Brown-Forman has announced the launch of Glenglassaugh 49 Years Old, a limited Global Travel Retail (GTR) exclusive bottling, available as of July 2024.
This release from the Serpentine Coastal Cask Collection comes from a single Pedro Ximénez Hogshead cask (#3799) distilled on March 20, 1974, and bottled on May 7, 2024. Only 190 bottles emerged from this cask, with each bottle and accompanying wooden box engraved with “Travel Retail Exclusive.”
Ffion FitzGerald, Interim Marketing Director GTR Brown-Forman, said, “Glenglassaugh 49 Years Old is not just a whisky; it’s a journey through time. Each sip encapsulates the essence of Glenglassaugh’s unique coastal terroir and our unwavering dedication to quality. We are incredibly proud to offer this exclusive expression to our discerning customers at select locations in travel retail worldwide alongside our core Glenglassaugh portfolio.”
The completely rebranded Glenglassaugh core portfolio includes three variants: Glenglassaugh 12 Years Old, Glenglassaugh Portsoy, and Glenglassaugh Sandend. The latter was named “Whisky of the Year 2023” by the Whisky Advocate magazine.
The Serpentine Cask Collection
The Serpentine Coastal Cask Collection by Glenglassaugh is a tribute to the brand’s storied past, offering unique vintage whiskies that highlight the distillery’s rich heritage. These old and rare whiskies date back to the 1970s, each cask selected by Master Blender Rachel Barrie.
Bottled at natural color and non-chill filtered, all Serpentine Coastal Cask Collection bottles are individually numbered. When Glenglassaugh Distillery reopened in 2008, it unveiled a “treasure trove” of rare casks, some of which had been aging for more than five decades.
Rachel Barrie stated, “It is extremely rare to find casks that have been left to mature in coastal locations for such a long period. Our warehouses, perched on cliffs overlooking Sandend Bay, have acted as the custodians of this old and rare liquid for over five decades. These casks capture a moment in time like few other expressions can.”
The Serpentine Collection has been available on allocation globally since the end of January 2024, with a limited selection of casks released throughout the year, including GTR exclusives like Glenglassaugh 49 Years Old.
This exclusive bottling is presented at an ABV of 44.4%, with a recommended selling price of around £8,300. Each 70cl bottle includes a 5cl sample.
