Oldest existent bottle of Glenfarclas Whisky emerged

Who doesn’t dream to make a find some day as such: Hidden deep in a laundry cupboard a bottle of old Glenfarclas Whisky was discovered that had been forgotten for a long time. In April John Grant could hold it in his hands for the first time.

The old Glenfarclas Whisky has its roots in the year 1920 when it was presented to Stephen Dowell, manager of the Gartloch Distillery in the occasion of the closure of the distillery in Lanarkshire in the East of Glasgow. He got hold of it until his death in 1947 and the bottle found its way to his daughter. She kept the Glenfarclas Whisky – and forgot about it until she rediscovered it by pure chance in 1988 and gave it to Hugh Taylor, her niece’s husband.

Recently the Taylor Family contacted the Grants and during a lunch John Grant could convenience himself from the existence of this historic bottle. For John Grant there is now doubt that this Glenfarclas Whisky is an authentic bottle. He said: ““I am delighted to bring this bottle containing whisky from the time of my grandfather back to it’s spiritual home, and as such add another chapter to our archive.”

If you are visiting the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival that started on 3rd May and will last until tomorrow, you can get a glimpse of it being displayed at the Glenfarclas Distillery in Ballindaloch. We suppose the bottle won’t be opened but you can comfort yourself with a dram of Glenfarclas 21 or Glenfarclas 25 instead.

Picture: J&G Grant, Glenfarclas Distillery

About the author Petra Milde

Petra Milde is a freelance author of books and specialist writing about spirits and food. She has been supporting the Whisky.de editorial team since 2015 and creates informative and entertaining articles in the news section.

Besides her writing work, she moderates tastings and can be met at spirits fairs, both behind the stands and in front of them, looking for new products and interesting people to talk to.

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