Bladnoch Distillery is celebrating its 200th anniversary with a special Bicentennial release of 29 Year Old Whisky. The Scotch is set to arrive in the United States this spring in extremely limited numbers, only 200 bottles were created.
The Bladnoch Bicentennial was initially released in 2018 in the UK, but wasn’t made available in the United States thanks to our, at the time, rather draconian liquor laws. But thanks to the US government’s recent inclusion of 700ml imports (and a few other sizes), the Lowland distillery is now making the exceptionally rare release available to American Whisky fans.
The oldest Scotch ever made by Bladnoch, the Bicentennial comes from two barrels of single malt distilled in 1988. Initially matured in Oloroso Sherry casks, it spent its final 18 months finishing in ex-Moscatel casks.
On the nose, the Whisky offers rich old Sherry aromas, acacia, honey, beeswax, orange, fruitcake, a whiff of coffee, and a hint of chocolate. The palate features soft and silky Sherry flavors, dark chocolate, ginger, spicy citrus notes, balanced sweet oak. and a hint of ground black pepper. The finish is described as warming with a honeyed spiciness, satisfying and long.
Each bottle is personally numbered and presented in a gold-plated decanter that reflects the collectible nature of the spirit and celebrates the distillery’s legacy.
When the Whisky hits the U.S. market, it’s set to be priced at $7,550 per bottle, but if you want to strike now (and pay shipping), you can purchase a bottle via The Whisky Exchange for £5,000 ($6,980 USD).
In December, Bladnoch Distillery announced the first installment of its five-part annual Waterfall Collection. With the new series, Scotland’s southernmost distillery is exploring the importance of cask selection in the maturation process of Whisky making.
Each release in the Waterfall Collection demonstrates a different way the same aged Bladnoch Single Malt can be matured in oaked casks, resulting in a completely unique taste. To cover the five years of releases, Bladnoch Single Malt has been set aside from a combination of sweet ex Bourbon casks and intense Oloroso Sherry casks that are maturing in the archives.