The Glenlivet's Remarkable 56 Year Old

The Glenlivet has unveiled the Second Edition in its Eternal Collection, a 56 Year Old single malt, accompanied by a bespoke artwork from the acclaimed design studio Fredrikson Stallard. Only sixty bottles have been released worldwide. I had an opportunity to taste it at an exceptional dinner at Somerset House. 

Regular readers will know that I am fortunate to attend a wide range of exceptional events, yet this stood apart and will sit comfortably on my 2025 highlights reel. Whisky launches often begin with a parade of whisky-led cocktails. I enjoy them, but there are moments when I would simply prefer a glass of Champagne, both for the pleasure of it and for the lower alcohol. Seeing Perrier-Jouët being poured before dinner was very welcome and it set the tone as I caught up with friends.

The suite at Somerset House made an immediate impression. A large stage dominated the room, backed by a full-width screen. Those paying attention would have noticed that the image was not quite static: rolling hills and purple heather sat beneath a subtly shifting sky, with clouds gathering and dispersing. Along the base of the screen ran a line of planters, lit from behind with a gentle flicker that reached upwards into the scene, giving the impression that the landscape extended into the room.

The real surprise came with the six wooden tables arranged for dinner, each long enough to seat five guests on either side. At first glance they appeared to be beautifully handmade. On closer inspection, every place setting had been engraved directly into the wood with the guest’s name. It was an unexpected and thoughtful touch, and one of the most original seating details I have seen at an event of this kind.

The Eternal Collection launched in 2024 with the 55 Year Old, a collaboration with computational architect Michael Hansmeyer. The intention was clear from the beginning. Each new edition would increase in age, deepen in character, and be paired with an original artwork that interprets the whisky's roots in a new way. The second chapter continues this ambition at an even more elevated level.

At the heart of the release is a single bespoke sherry cask, designed and seasoned specifically for this whisky. Kevin Balmforth, The Glenlivet’s Cask Master, explained how the team set out to create the ideal sherry rather than rely on an existing style. For a whisky matured for more than half a century, balance was everything. The distillery’s cask experts blended Oloroso, Pedro Ximenez, and a small amount of Palo Cortado to bring a lifted sharpness and definition to the seasoning profile. This blend was used to season a Spanish oak cask built to exact specifications. Lightly toasted, shaped just enough to coax the staves into form without pushing the wood into deeper char.

Filled with the bespoke sherry, the cask lay in Spain for more than a year before being emptied and shipped to Scotland. Three years ago, it was filled with a parcel of Glenlivet casks that had been safeguarded for decades. Their interaction has been slow and deliberate. Releasing a whisky of this age and complexity and privilege, Keith told guests. “Together with Fredrikson Stallard, we wanted to create something that fully expresses the liquids story and our Speyside home”.

Time shapes whisky in a way that no other influence can. With expressions at this age, I often think traditional tasting notes become almost redundant, because so few people will ever have the chance to try them. What matters is not a checklist of flavours, but the depth of feeling they evoke. Older whiskies carry the quiet assurance of something that has been monitored, nurtured and sampled over decades, with every stage of maturation understood and judged. They are like well travelled individuals, shaped by experience, complexity and character, with stories held within the glass.

This one was instantly captivating. The aromatics drew me in to the point where putting the glass down (by my place name) felt unnecessary. I joked that I would happily wear it as a fragrance, because like a genuine Tom Ford, its scent lingered long after others would fade.

Tasting something this precious comes with a moment of hesitation, because each sip is one fewer to enjoy. Once on the palate, it unfolds slowly, almost ceremonially, with layers of fruit, nuts, ginger and marmalade building as you hold it. There is nothing rushed about it. The finish lasts for minutes, not seconds, and you find yourself simply sitting with it, letting the final traces settle. Its complexity and composure are what place it in such rare company, and why it is so special. So many of these old whiskies will never be drunk, which is such a shame. This Glenlivet 56 Year Old needs to be enjoyed and shared amongst other whisky lovers, it is so delicious. 

The Eternal Collection is not only about age. It is also about interpretation. For this release, as mentioned above, The Glenlivet partnered with Fredrikson Stallard, the avant garde design duo known for their work with LVMH, Swarovski and leading international galleries. Their sculpture, created specifically for the fifty six year old, draws directly from the land around the distillery.

On a visit to the Braes of Glenlivet, the artists were immediately drawn to the heather, especially the pale, sinuous channels that snake through the moorland. These silver rivers, as they described them, are formed by muirburn, the controlled burning of heather that encourages regrowth and maintains open moorland. To them, these patterns echoed the River Livet itself, flowing through the landscape. They gathered branches from the hillside, scanned them in three dimensions and manipulated the forms digitally to create a symmetrical, mirrored structure, an aesthetic that reflects their broader body of work as well as Glenlivet's duality of tradition and modernity.

Another crucial element was the cairn at the top of the moor, a stack of stones built over time by those who pass. In ancient Highland tradition, clans would leave stones before battle as a mark of remembrance. The sculptures base pays tribute to that history. A real stone from the foot of the hill, near the ruins of George Smiths original distillery, was carried upward and used as the reference for the patinated brass plated foundation of the piece.

The finished artwork is a fusion of rugged Speyside and refined craftsmanship. Scorched heather branches rise from the cairn like base in dramatic form, while the whisky sits encased within a spherical decanter crowned with a twenty four carat gold plated neck and cap. A layer of teal coloured faceted glass, echoing The Glenlivet’s emblematic tone, completes the bottles architecture. “We wanted to capture the raw, untamed spirit of Speyside”, says Patrik Fredrikson. The scorched heather emerging from ancient rock symbolises both nature’s endurance and the fragile complexity that time creates.

This edition follows a remarkable moment earlier in the month, when a single one of one version of the fifty six year old and its accompanying sculpture was auctioned by Sotheby’s, fetching seventy five thousand pounds. 

Priced at €52k, the Glenlivet 56 Year Old is intended for the world's most discerning whisky collections, yet it remains rooted in the same place it began. The hills above the distillery, the heather, the River Livet, the legacy of George Smith, and the patient work of cask makers and whisky makers spanning more than five decades.

The Glenlivet Eternal Collection, Second Edition, 56 Year Old is available globally in extremely limited quantities. More details can be found at theglenlivet.com or @theglenlivet.