9 Oldest Bottles of Whisky in The World

9 Oldest Bottles of Whisky in The World

Few things become better with age, such as cheese and wine, to name a few. Besides wine, when one thinks of luxury alcohol, one conjures up images of golden liquid courage — whisky. There are many varieties of whisky from single malt to blended, made in distilleries from all over the world ranging from places such as Scotland to Japan.

The more aged a whiskey is, the more depth and flavor emerges from the spirit. Here are some of the world’s oldest bottles of whisky!

9. The Last Drop 50 Year Old Double Matured

 Year: 1965
Age: 52 years old (50 when first bottled and sold)
Type of whisky: Blended Scotch Whisky
 Bottled By: The Last Drop Distillers
 Location: London, UK

The Last Drop 50 Year Old Double Maturedphoto source: Last Drop Distillers

The Last Drop is a distillery founded in 2008 by three veterans in the spirits industry, James Espey, Tom Jago and Peter Fleck. Between them they have created some of the most world-renowned brands such as Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Malibu and Baileys Irish Cream.

The mission of The Last Drop is to find and bottle the world’s finest, rarest and most exclusive spirits.

Their latest offering is a “double matured” blend which means the whisky has undergone two distinct aging periods. The initial blend was made of more than 50 different whiskeys and spent 30 years in a bourbon cask before spending another 20 years in a sherry cask.

The result is an exclusive 898 bottle run that has been highly praised, winning Blended Scotch Whisky of the Year 2016 by Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.


8. Carsebridge Xtra Old Particular

 Year: 1965
Age: 52 years old
Type of whisky: Single Grain Scotch Whisky
 Bottled By: Cambus Distillery
 Location: Stirling, Scotland, UK

Carsebridge Xtra Old Particularphoto source: Home | Nickolls and Perks

Another grain whisky that stands around a ripe 50 years of age, this bottle of whisky was distilled by Carsebridge Distillery and bottled by Douglas Laing as part of their XOP (XTra Old Particular) range. It has a fruity taste to it consisting of caramelised apples and gooseberry and with a hint of spices.


7. Karuizawa

 Year: 1964
Age: 53 years old
Type of whisky: Single Malt Whisky
 Bottled By: Karuizawa Distillery
 Location: Miyota, Japan

Karuizawaphoto source: The Whisky Shop Singapore

Although whisky is often synonymous with Scotland, Japanese whisky emerged in 1870 and has made a sterling reputation for itself internationally, rivalling that of Scotland made whisky. It was distilled by the Karuizawa Distillery in Miyota, Japan, which unfortunately closed its doors in 2011, making this run of whisky especially rare, and is priced at US$45,000.

Karuizawa was aged in a 400-litre Sherry Oak cask and being a single cask whisky, only 143 bottles were made available. It is a well-balanced whisky with earthly scents and a savoury dark sugar palate.


6. The Sovereign

 Year: 1964
Age: 53 years old
Type of whisky: Single Grain Scotch Whisky
 Bottled By: Cambus Distillery
 Location: Stirling, Scotland, UK

The Sovereignphoto source: Wine Searcher

Released by an independent bottler named Hunter Laing, only 267 bottles of The Sovereign were produced. This limited run of single grain scotch whiskey is one of the oldest whiskies at over 50 years old and is being sold at The Whisky Shop for €550.

The Sovereign was aged in a refilled bourbon barrel and bottled at cask strength, a whooping 49.2% volume.

The Sovereign was bottled by the Cambus Distillery which was founded in Stirling, Scotland in 1836 by John Mowbray. Most of the original buildings were destroyed in a September 1914 fire and the distillery was eventually closed and decommissioned in 1993.


5. Dalmore 64 Trinitas

 Year: 1946
Age: 72 years old (64 when first bottled and sold)
Type of whisky: Single Malt Whisky
 Bottled By: Gordon & MacPhail
 Location: Speyside, Scotland, UK

Dalmore 64 Trinitasphoto source: Pinterest

Dalmore 64 Trinitas, a rare and highly limited run of luxury whisky, is actually a mix of spirits dating from 1868, 1878, 1926 and 1939. It was then bottled in 1946 and matured for 64 years before being sold in 2010.

Only three bottles were ever made (thus the name “Trinitas”); one was purchased by an American private collector, one by The Whisky Exchange for their private collection.

The last bottle went on sale for the price of €100,000 and broke the record for most expensive whisky ever sold in October 2010.


4. Mortlach 70 Year Old Speyside

 Year: 1938
Age: 79 years old (70 when first bottled and sold)
Type of whisky: Single Malt Whisky
 Bottled By: Gordon & MacPhail
 Location: Speyside, Scotland, UK

Mortlach 70 Year Old Speysidephoto source: The Whisky Exchange

Considered to be one of the oldest malt whiskies, the Mortlach 70-year-old went on sale in 2010. Only 54 full-size bottles were produced and priced at €10,000 each, along with 162 smaller €2,500 bottles.

The whisky was released by Gordon and MacPhail. The 70 year old batch was filled into a former sherry cask made from Spanish oak under the order of John Urquhart, grandfather to the company’s current joint managing directors, David and Michael Urquhart.

The first bottle was piped in Edinburgh Castle and tasted by guests in the Queen Anne Room.


3. Hannisville Rye Whisky

 Year: 1863
Age: 154 years old
Type of whisky: Rye Whisky
 Bottled By: Hannis Distilling Co.
 Location: Philadelphia, USA.

Hannisville Rye Whiskyphoto source:  whiskyrific

Part of the legendary “Hannisville Cache,” the Hannisville Rye is believed to have been distilled by Hannis Distilling Co., a thriving distillery that opened in Philadelphia until the ban of alcohol during the US Prohibition.

According to a letter from the original owner, the rye was held in oak barrels for 50 years before being transferred into two glass carboys. It was purchased by US Ambassador of Great Britain, John Welsh and was passed down in his family for generations until being auctioned off.

One of these carboys was purchased and rebottled by The Auld Alliance, a liquor company based in Singapore where it was sold by the bottle and by the glass.


2. Old Vatted Glenlivet

 Year: 1862
Age: 155 years old
Type of whisky: Single Malt Whisky
 Bottled By: Glenlivet Distillery
 Location: Scotland, UK

Old Vatted Glenlivetphoto source: The Whisky Exchange

In 2013, a bottle of 1862 Old Vatted Glenlivet was auctioned in a Bonhams auction house in New York and sold for US$7,735. It is bottled by the Glenlivet Distillery in Scotland, UK, which is one of the oldest legal distilleries founded in 1824 by George Smith.

Another bottle of the same whisky was found and instead of being auctioned or sold, it was ceremoniously poured into a line of luxury watches. Aptly called the Whisky Watch, the timepieces are a collaboration between Wealth Solutions and Swiss watchmaker Louis Moinet that were made available on April 8, 2017.

They retailed for €14,625 ($17,866) for the steel-case model and €37,375 ($45,655) for one of the ten limited red-gold watches.


1. Glenavon Special Liqueur Whisky

 Year: 1851-1858
Age: around 160 years old (166-159)
Type of whisky: Liqueur (non-cream) Whisky
 Bottled By: Glenavon Distillery
 Location: Scotland, UK

Glenavon Special Liqueur Whiskyphoto source: The Daily Meal

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest whisky in the world is believed to be a bottle of Glenavon Special Liqueur Whisky. Bottled by the Glenavon Distillery in Ballindalloch, Scotland, UK, the exact age of the bottle of whisky is uncertain. With the closing of Glenavon Distillery in the 1850s, it is estimated to have been bottled between 1851 and 1858, making it roughly 160 years old.

In 2006, a bottle of Glenavon Special Liqueur Whisky owned by an Irish family for generations went up for auction at a Bonhams auction house in London. It sold for €14,850. The bottle, which is pale green, is small in size and holds only 14 ounces (around 400ml) of pale gold liquid.

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There are 2 comments

  1. So let’s clear some confusion. The Oldest bottled existing whisky is the Glenavon Special Whisky which we don’t know how long was aged, from 8 to 30 years, who knows, but the Oldest “Aged” existing Whisky before been bottled available is the Mortlach 70years. 2 completely different things. So in my book, the Mortlach 70 years should be #1 on this list given that the taste won’t change much after it is bottled.

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  2. Actually, the oldest whisky ever bottled was the Gordon & MacPhail Mortlach 75 YO released in 2015. G&M has bottled four 70yo whiskies to date – Glenlivet 70 YO; Mortlach 70Y0; Glenlivet 1943; and Speymalt Macallan 1945. They have also bottled a number of 60+ whiskies.
    I would also like to clarify the point that once a whisky is bottled, it stops maturing. Hence a 50yo will always be a 50yo. If it was bottled 20 years ago, it will still be a 50yo in a 20yo bottle – a 50yo whisky that was distilled 70 years ago. The two numbers are not combined.
    Dalmore bottled EOS not G&M

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