The Glenrothes Trilogy

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1968 Glenrothes

This remarkable release comprises two Single Casks, both filled in 1968. These Glenrothes Single Malt Scotch Whiskies have spent their entire lives – nearly 50 years – maturing in the same oak casks.

Release Size: 309 bottles

ABV:

Cask No. 13504: 51.3%

Cask No. 13508: 50.2%

This Single Malt Scotch Whisky from the Glenrothes Distillery is the first in a unique trilogy of single malts from this revered Speyside Distillery. This remarkable release comprises two Single Casks, both filled in 1968. These two single casks spent their lives maturing in the same cask. The relationship between this individual cask, the distillate and the surrounding air brings about a marvellous kind of alchemy with each cask yielding a whisky that is slightly different from those around it.

Our two casks have distinct differences, along with similarities and shared characteristics of the Glenrothes distilling style which is famously laden with ripe fruits, juicy citrus, creamy vanilla and hints of exotic spice

1969 Glenrothes

1969 is remembered as a year of firsts, lasts and seismic change. Neil Armstrong took “one small step for man, and one giant leap for mankind”. The Beatles performed live on the roof of Abbey Road Studios for what would be the final time, and over half a million people gathered at Woodstock.

Release Size: 271 bottles

ABV:

Cask No. 16203: 46.3%

Cask No. 16207: 47.1%

This is the second release in our trilogy of Single Malt Scotch Whisky from the Glenrothes Distillery. This release comprises two Single Casks, both filled in 1969 and bottled at the peak of their maturity some five decades later.

Cask Number 16203 is pale amber, befitting its home in ex-Bourbon wood. It starts with quite a dry nose, with notes of beeswax, a smooth mouthfeel and a wonderfully sweet taste, followed by a long and spicy finish.

Cask No 16207, meanwhile, has an open, fruity nose, with notes of papaya and mango which belie its grand old age. The fruit gives way to sandalwood and distinct toffee notes. The texture is smooth with a delightful sweet and sour taste and a long finish. This cask was awarded Best Single Malt of the Year (Single Cask).

1970 Glenrothes

1969 is remembered as a year of firsts, lasts and seismic change. Neil Armstrong took “one small step for man, and one giant leap for mankind”. The Beatles performed live on the roof of Abbey Road Studios for what would be the final time, and over half a million people gathered at Woodstock.

Release Size: 271 bottles

ABV:

Cask No. 16203: 46.3%

Cask No. 16207: 47.1%

Meanwhile, at the Glenrothes distillery deep in the Speyside region of the Highlands, two casks of a rich, fruity single malt were distilled on a golden autumn day. Filled into neighbouring casks, they would rest for nearly fifty years before being bottled in 2019 by The Last Drop Distillers.

The relationship between each individual cask, the distillate and the surrounding air, brings about a marvellous kind of alchemy; each cask yields a whisky that is slightly different from those around it. This pair of 1969 casks form our second Glenrothes Single Malt release. The first, from 1968, was released in 2018; the last, from 1970 and released in 2020, completed a unique trilogy of remarkable Glenrothes whiskies.

RICHARD CARLETON HACKER’S TASTING NOTES

Due to the interaction between the whiskies and the wood, each of these two casks has produced distinctly different spirits, even though both exhibit the shared attributes of ripe fruit, citrus, creamy vanilla, and hints of exotic spice—all characteristics of Glenrothes single malts.