Cask 88 Unveils 50-Year-Old Single Cask Scotch Whisky

Independent scotch bottler Cask 88 has announced a super-limited release of a 50-year-old single cask from Glenlivet. The whisky came out of the collection of New York scotch importer Abe Rosenberg, and has been decanted into 272 total bottles.

This expression was distilled in October, 1968 and aged for five decades in a sherry hogshead cask. It comes in an Italian glass decanter, sealed with a “bespoke tamper seal” and silver neckband engraved by Scottish silversmiths Hayward & Stott; the decanter is packaged in a handcrafted wood display case inspired by a whisky cask.

With all that packaging, it won’t come as a surprise that this expression is retailing—on Cask 88’s site, by reservation only—for around $8,900 USD.

This barrel has an interesting history; Rosenberg was an early proponent of single malt whisky in the post-Prohibition era, when most contemporaries preferred blends. He imported a number of young single malt casks during that time, and had a collection of 4,000 barrels by the time of his death in 1994.

“Abe is known as something of a legend in the industry, thanks to his dedication to spreading the love of single malt whisky internationally,” said Cask 88 Director Patrick Costello in a prepared statement. “Sadly, Abe is not with us to sample this exceptional cask, we hope lovers of single malt whisky will offer a toast to his memory when they’re enjoying this fine liquid.”

Cask 88 has a number of independent bottlings, including the Scottish Folklore Series. Reservations are currently open on the bottler’s website, and the whisky will ship in June 2019.

Tasting notes from the bottler are as follows:

Nose – The nose is rich, sweet and full bodied, with an intense infusion between the spirit and the cask being entirely obvious from the beginning. The dark mahogany hue confirms the successful marriage of Scotland’s finest Single Malt and the best Sherry Wood from Spain.

Taste – An explosion of flavour, combining Iberian fruit and creamy caramel, mingled with vanilla foundations only found in “Crack” Single Malts that have had the luck of maturing for half a century.

Finish – The finish is just as grand and this fine single malt doesn’t ‘cross the line’ abruptly. There’s an intense warmth that remains for some time.