As single malts go, Speyside Scotch whiskies are exceptional for their aroma of fruit, spice, and mild oakiness. Among those, The Glen Grant’s newly released 70-Year-Old Devotion single malt presides over a class all its own as a testament to the 182-year-old distiller’s deep-rooted mastery of craft and quality. Inspired by the seven-decade reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II, the distillery embarked on a multidisciplinary collaboration between Master Distiller Dennis Malcolm, craftsman and designer John Galvin, and Glasstorm master craftsman Brodie Nairn to create an ensemble worthy of paying honor to the queen.
The result is The Glen Grant’s new seven-piece collection of objets d’art, each featuring a bespoke crystal decanter filled with the distiller’s 70-Year-Old Devotion. The first decanter of seven, which debuted on September 1, is a sculptural gem-shaped crystal suspended within a precious silver capper and plinth. A closer look at the craftsmanship of the cap reveals the golden-etched Lily of the Valley—the Queen’s favorite flower—along with the national flower of Scotland, the Scottish Thistle. The decanter’s debut at auction last month at Sotheby’s raised more than $100,000 to benefit the Royal Scottish Forestry Society, which the Queen patronized during her reign. A handcrafted wooden sculpture made from salvaged elm completes the vignette.
This week, The Glen Grant will reveal the two decanters available in the U.S., each filled with the rare 70-Year-Old single malt but distinct in shape and form. One will feature Lily of the Valley, the Queen’s favorite flower; in another, clematis, which features prominently in the Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle gardens, will make an appearance. The one constant is the superior Devotion single malt: with chestnut and golden hues, it shines from the artisan-made decanters like a beacon to mastery of craft. To be devoted is to show unwavering loyalty and love to something you care for deeply, which sits at the heart of our whisky-making philosophy, as well as shining through with our creative collaborators,” master distiller Dennis Malcolm says. “This is a lifetime of character and legacy captured in a magnificent creation, like nothing we have ever seen.”
