“The local community has been at the heart of Glenfiddich since 1887 when William Grant opened our distillery in Dufftown” comments Struan Grant Ralph, Glenfiddich Global Brand Ambassador. “We hope the release of the Spirit of Speyside Distillery Edition 2020 is a fitting tribute to William Grant and his legacy in the Speyside community.”
In light of COVID-19, the annual Spirit of Speyside Festival, which attracts whisky enthusiasts from all over the world, has been cancelled in its 21st year. In honour of the festival, Brian handpicked this special liquid which has spent the last 13 years maturing in the darkness of Glenfiddich’s Warehouse 26. Finished in a sherry cask, Glenfiddich Spirit of Speyside Distillery Edition 2020 has been bottled at the unusually high strength of 65.7% ABV and tastes silky smooth and sweet, with a rich citrus and cinnamon-infused apple fruitiness.
Only 450, 70cl bottles will be produced, each hand-numbered 1-450 and each signed by Brian Kinsman. 100% of the revenue produced from the sale will go directly to help and support local Speyside causes, particularly those most affected by the COVID-19 crisis; Moray Food Plus, Keirans Legacy, and NHS Grampian. Glenfiddich sees this as a fitting tribute to founder William Grant, himself a pillar of the local community over 130 years ago, who always looked out for his craftsmen and community, often through tough times. Since 1887, Glenfiddich has always strived to create the ‘best dram in the valley’. Today, in 2020, that vision is amended to the ‘dram doing the best for the valley’.
“We are honoured to work with Glenfiddich to bring this special charity bottling to auction” comments Iain McClune, Founder of Whisky Auctioneer. “There has never been a more important time to form partnerships to support those most in need in our communities. We thank the team at Glenfiddich for approaching us with this opportunity.”
ABOUT GLENFIDDICH
Founded in Dufftown, Scotland by innovator William Grant, Glenfiddich first ran from the stills on Christmas Day, 1887. Adopting revolutionary methods and practices Grant’s maverick attitude to whisky production saw Glenfiddich excel for over a hundred and thirty years, becoming the first single malt whisky to be promoted outside of Scotland, and ultimately, the best-selling and most awarded single malt whisky in the world*. While Glenfiddich is now sold in over 180 countries across the world, the brand is one of the few single malt distilleries to remain entirely family-owned and is still produced in the same distillery which William Grant and his children hand-built.
William Grant, founder of Glenfiddich, was one of the pillars of the Dufftown community in 1887. He is most famous for owning his own distillery, but he also had a wide range of interests beyond whisky. He was a Major in the local Volunteer Militia (forerunner of the Territorial Army), which was a popular activity throughout Banffshire in the Victorian era. He was also Precentor (the person who led the singing in church) at their local Dufftown church. As time went on, he was one of the biggest employers in the area.
ABOUT WILLIAM GRANT & SONS
William Grant & Sons, Ltd. is an independent family-owned distiller headquartered in the United Kingdom and founded by William Grant in 1887. Today, the luxury spirits company is run by the fifth generation of his family and distils some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world’s favourite single malt Glenfiddich®, The Balvenie® range of handcrafted single malts and the world’s third largest blended Scotch Grant’s® as well as other iconic spirits brands such as Hendrick’s® Gin, Sailor Jerry®, Milagro® Tequila, Tullamore D.E.W Irish Whiskey, Monkey Shoulder and, most recently, Drambuie and Hudson.
ABOUT WHISKY AUCTIONEER
Whisky Auctioneer aims to be the global market leader and trusted authority on the buying and selling of whisky and spirits at auction. Founded in 2013 and located in Perth, the very heart of Scotland, they utilise their expertise and knowledge combined with their auction platform to increase interest and passion in the whisky and spirits community.
THE AUCTION
The auction will start on 17th June 2020, conducted by www.whiskyauctioneer.com . It will conclude from 7PM on 22nd June 2020.
ABOUT THE CAUSES
100% of the sale revenues generated from the online auction will go directly to the following causes;
Moray Food Plus
Moray Food Plus provides a variety of services to those either experiencing or at risk of food insecurity. They also work with partners to reduce the amount of local food waste taking surplus food and redistributing it amongst the community, which is especially important in this difficult time.
Find out more here: https://morayfoodplus.org.uk
Keirans Legacy
Keirans Legacy is a local charity and one that’s close to our heart. It challenges organisations, enhances knowledge, provides education and facilitates hands-on training on how to save a life in an emergency life-threatening situation, especially enabling the provision of automated external defibrillators.
Find out more here: http://www.keiranslegacy.co.uk
NHS Grampian
NHS Grampian is responsible for providing health and social care services to a population of over 500,000 people living in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, and Moray. Their aim is to put quality first to deliver better health, better care, and better value. In this particularly difficult time, they are also dealing with large numbers of people suffering from Coronavirus. http://www.nhsgrampian.org
Find out more here: http://www.nhsgrampian.org
