Glen Garioch Whiskyland Chapter 33 Single Malt Scotch Whisky 52 Year Old · 1973 Vintage

Distilled in 1973 using peated floor-malted barley and direct-fired stills, this 52-year-old Glen Garioch is a remarkable snapshot of a style of whisky-making that has almost entirely disappeared. Matured in sherry wood for more than five decades, including a long final marrying period in a first-fill sherry butt, it was bottled at 53.2% ABV with an outturn of 240 bottles. It also stands as a strong contender for the oldest Glen Garioch ever bottled.

Despite its age, this is not a tired old whisky. The peat remains vivid, the sherry feels resinous and dark, and the whole profile carries a startling sense of energy. Dense old-style phenolics, mineral oils, tobacco leaf, ancient wood, camphor and dark fruit all collide in a way that feels deeply textural and unmistakably historic. This is a profoundly old whisky, but also a singular and unexpectedly alive one.