Market research
Gruppo Campari's Glen Grant 50 Year Old
//i4.aroq.com/1/gg_50_big_box_12.jpgCategory - Whisky, Scotch, Speyside, 54.4% abv
Available - From 21 March
Location - Initially in Asian Travel Retail, global roll-out from June
Price - About EUR10,000 (US$14,000) per bottle
Distribution - Hong Kong and Singapore, DFS; Taiwan, Everich and Tasa Meng; China, Sunrise; South Korea, Lotte
Gruppo Campari is to launch a 50-year-old Glen Grant Scotch whiskey across the world, starting with Asian Travel Retail.
Only 150 bottles will be released, first in Hong Kong on Friday, followed by Singapore, Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing and Taipei. From June, it will be launched internationally in other duty free and domestic markets.
The cask was filled in 1963 by Glen Grant's current master distiller Dennis Malcolm. The liquid is bottled in hand-blown crystal glass decanters made by Glencairn Crystal.
In full-year results released this month, Glen Grant posted organic global sales growth of 1.8%.
This year, Glen Grant is releasing an exceptionally rare edition, the Glen Grant 50 Year Old – a fitting tribute to the innovation and whisky craftsmanship woven into the legend of Glen Grant.
On 28 October 1963 a rather special cask was hand filled by a young man who, at the time, was unaware that this liquid gold would ultimately shape his destiny. It would slowly mature for 50 years until 25 November 2013, when it reached its zenith – a robust, full-bodied and perfectly balanced single malt of distinction.
That young man, Dennis Malcolm, became the Master Distiller of one of Scotland’s finest distilleries, Glen Grant. The cask he watched over for half a century, containing a true masterpiece, is now ready to be presented to the world – once again proving that Glen Grant excels at making single malt – from barley to bottle.
Dennis Malcolm comments, “Only time measures our pursuit of perfection. Maturation cannot be rushed. Like people, casks mature at their own pace. I have protected and cared for this barrel for 50 years, letting it breathe and patiently waiting for the magic and interaction of whisky and wood.”
Only 150 bottles of this exclusive timeless collector’s item will be released globally. Each piece is unique and handcrafted in every sense – presented in a hand-blown crystal glass decanter, masterfully created and individually refined by the skilled craftsmen at Glencairn Crystal, the last family-owned crystal glass company in Scotland. Each decanter is hand engraved, hand numbered and finished with the number 50 in 18-carat gold lettering. The design of the decanter is an exact replica of Glen Grant’s tall, slender pot stills – a creation of Glen Grant’s legendary innovator, James ‘The Major’ Grant.
It is housed in a copper-lined Scottish oak box – made from new oak, worked by a skillful cabinetmaker with a practiced carpenter’s hand and an astute eye for detail.
Each Glen Grant 50 Year Old comes with a certificate of authenticity, signed by Dennis Malcolm and every craftsman involved.
In an age beset by instant gratification, that which has been expertly crafted by hand – with skills honed and passed down through the ages – is a true rarity.
The Glen Grant 50 Year Old is the apotheosis of master craftsmanship: a wide array of age-old skills creating a collective masterpiece that is unquantifiable. It is both aged and timeless. But now, the time has come.
The Glen Grant 50 Year Old will be launched in Asia’s Travel Retail Market. It will be available in Hong Kong from Friday 21 March and shortly following in Singapore, Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing and Taipei. As of June 2014, it will be launched internationally in other duty free and domestic markets.
Price: Upon Request
Original source: Company Release
Sectors: Product launches, Spirits
Companies: Gruppo Campari
