Glenlochy 1969 - 26 Year Old - Rare Malts 58.8% - RSA

Glenlochy is one of the overlooked lost distilleries of the Highlands. The distillery was founded in 1898 but production was relatively small and Glenlochy’s output was only ever destined for the blending vats. Glenlochy was closed in 1983 by Diageo forerunners DCL during the whisky lake crisis and the distillery buildings were almost completely demolished in 1991 to make way for a hotel.

Glenlochy was never officially bottled as a single malt during its lifetime, but a handful of superb Rare Malts editions of the 1969 vintage appeared in the mid-1990s. Outstanding independent bottlings of Glenlochy have been released by Cadenhead’s, Signatory, Gordon & MacPhail and the SMWS, among others. At the time of writing in 2024 there has been only one new release of Glenlochy since 2015 so it appears that the last stock of this very fine old school Highland single malt whisky may soon be finished.

Distillery bottlings are, as the name suggests, bottled by or for the distillery from which the whisky has originated and are thus often referred to as Official Bottlings or OBs. Distillery bottlings are generally more desirable for collectors and usually fetch higher prices at auction than independent bottlings. They are officially-endorsed versions of the whisky from a particular distillery and are therefore considered the truest expression of the distillery’s character.

This ideal of the distillery character is regarded so seriously by the distilleries and brand owners that casks of whisky that are considered to vary too far from the archetype are frequently sold on to whisky brokers and independent bottlers. When this happens, it is often with the proviso that the distillery’s name is not allowed to be used when the cask is bottled for fear of diminishing or damaging the distillery’s character and status.