What’s It like to Drink 40-Year-Old, $7,900 Scotch?
Photos via Loch Lomond Whiskies
When I sat down to write this post, I began to type the words “Littlemill 40-Year-Old Review,” but then stopped. Because really: How can you possibly conduct a literal “review” of a 40-year-old, £6,000, 50ml sample of scotch that only exists in the world in a run of 250 bottles? Even the hoariest of old scotch hunters are unlikely to ever lay eyes on one of these bottles, much less taste them. This is a product so absurdly expensive that it exists entirely outside the arena of what can be objectively rated. Who would even theoretically be okay with dropping $8,000 (it’s equivalent to $7,896 at the time of writing) on a bottle of scotch? Hip-hop moguls, Saudi princes and Russian plutocrats? Who else would ever think to spend so ostentatiously?
… although with that said, Loch Lomond has produced a whisky in the past that is twice as expensive, so I guess it’s a matter of perspective after all, right?
Let’s begin, then, by explaining exactly what this bottle is, and what it contains.
The Littlemill Distillery was a historic whisky distillery in Bowling, Dunbartonshire, Scotland, first established in 1772. It chugged along in various forms over the centuries, changing hands numerous times until its final closure in 1994, and the distillery itself was then sadly destroyed by a fire in 2004. In the years since, however, it has lived on in a series of releases of its remaining whisky stores, via Loch Lomond Distillery Co. (owned by Stoli Group). As evidenced by this particular release, the remaining Littlemill stores have gotten quite old indeed.
The full name of this release is the Littlemill 40-Year-Old Celestial Edition, dedicated to Littlemill’s pioneering distiller, Duncan Thomas. It was matured in American ex-bourbon oak, as typical of scotch, before being finished with a brief, three-month rest in oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 46.8 percent ABV (93.6 proof). As mentioned above, a mere 250 bottles exist, so good luck finding one if you’re a hip-hop mogul looking for the perfect accouterment for your next music video.