The Makers of Glenfiddich Have Released a Lost Scotch Whisky With an Impressive Age Statement

William Grant & Sons, the company behind beloved Scotch brand Glenfiddich, has unveiled the Ladyburn Ha Chong-Hyun Edition, a collection of 50-year-old single-cask whiskies. It’s the latest expression from the shuttered archives of the once pioneering distillery brings together the worlds of rare single malt and contemporary art.

The story of Ladyburn is short for a whisky distillery. Opened in 1966 and located in Girvan in the Scottish Lowlands—across the Firth of Clyde from Campbeltown—the distillery only operated for nine years before closing in 1975. During those two decades that Scotch made its largest strides. Now, Ladyburn is the oldest Lowland whisky available on the market.

The new collection is named for Ha Chong-Hyun, born in 1935 in Sancheong. He’s recognized as one of the most important artists in South Korea. 

The Ha Chong-Hyun Edition is Ladyburn’s first offering produced from its 1970s archive. It celebrates the distillery’s swansong with whisky from two casks, numbered 3,219 and 3,216.

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The complete collection is made up of 11 different bottles adorned with 11 works personally curated by Ha Chong-Hyun in collaboration with the Seoul Kukje Gallery. Each selected piece is a representation of the artist’s groundbreaking Conjunction series from the 1970s. Cask 3,219 is released as 10 collections of 10 bottles, while cask 3,216 will be released as 85 numbered bottles.

Cask 3,219 matured for five decades in a refill American Oak barrels. It offers aromas of creamy vanilla with linseed and hints of citrus, along with a touch of floral sweetness. The palate is surprisingly rich with flavors of toffee, creme brûlée and toasted oak. The finish is initially sweet before fades into dry oak, which lingers.

Cask 3,216 also matured for 50 years in a refill American oak barrel. On the nose, polished leather and wood shavings overlay on classic Ladyburn linseed oil and barley sugar aromas, leading to a crisp minerality. The palate offers rich fruit and jammy sweetness with a hint of licorice. That sweetness lingers through the finish.

Reflecting the rarity of Ladyburn Ha Chong-Hyun Edition, the collection is only available to William Grant & Sons private clients.

Related: I’ve Tasted Hundreds of Scotch Whiskies. This Affordable Classic Is Perfect for Easy Sipping