation which will be auctioned online by Sotheby’s

Decanter #2: Orchid celebrating the bridal bouquet from her marriage to HRH Duke of Edinburgh.

Decanter #3: Daffodil, the national flower of Wales and homage to the creation of a special Diamond Jubilee flower.

Decanter #4: Clematis which feature around the Buckingham Palace gardens and also Windsor Castle where she is laid to rest

Decanter #5: Daisy, the birth flower of Queen Elizabeth II.

Decanter #6: Begonia from the Silver Jubilee celebrations.

Decanter #7: Stephanotis symbolising Scotland and featured in her Coronation bouquet.

Tasting notes:

Colour: Deep chestnut with bright golden hues Aroma Floral, intense barley sugar, and ripe peach give way to honey sweetness.
Taste: Dried fruits, raisins, sultana, dry spice, hint of oak.
Finish: Lingering, rich and complex, soft fruits, spice, hint of smoke.
ABV: 55.5%

Sotheby’s is delighted to partner with The Glen Grant Distillery to offer, for the first time, The Glen Grant Devotion. At 70-Years-Old, this is the oldest single malt whisky ever to be released directly from the distillery and presented as a handcrafted masterpiece. Only 7 decanters have been created to celebrate each decade of exquisite maturation, however this particular decanter stands above the rest. Decanter #1 (Estimate70,000 – 110,000 GBP), is the only of 7 to be finished with engraved gold detailing alongside a chess-piece miniature and a set of hand-blown glasses mirroring the seven facets on the decanter.