The whisky is limited to just 168 bottles and has a recommended retail price of US$3,600 (S$4,989)
The Glenrothes is serving up its latest Scotch with an interactive NFT artwork that unlocks real-life experiences around the globe.
Limited to just 168 bottles, the prized whisky was drawn from a single sherry-seasoned hogshead cask that spent some 36 years quietly maturing at the distillery’s warehouses in the Scottish Highlands.
“What this expression offers is the chance to own something truly unique and never to be repeated,” Laura Rampling, master whisky maker for The Glenrothes, told Robb Report via email.
Delicate and balanced, the single malt smacks of orange zest, vanilla, light oak, fresh almonds and spice. It also promises a distinctive aroma of rose oil from aging in this particular cask and a rich mouthfeel that only comes with such maturation.
The 36-year-old juice is just the cherry on top of this next-gen release, though. Maddie Dai, most famous for her illustrations in The New Yorker, has created a custom artwork that gives collectors a chance to go beyond the physical bottle and delve into the whisky’s heritage virtually and experientially. Furthermore, it artfully merges the distillery’s home in Rothes with New York City.
Upon purchasing the whisky, collectors will receive Dai’s black and white sketch as a non-fungible token (NFT). The NFT will be safely stored on the Solana blockchain, so it can’t be duplicated or erased. It’s this level of security and authentication that has seen many a wine and spirit brand foray into the non-fungible realm.
The NFT will also unlock exclusive experiences in the Big Apple and beyond. The Glenrothes didn’t give any concrete details but said there could be a distillery tour on the cards. Nestled right by the River Spey, the nearly 200-year-old distillery has traditionally been off-limits to visitors.
The Glenrothes, which dates back to 1879, currently has six other expressions in its collection. The most recent drop isn’t the eldest—that spot belongs to a coveted 50-year-old—but it is the first to be released with a chaser of this new technology and signals a bold, new era for the whisky purveyor.
“After quite a publicly quiet period over the last few years, I can say this has been in preparation for what is set to be a very interesting few years ahead for The Glenrothes, with some quite special aged releases on the horizon,” Rampling added. “Whilst I can’t share too many details, what I would say to those interested in unique and rare whiskies is to definitely watch this space.
The Glenrothes 36-Year-Old 1978 Single Cask is available at select fine spirits retailers across the US and at ReserveBar. Dai’s monochromatic artwork will appear on the packaging of the actual whisky you’ll receive, too.
This story was first published on Robb Report USA
