Glenlivet 56 Year Old 1 of 1 Eternal Collection Second Edition Sells for £75K at Sotheby’s
As great as it is to find quality drams for affordable prices, sometimes it’s nice to close your eyes and imagine what it would be like to be able to purchase your whisky at prestigious auctions, rather than your local supermarket.
As you might have guessed, today’s post is something a little different and something a little more decadent. Okay, who am I kidding, it’s a lot more decadent, as it is a dram which recently sold at auction at Sotheby’s no less, for the princely sum of £75K.
The dram in question is The Glenlivet 56 Year Old 1 of 1 and is the second release as part of The Glenlivet Eternal Collection. It is a release as part of a partnership with Sotheby’s and was available solely through Sotheby’s Finest & Rarest Whisky Auction, which ran from November 6th – November 20th.
As if that wasn’t all, from November 10th, the whisky has also been displayed at Sotheby’s London Gallery. What I really loved about this particular auction, however, is the fact that proceeds from the auction were used to support the National Trust for Scotland’s excavation work within the stunning Cairngorms.
So, kick back, grab your fanciest glass, and let’s take a look at what truly makes a whisky that sells for £75K.
The Glenlivet Eternal Collection Second Edition
The Glenlivet are no strangers when it comes to exceptional whisky. The distillery, which has roots that can be traced as far back as 1824, is renowned for producing exceptional premium-quality Speyside drams.
Out of the drams they’ve produced over the last year or so, however, there’s a collection that really stands out, and that is their Eternal Collection.
Launched back in 2024, Glenlivet kicked off their Eternal Collection with a cracking 55 year old single malt whisky. This First Edition dram was released in collaboration with architect Michael Hansmayer. It featured a casing, designed by Michael, that was inspired by, and paid homage to, the home of The Glenlivet. This sculpture perfectly encapsulated the rural landscapes surrounding the Spey Valley.
Again, the whisky sold at Sotheby’s for £63,000, making a whopping £42,000 (hammer price) for The National Trust of Scotland. This year, The Glenlivet have gone one year, and more than £33,000 better with their 56 Year Old 1 of 1.
The second release in the series, was crafted by Master Blender Kevin Balmforth who collaborated closely with high-end sherry suppliers in Spain to create a sherry monster like no other.
Balmforth sourced a bespoke blend of Oloroso, PX, and Palo Cortado to season a brand-new European Spanish oak cask which helped season the whisky for several years. This was then combined with an American ex-bourbon cask to produce a truly unique dual maturation process that lasted for more than four years.
As impressive as the whisky tastes (we’ll get to that shortly), you simply cannot overlook the sheer craftsmanship and aesthetics of the prestige spherical, 24 carat gold-plated decanter, adorned with golden engravings depicting Scottish heather branches that it is presented in. It even features a bespoke bar top complete with a 137.73-carat lab-grown tourmaline simulant.
But wait, as if that wasn’t enough, there’s more to come. Along with this stunning decanter, the whisky is accompanied by a Guatemalan marble sculptural plinth with gold-plated heather branches designed by Fredrikson Stallard, a British/Swedish art and design studio based in London. The decanter and plinth were both designed to represent the dramatic Scottish terrain of Speyside.
Proceeds from the auction were donated to The National Trust for Scotland and the excavation work they’re currently carrying out in the Cairngorms to preserve archaeological remains which are currently under threat due to erosion. Now that’s a worthy cause if ever there were one.
The Glenlivet 56 Year Old 1 of 1 Tasting Notes
Unfortunately for me, I haven’t yet been lucky enough to sample this seventy five grand dram of whisky for myself, so I can’t provide a personalised review. What I can do however, is go by what others, including The Glenlivet, are saying about the tasting notes, as well as a few of my contacts in the biz, to give you a rough breakdown of how this dram tastes, and what it’s all about.
To begin with, the whisky, which is more than five and a half decades old, is bottled at a cask strength of 42.7% ABV. Before bottling, it underwent that dual-maturation and seasoning process we looked at earlier. Spoiler alert, those sherries definitely seem to have done their jobs.
As you might expect for a whisky that has matured for more than half a century, it has taken on a glorious deep chestnut brown colour. On the nose, tasting notes describe this whisky as being rich in aromas of sticky dates, cherry compote, poached plums, black treacle, toffee apple, chocolate ganache, and vanilla-infused crème anglaise.
On the palate, that trademark Glenlivet orchard fruit character is alive and well. These flavours work in harmony with ripe bananas, fresh blackberries, Eton mess dessert, salted caramel, lightly spiced Christmas cake, sticky toffee pudding, Manuka honey and caramel coated hazelnuts.
The finish is said to be silky smooth, lengthy, sweet, complex, and enduring in equal measure. There are notes of ripe summer berries, dark chocolate coated raisins, freshly grated orange zest, stewed plums, poached pears, and sweet vanilla oak with just a whisper of winter baking spice right at the end. There’s a wonderfully rich mouthfeel that lingers long after that final sip, and I’d expect nothing less from a whisky of this pedigree.
If you’d like to learn more about your favourite whiskies, or simply treat yourself to a dram or two over Christmas in the process, head on over to GreatDrams.com and take a look at the diverse selection of unique whiskies we currently have in stock.
With an impressive selection of limited-edition, rare, and award-winning whisky, as well as heaps of whisky info on our blog, it’s the perfect spot for any whisky lovers out there.
Greg
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