The Glenfiddich Spirit of Speyside is a long-established bottling highly sought after by the whisky community.
A special 2022 edition of just 460 bottles will be auctioned on Whisky Auctioneer from Thursday 5 May – 9 May, with all proceeds going to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).
Claudia Falcone, Glenfiddich’s global brand director, said: “Our teams around the world have been so shocked by the continuing impact of the conflict on the people of Ukraine and neighbouring countries that we decided to do what we can to help.
“We have decided to use this year’s Spirit of Speyside exclusive bottling to raise as much money as possible to support the Disasters Emergency Committee and their invaluable efforts in helping Ukrainian citizens and refugees on their long road to recovery in the months ahead.”
Glenfiddich’s Malt Master Brian Kinsman has created this special Spirit of Speyside Edition 2022 by selecting whisky from three different oak barrels – virgin American oak, ex bourbon oak and refill American oak.
Of the whisky, Brian said: “This is a truly unique micro vatting of three hand crafted barrels coopered by Ian MacDonald, former Head Cooper at Glenfiddich.
"In 2009, Ian took it upon himself to experiment with building a barrel using a variety of oak types – virgin American oak, ex bourbon oak and traditional refill American oak.
"His aim was to see how the casks would mature and how each type of oak would contribute to the final flavour. In 2022 we are delighted to reveal the results with a one-off release of 460 bottles from these very special casks.”
Brian describes the whisky as being “lively with a zesty fruitiness”. Bottled at cask strength, it has an ABV of 60% and each 70cl bottle will be hand numbered 1 – 460 and signed by the Malt Master himself.
Joe Wilson, Head Curator and Spirits Specialist at Whisky Auctioneer, said: “As the Glenfiddich Spirit of Speyside bottling is a highly sought- after release, we would expect that this rare 2022 edition will raise a great amount for such a worthy and important cause.
"To ensure as much as possible can be raised from the auction to support those affected by the conflict in Ukraine, we will also be waiving our selling fees and donating the 10% buyer’s commission in addition to the hammer price raised.”
Glenfiddich has a long history of producing an exclusive bottling to honour the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, which is one of the world’s largest and most celebrated events of its kind.
This year’s event takes place in Speyside between the 27 April and the 2 May.
Colour – Rich golden
Nose – Lively with a zesty fruitiness. Peanut brittle, an abundance of vanilla oak and ripe, red berry fruits combine beautifully with breath-taking vibrancy
Taste – Rich, intense and indulgently sweet. Crystallised ginger, creamy rice pudding and toasted pecans
Finish – Sumptuous, long-lasting sweetness
