In the haunted room number eight of the Russell Hotel in Sydney's Rocks district, William Grant & Sons launched its Ghosted Reserve whisky in Australia in March, the first release in its Rare Cask Reserves Collection.
Priced to appeal to the serious whisky enthusiast at $650 per bottle, and limited to 300 bottles in Australia from the 4100 individually numbered bottles released worldwide, the Ghosted Reserve lives up to its 'rare' and 'unrepeatable' positioning.
Why 'Ghosted'? Because this blended malt hails from the whisky casks of ghosted Scottish distilleries Ladyburn and Inverleven, which closed their doors 1975 and 1991 respectively.
William Grant & Sons' master blender Brian Kinsman has deemed the moment right to marry these whiskies and so unlock “a unique blend of deep oaky and slightly oily notes from Ladyburn and sweet fruitiness with hints of floral blossom from Inverleven”.
Kinsman calls this an “exceptional release” representing a “high point of what blending can bring to the finest whisky”.
Aussies have their say
Kinsman also had his expert hand in the second release in the Rare Cask Reserve Collection, the Cruinnich. What makes this special for the local market is not so much that it's rare, but that it has been specially selected by Australian whisky enthusiasts for the Australian palate.
These Aussies were winners in a competition last year, and their prize saw them travel to Dufftown, Scotland for a bespoke and exclusive event with Kinsman.
At this gathering - which is what cruinich means in Scots Gaelic - and under the expert guidance of Kinsman, these whisky lovers sampled and selected the 21-year-old rare cask reserve whisky that will be sold at Dan Murphy's under the Cruinnich label for $180 per bottle from May.
The Ghosted Reserve (on shelf March) will be available from Dan Murphy's and selected independent whisky retailers.
