The Glenrothes Debuts 25-Year-Old Scotch Whisky

Make room on your bar cart for this rarefied limited edition whisky.

For as steeped in tradition and heritage as the world of luxury Scotch can be (particularly including limited-edition Scotch from The Glenrothes), time waits for no man, or rather, innovation always beckons.

And with the newly launched The Glenrothes 25, reinvention also beckons: The liquid contained therein is entirely new, but it actually isn’t the first 25-year-Scotch the distillery has produced — just the latest, potentially greatest and (arguably) most covetable.

Three cask types give the new release its distinctive character, with a large proportion of The Glenrothes 25 coming from first fill sherry casks, accented by a mix of liquid from European and American Oak casks.

Master Whisky Maker Laura Rampling was tasked with building off The Glenrothes 18, a particular and delicate balance to showcase how additional aging can benefit a whisky.

“The additional seven years…have allowed The 25 to evolve and change quite remarkably,” she said. “In the same way that wisdom is inherently gained over time, understanding how the spirit evolves makes this wait worthwhile.”

The release “celebrates the virtues that underpin The Glenrothes,” and the final product features a “depth that can only be attained through time and patience,” the Speyside distillery noted.

Orange peel and ripe peaches greet the sipper on the nose, with palate notes of Swiss milk chocolate and liquid caramel, followed by nutty notes that echo through a rich and sweet finish.

A harmony or a symphony are also apt words when tasting the liquid, as Maxim found out earlier this month. There’s a richness balanced with touches of citrus and that caramel, and it gets better with every sip.

A fully recyclable, unfoldable cylinder holds the impressive liquid, rotating to reveal the latest from The Glenrothes, with a copper exterior (embossed with the topographic contours of the distillery) giving way to a textural verdigris inside.

As The Glenrothes aptly notes, “the quarter of a century wait is rewarded with an elegant evolution of flavor,” and that’s also reflected in its price.

It can be found at fine spirits retailers like ReserveBar for a suggested price of $750, and there’s no telling how far whisky enthusiasts might go to snap up the latest rare whisky release out of Speyside.