Inclusive of bottling and packaging - not to mention storage and insurance at Royal Lochnagar for up to five additional years - these rare casks carry price tags that start at hundreds of thousands of pounds and peak between £2m and £3m, depending on the type of cask, its age and the distillery from which it was sourced. “All of them, if we bottled them tomorrow, would be absolutely incredible liquid - amazing strength, superior quality, really the jewel in the crown of the portfolio.”Īccording to Bradbury, the Casks of Distinction program began about eight years ago, and it provides Diageo’s most valued clients with a unique opportunity to acquire the entire contents of a cask. “This is the 1% of the 1%,” says Tod Bradbury, a private client advisor who also serves as the head of rare and collectible whiskies at Justerini & Brooks (a wine and spirits merchant that operates as a broker within the Casks of Distinction program). These 100 or so barrels make up Diageo’s Casks of Distinction, a collection of hogsheads, ex-bourbon casks and sherry butts that hold whiskies deemed truly exceptional by those who made them. As far as Scottish distilleries go, Royal Lochnagar is unassuming, but inside the distillery’s warehouse, some of the most extraordinary casks across the entire Scotch whisky industry are quietly at rest. Seventy-five miles due north of Edinburgh, the Royal Lochnagar Distillery sits almost in the shadow of Balmoral Castle, the baronial summer home for the British royal family. Royal Lochnagar, Aberdeenshire Royal Lochnagar is a picturesque whisky distillery in the shadow of Balmoral Castle / ©Diageo This is a slice of history from 48 years ago.” Day 2
“When you taste this whisky,” Gunn observes, “remember that it can never be repeated. On the palate, vibrant winter spices, such as star anise and clove, mingle with lighter, more nuanced flavors (think honeysuckle and peaches). On the nose, the spirit marries aromas of rich molasses, dried fruits and a touch of coastal sea air. It’s the latter option on this particular visit, and Gunn offers “wee drams” of Johnnie Walker Masters of Flavour 48-Year-Old, a resplendent whisky born from an assemblage of rare liquids crafted at four now-extinct distilleries and one that was recently reborn (more on this later). When we bring a private client into this space, it’s either to introduce them to something new or to share something really special with them.” “That means that our private clients, when they come here, have access to a representative sampling of those incredible whiskies - something that I think spans almost every flavor and texture that Scotland can produce. “What amazes me about this space is that there’s no other company in the Scotch whisky industry that can do this,” says Ewan Gunn, Diageo’s senior global brand ambassador, referencing the company’s broad network of distilleries across the nation. View all newsletters Sign up to our newsletter Latest in Luxury By the Elite Traveler team Sign up here
Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management.
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