Scotch Whisky Distilleries Celebrate Bicentennial Year
2024 is an amazing year for whisky enthusiasts as six Scotch whisky distilleries celebrate their bicentennial year. These whisky makers have come a long way, faced unprecedented obstacles, and have ravaged the tide to this triumphant milestone.
According to a report by The Spirit Business, 167 distilleries received operational licenses during the establishment of the new law. Out of these distilleries registered in 1824, the year after licensed distillation was established, only six remain – Glenlivet, The Macallan, Fettercairn, Miltonduff, Cardhu, and Balmenach.
This year, each Scotch whisky distillery is celebrating its own victory but is united by 200 years of whisky production. Flavor after flavor, spirit after spirit, decades of endless distilling. This is the first part or two of this report.
The Macallan – Two Hundred Years Young
Exactly 200 years have passed since Alexander Reid founded The Macallan and distilled the first batch of whisky in Speyside. To celebrate its bicentennial milestone, The Macallan is unveiling a campaign to celebrate its illustrious past: 200 Years Young.
The distillery launched an exclusive experience this year in partnership with Cirque du Soleil, named Spirit. The experience featured hair suspension, aerial silk, contortion, cyr wheel, tight wire, juggling, hoop diving, bagpipes, and flamenco dancing.
In addition, a new dining experience has been launched at The Macallan Estate in collaboration with Spanish restaurant El Celler de Can Roca, called TimeSpirit. It offers diners a nine-course tasting menu.
The Glenlivet Scotch Whisky – The Eternal Collection
In celebration of its bicentennial, Chivas Brothers-owned The Glenlivet unveiled The Eternal Collection, the First Edition of 55-year-old.
A seasoned Sherry cask was used to age this whisky for 55 years, producing a complex flavor profile and an astonishingly long finish.
“a medley of autumn fruits, sun-drenched Seville oranges and sticky dates enveloped by the spiced warmth of cinnamon and nutmeg on the nose, alongside the sweet, warming flavours of homemade blackcurrant jam and vanilla fudge, balanced with zesty citrus notes on the palate.”
In honor of The Glenlivet’s 200th anniversary, a sculpture by Michael Hansmeyer was unveiled at the brand’s distillery in Speyside, Scotland. The sculpture is based on the home of The Glenlivet.
Fettercairn – The 200th Collection
Its 200th anniversary has prompted Fettercairn to refresh its ranges both domestically and globally. Domestically, Fettercairn offers 12 Year Old, 16 Year Old, and 24 Year Old, while Global Travel Retail offers 14 Year Old, 17 Year Old, and 25 Year Old.
ideally, a compendium of six of Fettercairn’s rarest whiskies is housed in a beautiful bespoke cabinet, of which only ten have been crafted, commemorating the brand’s two centuries of innovation.
A master craftsman, John Galvin, based his cabinets on the way light shines through trees in Fettercairn. The distillery is located in the foothills of the Cairngorms National Park.
According to The Spirit Business, the cabinets house some of the rarest expressions from the distillery.
The cabinet, made from Scottish oak, copper and brass, houses the distillery’s oldest expression at 60 years old, as well as its youngest at just three years old. it includes a 49-year-old single malt from 1973; a 35-year-old from 1988; a 28-year-old from 1995; and a 28-year-old from 1998.