Fifteen barrels of distillate made at Glenlivet were barreled on February 3, 1940. One cask, number 336, was bottled this year, making it 85 years old and the oldest whisky released to date.
Gordon & MacPhail's 85 year old Takes Over as the World's Oldest Scotch Whisky
Barreled in 1940, this whisky, distilled at Glenlivet, will be released in October
July 22, 2025 –––––– Jonny McCormick
In 1940, an American oak sherry cask was filled with new make scotch whisky from Glenlivet Distillery, and today it’s set to become the latest chart topper as the world’s oldest whisky. Scheduled for release in October 2025, this Gordon & MacPhail 85 year old from Glenlivet Distillery was laid down in cask No. 336 by John Urquhart, and his son George, great grandfather and grandfather of the current owners. Only 125 decanters of this 85 year old whisky were created, bottled at 43.7%, with bottle No. 1 heading for auction at Christie’s, New York in this coming November. The decanter will be unveiled in October, designed around the theme of “Artistry in Oak” in partnership with American architect Jeanne Gang. The retail price of this 85 year old Speysider will not be revealed until after the auction, but collectors can register their interest here. Proceeds from the auction will go to the non-profit group American Forests.
With this release, Gordon & MacPhail (G&M) retakes the crown for the world’s oldest whisky release since losing it in February 2022. The Elgin-based independent bottler and owner of Benromach and The Cairn distilleries has repeatedly raised the bar for the oldest whisky record. In 2010, G&M released the first 70 year old whisky, a Mortlach, followed five years later by the first 75 year old whisky, another Mortlach, then the first 80 year old whisky in 2021, a Glenlivet, and now the first 85 year old whisky. Macallan now loses the record it has held since 2022, first for Macallan The Reach 81 year old then Macallan TIME:SPACE, an 84 year old, released in 2024.
The new release’s total of 125 decanters makes it twice as scarce as G&M’s 80 year old, of which 250 decanters were made. Back in October 2021, bottle No. 1 of the 80 year old was also auctioned for charity at Sotheby’s, Hong Kong, achieving a hammer price of $154,158. A successful sale would mean the Gordon & MacPhail 85 year old from Glenlivet Distillery would overtake Macallan The Reach 81 year old as the oldest whisky ever sold at auction (at the time of writing Macallan TIME:SPACE has never sold at auction).
Back in 1940, Glenlivet Distillery still malted its own barley on site, and sourced peat locally from the Faemussach Moss. Every drop of spirit was distilled in a single pair of direct-fired copper pot stills attached to worm tub condensers.
This new release comes from the same tranche of 15 sherry casks filled on February 3rd 1940 that yielded the Gordon & MacPhail Generations Glenlivet 70 year old Cask No. 339 released in 2011-2012, and the Gordon & MacPhail 80 year old from Glenlivet Distillery Cask No. 340 released in 2021. For the 85 year old, Cask No. 336 was filled with 111 British imperial gallons of new make spirit, equivalent to a modern 500-liter sherry butt. Like Gordon & MacPhail, Glenlivet Distillery was also a family-run business in 1940. Gordon & MacPhail’s John Urquhart struck the deal for the new make fillings with Captain Bill Smith Grant, whose great-grandfather, George Smith, founded Glenlivet Distillery.
Releases such as this will become increasingly rare events, as Gordon & MacPhail ceased cask fillings in 2024 to concentrate on its own distilleries.
