House of Hazelwood At The Fife Arms
Luxury at The Fife Arms
At Bertie’s Whisky Bar within The Fife Arms, guests can now taste the oldest and most significant collection of House of Hazelwood Scotch whisky ever made available in a single venue. Spanning more than four centuries of Scotch whisky heritage, and comprising nine exceptionally rare expressions aged between 33 and 57 years, this is the most ambitious whisky programme Bertie’s has ever presented and the most comprehensive House of Hazelwood offering available anywhere in the world.
These are not showpiece bottles positioned behind glass. They are whiskies intended to be sat with, discussed, and understood. Each flight is curated by the Bertie’s team and offered in combinations of three or four drams, with guided tastings that focus as much on provenance and intent as they do on flavour.
Having visited House of Hazelwood on multiple occasions, what stands out immediately is how naturally this collaboration fits. The Gordon family’s philosophy has always centred on patience, restraint, and stewardship. These whiskies exist because someone, decades ago, decided they were worth laying down with no certainty of commercial outcome. That long view underpins everything Hazelwood does, from inventory management to storytelling, and it is precisely that mindset which makes Bertie’s such an appropriate home for this collection.
The Fife Arms understands place in a way few hotels do. Recently recognised on the Condé Nast Traveler Gold List 2025, it manages to feel deeply rooted while quietly international.
The experience itself has been thoughtfully considered. Each flight is presented on a bespoke wooden tray made by artisan Paul Hodgkiss, using wood sourced from the gardens of Hazelwood House, the Gordon family’s private home in Dufftown. I was fortunate enough to walk those gardens with Paul last year, seeing exactly where the trees once stood before falling to a Scottish storm. It is a small detail, but one that matters. The physical connection to place reinforces what these whiskies represent.
Each dram is served in Glencairn crystal and accompanied by guided discussion that explores not just aroma and structure, but lineage, lost distilling practices, and the legal and technical shifts that mean some of these styles will never be produced again.
Among the line-up is Blended at Birth, a 57-year-old whisky married as new make spirit, a practice no longer permitted under Scotch whisky law. Now sold out globally, it can only be tasted here. The Long Marriage, laid down in the mid-1960s and left untouched for more than half a century, speaks to a different kind of confidence. The Cask Trials demonstrates what prolonged maturation in European oak can do to grain whisky, while The Old Ways offers a rare glimpse into a distilling style that has quietly disappeared.
The most talked-about whisky is likely to be The Pursuit of Pleasure, created in collaboration with Hedonism Wines. With just 72 bottles produced worldwide, Bertie’s is the first venue to offer it by the glass, a decision that reflects both trust and intent.
Tom Addy, Senior Whisky Bartender at Bertie’s, describes the bar as a sanctuary for whisky lovers. With more than 500 whiskies arranged by flavour profile, it has never been about hierarchy or intimidation. This Hazelwood partnership simply deepens what was already one of the most serious whisky rooms in the country.
Jonathan Gibson, Director of House of Hazelwood, is right to frame this as a fleeting moment. These whiskies are irreplaceable. Many come from final casks. Others represent production decisions that are no longer legal or economically viable. Once these bottles are gone, the conversation ends.
Which is why the timing feels so right. Looking ahead to 2026, experiences like this carry real weight. We all need something in the diary to look forward to. A reason to travel, to sit still for a while, and to engage properly with something that rewards attention. A whisky flight at Bertie’s, framed by the Cairngorms and anchored by four centuries of Scotch whisky history, feels exactly like that kind of moment.
Each guest ordering a flight leaves with a House of Hazelwood crystal whisky glass, a lapel pin, and a whisky booklet, thoughtful keepsakes that extend the experience beyond the bar. It is generous, considered, and entirely in keeping with the way House of Hazelwood approaches everything it does.
This is not about chasing the rarest bottle or ticking names off a list. It is about understanding why these whiskies exist at all, and why someone cared enough to protect them for so long. For anyone serious about whisky, there are very few opportunities left that feel genuinely unrepeatable. This is one of them.
The bottles available are all without question stunning and set the global benchmark for mature grain whisky.
Blended at Birth, 57-Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky, 192 bottles worldwide
One of the world’s first whiskies to be married as new make spirit. It is also likely to be the last whisky of its kind, as such practices are now prohibited by Scotch Whisky Law.
The Long Marriage, 56-Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky, 288 bottles worldwide
A single cask laid down in the mid-60s, it lay undisturbed for over half a century. The colour is dark mahogany, the nose full of fruit and cinnamon buns. The taste is refined with cherry pie, custard, baking spice and honey drizzle.
The Cask Trials, 53-Year-Old Single Grain Scotch Whisky, 303 bottles worldwide
Matured in European oak, offering intense depth and grain character with an evolving nose that just draws you in. The palate is dry with vanilla, spice, honeysuckle and apricots.
The Pursuit of Pleasure, 52-Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky, 72 bottles worldwide
Created in collaboration with Hedonism Wines, Berties is the first venue in the world to offer this whisky by the glass. Working hand-in-hand with the blending team, the Hedonism team produced a whisky that can only be described as “decadence decanted.” The nose is rich and full of ripe stone fruit with the palate showing treacle, cloves, plums and vanilla.
The Old Ways, 1972 Vintage Single Grain Scotch Whisky, 123 bottles worldwide
A rare glimpse into a lost distilling style—rich, aromatic, and impossible to replicate.
The Garden at Hazelwood, 47-Year-Old Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, 137 bottles worldwide
Inspired by the peaceful garden of Hazelwood House—fragrant, elegant, and fruit-forward.
A Minute to Midnight, 45-Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky, 154 bottles worldwide
A decadent, sherry-forward blend that offers extraordinary richness and intensity. It is a dram I have enjoyed at a minute to midnight at Hazelwood House, and it always brings an extra smile to my face. There are all the usual sherry flavours but with elegance, refinement and decadence. Think dates, walnuts, plums and custard.
The Lost Estate, 43-Year-Old Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, 564 bottles worldwide
Featuring whiskies from two of Scotland’s late, great grain whisky distilleries, resulting in a creamy, luscious whisky with bright flashes of citrus fruits and barley sugar.
The Transatlantic, 33-Year-Old Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, 291 bottles worldwide
A rare, delicious Blended Grain Scotch that could easily be twinned, if sampled blind, with the finest of American Bourbon.
