By Stefanie Collins, editor bars&clubs
William Grant & Sons has launched the first whisky in its Rare Cask Reserves Collection, with just 300 bottles of the Ghosted Reserve hitting the Australian market.
The exclusive range of Scotch whisky blends has been created by master blender, Brian Kinsman, from a variety of rare whiskies, with further individual blends being released over the coming months.
The Ghosted Reserve (42% ABV) is a blend malt of two exclusive whiskies sourced from long-since closed and ‘ghosted’ distilleries, Inverleven (operational from 1938 until 1991) and Ladyburn (operational from 1963 until 1975). This blend has deep, oaky and slightly oily notes from Ladyburn, and sweet fruitiness with hints of floral blossom from Inverleven.
With 4,100 individually numbered bottles available world-wide, the 300 earmarked for Australia are available from this month and will for $650 per bottle. The whisky will be available from Dan Murphy’s and selected independent whisky retailers.
“I truly see this exceptional release as a high point of what blending can bring to the finest whisky,” says master blender, Brian Kinsman. “A spirit that would win the deepest respect of our founder, William Grant.”
The second release in the collection is the Rare Cask Reserves Cruinnich, available from May this year. The Crunnich was specially selected by a group of prize-winning Australian whisky enthusiasts for the Australian palate. The group were given the opportunity by retailer Dan Murphy’s to create the Crunnich when they travelled to Dufftown, Scotland for an exclusive experience where they worked with Kinsman to select the 21 Year Old Rare Cask Reserve Whisky.
The word ‘cruinnich’ is Scots Gaelic for an assembly or a gathering, and all 4,900 bottles will be available exclusively in Dan Murphy’s outlets across Australia with an RRP of $180.