Chivas unveils its Secret Speyside collection

Chivas Brothers has released its biggest collection of single malt Scotch to date, with the launch of 15 aged whiskies from four Speyside distilleries.

The Secret Speyside Collection is a selection of 18-30-years-old whiskies that herald from four of Speyside’s distilleries. Distilleries include the closed distillery of Caperdonich, Longmorn Distillery, the Glen Keith Distillery, and the remote Braes of Glenlivet Distillery.

The fifteen-bottle collection consists of three rare single malts from each of Glen Keith, Longmorn and Braes of Glenlivet, together with three peated and three unpeated expressions from Caperdonich, which distilled its final single malt in 2002, before closing its doors and finally being taken down in 2011.

The Secret Speyside Collection is the first of its kind from Pernod Ricard-owned Chivas Brothers and will offer single malt connoisseurs the chance to uncover, sample and collect some of the hidden malts at the heart of the Speyside region that have rarely been made available in the past.

Alan Winchester, master distiller, commented: “With centuries of rich whisky heritage against a jaw-dropping Scottish landscape, Speyside is the treasure chest of Scotch and brimming with untold stories. Curating the Collection has been a labour of love for the Chivas Brothers team; its contents have been hand-selected to help shine a light on some seldom-seen distilleries, their rare malts, and unique histories. Any whisky connoisseur will find something new in this world-class selection, which demonstrates the breadth of flavour and character that Speyside distilleries can achieve.”   

The Secret Speyside Collection will launch from July as a global travel retail exclusive for one year, before rolling out into selected markets globally from summer 2020. 

The Distilleries

Caperdonich – A Vanished Distillery

This collection contains the only available single malts from this distillery, which was taken down brick by brick in 2011. The whiskies released from this ‘vanished distillery’ of Speyside offer an opportunity to discover and compare peated and unpeated expressions of the same age (21 and 25 year old), from the same distillery.

There will be six whiskies released from Caperdonich, with half being peated whiskies and the other half unpeated. The peated selection includes an 18-years-old (48% ABV), a 21-years-old (48% ABV) and a cask strength 25-years-old whisky. The unpeated whiskies are a 21-years-old (48% ABV), 25-years-old (48% ABV), and a cask strength 30-years-old. The peated 25-years-old and non-peated 30-years-old will be released in October 2019. 

Longmorn — The Pioneering Distillery

The three whiskies from Longmorn in this collection are an 18-years-old (48% ABV), 23-years-old (48% ABV) and a cask strength 25-years-old.

Glen Keith — The Landmark Distillery

Glen Keith was the first Speyside distillery built in the 20th century. The three whiskies from Glen Keith in this collection are a 21-years-old, 25-years-old and a 28-years-old (all 43% ABV).

Braes of Glenlivet — The Remote Distillery

This is the first official bottling from one of the highest distilleries in Speyside. The three whiskies from Braes of Glenlivet in this collection are a 25-years-old (48% ABV), 27-years-old (48% ABV) and a cask strength 30-years-old. 

The Single Malts

Caperdonich

18-years-old Peated (48% ABV)

Matured in American Oak barrels

RRP $130

 

21-years-old Peated (48% ABV)

Matured in American Oak barrels

RRP $290

 

25-years-old Peated (cask strength) 

Matured in oak hogsheads 

RRP $550

 

21-years-old Unpeated (48% ABV)

Matured in first fill American Oak barrels

RRP $250

 

25-years-old Unpeated (48% ABV)

Matured in first fill American Oak barrels

RRP $480

 

30-years-old Unpeated (cask strength)

Matured in first fill American Oak barrels

RRP $990

 

Longmorn 

18-years-old (48% ABV)

Matured in American Oak barrels and hogsheads

RRP $100

 

23-years-old (48% ABV)

Matured in American Oak barrels and hogsheads

RRP $290

 

25-years-old (cask strength, 52.2% ABV)

Matured in American Oak barrels, hogsheads and butts

RRP $450

 

Glen Keith

21-years-old (43% ABV)

Specially Selected Oak barrels and butts

RRP $180

 

25-years-old (43% ABV)

Matured in 1st fill American Oak barrels

RRP $380

 

28-years-old (43% ABV)

Matured in 1st fill American Oak barrels

RRP $500

 

Braes of Glenlivet

 

25-years-old (48% ABV)

Matured in 1st fill American Oak barrels

RRP $400

 

27-years-old (48% ABV)

Matured in 1st fill American Oak barrels

RRP $450

 

30-years-old (cask strength, 50.3% ABV)

Matured in American Oak barrels and hogsheads

RRP $600

 

 

28 June 2019 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, editor