By Amy Looker, editor National Liquor News
Following an extensive voting process that included thousands of votes across 37 countries, The Glenlivet Guardians' Chapter limited edition single malt has finally been selected and will be available from May 1.
The winning selection, Exotic, is the first crowd-sourced single malt ever created by The Glenlivet, with only 2000 cases made available globally from this month.
Exotic was created using a mixture of casks including Hogsheads and American oak barrels with the addition of a proportion of whisky from Spanish ex-sherry butts to provide a rich and fruit-driven taste profile.
The search to find the winning expression began in September last year, with Australia the very first territory in the world to offer Guardian members the three contenders to taste and vote upon.
The September launch in Australia saw industry and media taste the three Guardians' Chapter single malts along with The Glenlivet’s 18 year old, matched to a seven-course degustation at Tetsuya’s restaurant where master chef, Testuya Wakada specially created the menu to highlight the characteristics of each expression.
Following the Sydney launch, The Glenlivet’s master distiller, Alan Winchester, took the three hand-picked expressions – Exotic, Classic and Revival – for the global tasting tour, which took over six months to complete.
“The story of The Guardians’ Chapter doesn’t end here,” said Winchester. “This is an opportunity to savour a unique, limited edition, single malt that’s already admired and desired by thousands of whisky lovers around the world.
“Our Guardians have written a new chapter in the distillery’s distinguished history. This will be their legacy, and I’m really pleased with the enthusiastic response we received, and, ultimately, the selection the Guardians have made.”
The Glenlivet Guardians’ Chapter is available exclusively at Vintage Cellars from May 1 with an RRP of $114.99 per bottle.