The oldest whisky I have ever tasted was 40 years old. It was bloody expensive, so I could afford only a half of a dram. The oldest spirit I have ever tasted was a 60 years old cognac. I didn’t like it, because I found too much influence of oak on the spirit. Too much of those vanila, oaky flavour with a wee bot of tannins. Nevertheless, I am very much interested how the oldest single malt Scotch whisky tastes.

Gordon & MacPhail recently unveiled bottles of 70 years old Mortlach whisky. It is a world record accoding to statistics. G&M was the record holder anyway with a 65 years old single malt, although a 62 years old Dalmore and a 64 years old Glenfiddich were bottled and released in the past couple of years.

The oldest malt whiskey was filled into its cask on October 15, 1938 by the grandfather of the company’s managing directors David and Michael Urquhart. The limited edition malt was matured in a former sherry hogshead cask made from Spanish oak. Whisky expert, Charles MacLean describes the whisky as “a delicate, fresh, vital, fruity whisky, with unusual attributes of waxiness and smokiness”.

Limited edition bottles of the rare piece have now hit the market. Only 54 full-size bottles, costing £10,000 each, and 162 smaller bottles at £2,500, have been made available.