Published on July 29, 2026
Harrods
Two years ago, the Balvenie launched its Fifty Collection with the release of a—you guessed it—50-year-old single malt scotch whisky that was bottled from just one individual cask. The Speyside distillery just announced the release of the third and final edition in the series, and this new expression combines three different half-century-old casks into something very rare and very expensive.
The Balvenie and its sister distillery and next-door neighbor, Glenfiddich, are both owned by Scottish drinks company William Grant & Sons. In 2024, Balvenie malt master Kelsey McKechnie selected a European oak refill butt for the first Fifty Collection release, containing whisky distilled in 1973 and bottled at 52.3 percent ABV. Instead of choosing another cask to bottle for the second edition in 2025, McKechnie decided to release the whisky in sort of a solera style, combining the remaining whisky from the first cask with an American oak hogshead that was filled in 1973 and bottling it at 49.8 percent ABV. And now, for the final release in the series, she has added a third barrel to the mix—another American oak hogshead barrel that was filled in 1974—and bottled the blend at 50.3 percent ABV.
