This week on WhiskyFun Legends we take a look at a single malt from the distillery that claims to be the oldest in Scotland: a Glenturret 34 Year Old Berry Bros & Rudd. 

Be sure to read the previous installments of WhiskyFun Legends if you haven’t already. 

The Glenturret 34 Year Old Berry Bros & Rudd Cask Ref #2

Glenturret Distillery claims to be the oldest distillery in Scotland, with the first written reference to ‘Thurot Distillery’ (the earliest recorded name for Glenturret) dating back to 1763. However, legal distilling did not begin there until 1818 under John Drummond. Back then, the distillery was named The Hosh. 

After a period of changing hands, the distillery was closed and dismantled in 1923. However, in 1959 it was brought back by James Fairlie and then purchased by Remy Cointreau in 1981. Nine years later it was purchased by Highland Distillers, which became part of Edrington in 1999. 

In 2002, Edrington invested £2.2 million in a new visitors centre at Glenturret named The Famous Grouse Experience. Glenturret whisky had long been a contributor to the famous blend. Then, in 2018, Edrington sold the distillery, which is now owned by luxury glassmakers, Lalique.

Since it transitioned into the hands of Lalique, the distillery has made a step towards luxury. This is fitting considering Lalique’s standing in the luxury market. Some of the most notable developments include a luxury collaboration with British carmaker Jaguar and the release of a 50 year old expression in 2022. 

Berry Brothers & Rudd is older, even, than Glenturret, having been established in 1698. A woman named Bourne (her first name is unknown – she is referred to as Widow Bourne) set up a grocers on St James’s Street in London. 

Over three hundred years later, Berry Brothers & Rudd is one of the largest spirit and wine merchants in the world and has a reputation for bottling luxurious whiskies. 

One such whisky is the Glenturret 34 Year Old Berry Bros & Rudd, which was bottled from single cask #2 at 47.6% after being matured for 34 years. The whisky was bottled in 2012, and sampled by Serge Valentin on December 5th of that year. 

Serge Valentin’s Tasting Notes on the Glenturret 34 Year Old Berry Bros & Rudd Cask Ref #2  

“Glenturret? Let’s get ready for some fun, even more so since the excellent BBR haven’t declared any vintage for this, so maybe it’s a multi-vintage i.e. a marriage of several casks (which ‘cask ref #’ instead of ‘cask #’ may imply as well). But let’s not to lose ourselves in conjectures, let’s rather try this intriguing baby… 

Colour: gold. Nose: well well well, it’s not one of the whacky ones at all, which does not mean this baby’s boring, quite the opposite. First there’s a gentiany and liquoricy oak, then some quinces and kumquats, then touches of scented soap (it’s not soapy at all, rather toward roses, or say high-quality anti-wrinkle cream ;-)) and lastly, a blend of apple peel, cigarette tobacco and an earthy kind of tea. I think it’s wonderful. 

Mouth: bang! The only and very minor flaw is that maybe the middle is a tiny-wee bit thinnish but other than that, we have an almost perfect combination of overripe apples, salted butter toffee, various herbs, gingerbread and butterscotch. It becomes even a little medicinal, with tiny notes of cough lozenges. 

Finish: unexpectedly long, with some grapefruits and more apple peelings coming to the front as well as a most pleasant grassy bitterness. Comments: whatever they did, this is absolutely excellent and for once, that’s no opinion, it’s a fact. SGP:461 – 91 points.” – Serge Valentin, WhiskyFun.com, December 2012 

The Price of the Glenturret 34 Year Old Berry Bros & Rudd At Auction 

This Glenturret 34 Year Old is extremely rare at auction. It did not appear at auction until 2015, three years after its release. Since then, it has sold just 6 times for between £165 and £230, with the last hammer coming down in May 2018. 

Of course, given that it has been 6 years since one of these bottles was last sold at auction, it is difficult to know what you might pay on the secondary market today. The bottle is also unavailable at retail.

So, if you are a fan of Glenturret or you would like to try this “excellent” whisky, I would suggest keeping an eye on the auctions for this elusive single malt.