Presenting The Reach, The 54 Year Old and Devotion...

The Macallan - The Reach

As the oldest whisky ever to be bottled to date, The Reach was aged in a single sherry cask for 81 years in Speyside. To mark this iconic achievement, The Macallan commissioned several Scottish artisans to craft a breath-taking decanter and display case. Three bronze hands in which the mouth-blown bottle is held, represent the many hands that have worked on the expression over the years, in order to preserve such a special liquid.

John Galvin's contribution is in the luxurious cabinet which houses each of the 288 bottles The Reach. It was made using wood from a fallen elm tree that is thought to have stood on The Macallan Estate in 1940, at the time the whisky was distilled. While five doors slide back on a pedestal base, the wood’s pigmentation highlights the growth rings that tell of the tree’s great age, highlighting the many seasons' that the whisky has lived through. Released in 2021, The Reach set a new standard for luxury whisky presentation.

Highland Park 54 Year Old

For Highland Park's oldest and rarest whisky to date, first aged in refill casks for four decades before an 18-year second maturation in first-fill sherry casks, 225 bottles were released to celebrate 225 years of the distillery. John has a long relationship with Highland Park, having created bespoke presentation boxes and cabinets for some of their oldest whiskies. For this one, he explored the distillery's home of Orkney with Glass Designer, Michael Rudak, which informed their work.

The 54 Year Old's stunning winged display case was made to reflect the rugged terrain, and the cliffs of Yesnaby in Orkney. Carved to be smooth on the inside, and heavily textured on the outside, to reflect the passage of time as land is formed and weathered. By hand-blasting the oak and digging into the grain, he resembled the layers and strata of the rock formations at Yesnaby. To pick up the tonal differences in the cliffs, he put each piece through a fuming chamber, which highlights the colours ranging from charcoal to blonde. He says "Every detail is there for a reason and is telling part of this whisky’s story. It’s like reading a book."

The Glen Grant Devotion

One of only seven exquisite bottlings, The Glen Grant Devotion is the oldest expression to hail from the Speyside distillery, after spending seven decades in a single Oloroso sherry French oak butt. Inspired by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years of unwavering dedication, resolute service, and profound devotion to nature, the bottling was distilled in the year of her Coronation, 1953. The whisky lies at a cask strength of 55.5% abv, a remarkable achievement for a single malt so old.

All seven of the unique decanters are presented as a mesmerising gem-shaped objet d’art, with seven facets celebrating each decade of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, with the ruby jewel-like decanter held within a striking wood sculpture handcrafted by John. The wood came from a fallen elm tree, discovered within the distillery gardens, which he calved into an intricately woven design of shapes and forms inspired by nature.

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