Rare 28 Year Old Aberfeldy Whisky Bottling Gets Dressed Up In Fancy 22 Carat Gold Decanter

A very rare bottling of a 28 year old Scotch drawn from a single 1985 vintage cask was sold out in just a few hours at a recent unveiling of it in Singapore. While this might not sound that interesting at face value, here are two factors to consider that may grab your attention – (1) each bottle was decorated in gold and (2) each sold for around SG$4,888 (US $4,000).

This uber-rare whisky in question came from Bacardi’s Aberfeldy distillery, a 116 year old operation based in Scotland’s Highland region. The pricey liquor is known as Aberfeldy Gold of Pitilie 28YO, with the Scotch’s name being taken from the distillery’s “water source, the Pitilie Burn, a stream renowned for its alluvial deposits of Scottish gold.” It is from this gold inspiration the bottle design evolved, resulting in something perhaps more staggering in presentation then the nearly three decade old liquor it holds.

Bacardi described the bottle as follows in press notes, which I present below in their entirety so you can perhaps grasp a better idea of why it sold out so fast to those with a lot of money in their pockets:

The bottle is decorated in 22-carat gold using traditional ‘lost-wax’ casting (where metal is poured into a plaster cast evaporating away the wax in the mould) and the stopper features flakes of Scottish gold, one of the purest and rarest of golds which is panned by hand.  Representing the natural flora found around the Pitilie Burn, individual fretwork metal elements have been hand assembled around a centre-piece of the distillery icon and with the age ‘28’ neatly hidden within the filigree attached to the bottle.

The collar repeats the decorative elements and is embossed with the words ‘The Gold of Pitilie’ inside the filigree.  On the back of the bottle is a plaque with 24-carat gold plating detailing all the essential elements that combine to create the rarity of the bottle and its contents.

Each numbered bottle has a certificate of authenticity signed by the master blender and is presented in a luxurious high gloss black lacquered presentation case. Each presentation case required 12 weeks of crafting.

Umm, WOW! As for the whisky inside of it, it is said to be the oldest and rarest commercial bottling in the distillery’s long history. Likely though collectors in Asia snapped up the eight individual bottles in such a short time for the novelty of the decanter itself, but all total it is a slick presentation both inside and out showcasing just how crazy and amazing at the same time the collectibles whisky market is becoming.