Rare whisky goes under the hammer for charity

A rare vintage single malt Scotch whisky is to be auctioned in New Zealand next month – a chance to secure the ultimate Christmas gift for the whisky connoisseur.

Just 520 bottles of the Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1975 were ever bottled, and only one of these will be available for purchase in New Zealand. The bottle will be auctioned off by premier New Zealand auction house, Webb’s, at its annual Christmas Wine Auction on 7 December, with all proceeds going to New Zealand Red Cross. (The Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1975 retails in excess of £480 in the UK.)

Lion Nathan Luxury Spirits Ambassador Frankie Walker says, “The Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1975 is a remarkable whisky and testament to the pioneering spirit of the distillery’s founder, William Grant, whose lifelong ambition was to produce the ‘best dram in the valley’.

“We’re pleased to be able to put this one-of-a-kind bottle up for grabs for New Zealand’s most passionate whisky fans and expect to see a bit of a bidding frenzy – not only because it’s a chance to own a piece of history, but it’s also raising funds for a very worthy organisation, New Zealand Red Cross.”

Frankie adds, “It’s also particularly appropriate for Christmas time – being as the first spirit flowed from the Glenfiddich stills on Christmas Day, 1887.”

The 1975 Vintage Reserve, a beautifully light and elegant single malt Scotch whisky, was bottled to commemorate the start of Scotland’s whisky tourism industry in July 1969, when the pioneering Glenfiddich distillery opened the doors of Scotland’s first distillery visitor centre.

Forty years later, a selection panel comprising five former and current tour guides returned to the distillery and joined Glenfiddich Malt Master David Stewart to choose their favourite whisky from a shortlist of exceptional quality casks from 1975. They selected cask no.22000, a European oak sherry butt which was bottled at cask strength.

Glenfiddich Malt Master David Stewart says, “The Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1975 has a rich, vibrant aroma of ripe apricots and plums, balanced by vanilla oak notes from the European oak cask. The taste is tremendously full-bodied, with layers of tannin, spice and fruity sweetness. The flavour of rich oak and soft vanilla develops a spicy character of cinnamon, nutmeg and spiced apple and has an exceptionally long, rich and oaky finish with a hint of bitter dark chocolate.

“In short, I think this whisky has aged magnificently, with every year spent in the oak sherry butt imparting delicate notes and flavours.”

The Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1975 joins the award-winning range of Glenfiddich single malt Scotch whiskies which also includes Glenfiddich 12 Year Old, 15 Year Old, 18 Year Old, 21 Year Old and 30 Year Old, all available at local alcohol retailers.

Premium single malt Scotch whisky is soaring in popularity with Kiwi consumers, reflecting an international global trend that has resulted in a global shortage of some aged whiskies as more and more consumers discover the versatility of single malts and trade up to the premium category.

In New Zealand, Glenfiddich has benefitted from this premiumisation trend, enjoying increased demand and domestic volume growth of 19% (MAT to September 2009).

For more information on the auction or to enter a bid for the Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve 1975, please see www.webbs.co.nz 


About Glenfiddich
For more than 120 years, Glenfiddich’s skilled craftsmen have been pioneering the creation of fine single malt whisky, appreciating the philosophy of making every year count. The Glenfiddich Distillery was founded in 1887 by William Grant in Dufftown, Scotland, who set out to create the ‘best dram in the valley’. The distillery he built by hand, accompanied by a stonemason and his seven sons, has barely changed since the first drop of spirit flowed from the stills on Christmas Day, 1887.

Glenfiddich is the only Highland whisky distillery with its own cooperage, where a team of coopers tend to every cask. It is also the only Highland distillery to use a single source of pure spring water (from the Robbie Dhu spring) throughout every stage of production. The distillery plays host to thousands of tourists each year.

Glenfiddich translates as ‘valley of the deer’ and is easily recognisable by the stag’s head on its logo. It is distributed in New Zealand by Lion Nathan.

About New Zealand Red Cross
New Zealand Red Cross, as part of the world’s largest humanitarian network the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, is dedicated to improving the lives of vulnerable by mobilising the power of humanity and enhancing community resilience.

Here at home New Zealand Red Cross has been part of the fabric of New Zealand society for more than 78 years, from packing food parcels and supporting returned servicemen during war time to today, where it serves on average 1,600 breakfasts to hungry children before school every week, trains more than 70,000 people on average in basic first aid, and with volunteer support delivers more than 700,000 hot lunches every year through the meals on wheels programme.

Internationally New Zealand Red Cross provides support in times of emergency and disaster to Red Cross Red Crescent Societies globally as well as supporting the deployment of Kiwi international aid workers specialising in areas such as health, construction, water and sanitation, logistics and administration.

The work of New Zealand Red Cross and the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement makes a difference to the lives of vulnerable people every day here at home and all over the world.

About Webb’s
Established in 1976, Webb's is New Zealand’s premier auction service. Leading the market in the sale of fine art, jewellery, watches, decorative arts, rare books and fine wines, Webb’s also holds regular specialist sales in areas such as modern and contemporary design, photography, Maori artefacts, New Zealand history and important motorcycles. With more than 20 specialist staff, Webb’s level of expertise and service cannot be matched.