Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old Commands A Hefty Price

Blended Scotch whiskey is considered an art form if the blender knows what he’s doing, and a disaster if he doesn’t. The Hankey Brewster brand, produced by Inver House Distillers, seems to be one more on the side of knowing how to do it, at least if you consider the hefty £800 it is asking for a just released 40-year-old expression.

Hankey Bannister 40 Year Old, according to the distillers, is the second run of a similar offering made back in 2007. Only 1,480 bottles of this rare whiskey will be made available this time around over a three year period, starting with 500 out in the market now. As for what’s in the blend, Stuart Harvey, the Master Blender for Inver House Distillers,

hand-selected only the finest casks of whisky maturing in Scotland and combined them artfully. On this occasion very rare Highland malt whiskies, dating from 1970 and 1967, matured in exquisite Spanish sherry hogsheads and butts were combined with even rarer Lowland grain whiskies to create a luxurious and full flavoured Blended Scotch Whisky for the most discerning drinkers.

Appearing in a dark copper-gold color, this Scotch offers a flavor profile said to have “sweet vanilla and home-baked cake dough on the nose, with notes of butterscotch, spiced caramelized bananas, candied apricot and baked apples. On the palate it is incredibly rich and complex: spicy and peppery with fruity notes of figs, dates and cinnamon and a subtle, lingering finish of autumn spices with sweet tinges of bitter chocolate and honeycomb toffee.”

Bottled at 44.3% ABV, this old Scotch blend is non-chill filtered. It comes in a bespoke decanter “encased in a keepsake box with a stunning engraved metal closure and supplied with a signed and numbered booklet certifying authenticity.”