Diageo has announced the second and final bottling in The Singleton’s Paragon of Time Collection, a 54-Year-Old 1966 vintage single malt Scotch whisky.
This is the oldest single malt release from The Singleton of Dufftown and Diageo to date: an exploration of time in pursuit of true richness.
This highly limited release from the Dufftown distillery is comprised of only 235 bottles, making it one of the rarest expressions of The Singleton in existence.
With this historic release, The Singleton have gone further to unearth what flavour could be revealed with something as old and precious as a 54-Year-Old single malt.
The Singleton malt master Maureen Robinson, as guardian of the casks, closely curated and cared for this last remaining cask: a legacy from the original slow-craft tradition in the 1960s and a relic from a bygone age.
Maureen said: ‘Originally filled in 1966, this European oak cask is the closest to the end of the old slow-craft period that we have ever released.
‘The old distillers of the past laid down this cask and it is a privilege for me to be able to awaken their crafted spirits over half a century later with a final chapter from today.
‘I see it as a beautiful balance of the old art of craft and using our modern finishing to present a precious whisky of layered, balanced and exceptional richness.’
Over more than 50 years, the maturation revealed exceptional richness of character that only time can reveal, before Maureen Robinson undertook a final masterstroke in service of taste. By finishing this Single Malt in a single Pedro Ximenez-seasoned cask, Maureen’s craftsmanship unveiled a new layer of exceptional flavour in this whisky from the past, and with it, a new dimension in time’s creative power in whisky.
Whisky expert Charlie Maclean added: ‘An astonishing dram. I have never encountered a whisky like this before. A rare and unusual malt that has gained richness, mellowness and complexity on its long journey to harmony, this very old whisky shows its age elegantly and rewards proper contemplation.’
As an ode to the powerful role that time has played in crafting an exceptional whisky over more than half a century, The Singleton will first reveal its oldest release at the home of time itself, the Royal Greenwich Observatory, London.
As the originator of Greenwich Mean Time and an historic institution leading human understanding of time as a construct for centuries, the first tastings of this historic malt will take place close to the Prime Meridian line at the Royal Observatory.
The last in the Paragon of Time Collection is housed in a bespoke, leather-lined wooden cabinet. The 54 layered ridged setting of the decanter display is inspired by the Scottish mountain landscape, amid wood mirroring the 54 years of maturation.
The decanter, a masterpiece in crystal, was hand-made by Baccarat in France to The Singleton silhouette, with the intricate copper detail around the neck being crafted by Royal Warrant Holders, Thomas Fattorini.
The Singleton 54-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky will be available for purchase at specialty retailers from June.
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