Hine and Glenfarclas unveil 1953 releases

Glenfarclas whisky and Hine Cognac hosted a joint event at Westminster Abbey in London last night to launch a limited edition 1953 vintage release.

Eric Forget of Hine and George Grant of Glenfarclas unveil their 1953 vintage release

The two houses have collaborated to offer 125 pairs of their respective 1953 vintage, available for £14,000 each. Both the Hine and Glenfarclas have been bottled at cask strength and are housed in separate wooden obelisks created by Royal Warrant Holder cabinetmaker Neil Stevenson.

Each obelisk contains a drawer that not only holds information on the producer and vintage, but incorporates wood from the original cask of the spirit inside.

Explaining the significance of 1953 for Hine, which also celebrates its 250^th anniversary this year, chief blender Eric Forget stressed: “Vintage for Hine is just the exceptional years.” Setting 1953 alongside the acclaimed 1914 and 1988 Cognac vintages he described it as “one of the best of the last century.”

George Grant, sales director and the sixth generation of his family at Glenfarclas, told guests: “The whole project has been a fantastic experience.” Noting that the 1953 was the oldest remaining vintage at Glenfarclas, he remarked: “People today are so blasé about drinking old wines and old spirits, but we can’t just make more of it.”

The event took place in the East Cloister of Westminster Abbey, where an exhibition to mark the 60^th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II is about to open.

1953 was also the first year that the Master of Wine examinations were held, as well as the inaugural Oxford vs Cambridge blind tasting match, which celebrated its own anniversary earlier this year and is due to launch a commemorative book in the summer.