The 23 year old whisky in CBTD REF NO.17 was distilled in 1971 at the Glenury Royal distillery and was released as part of the iconic Rare Malts Selection. The single malt whisky in dram NO.17 was distilled in a year which saw the United Kingdom and Ireland switch to decimal currency, the eruption of Sicily’s Mount Etna, the first Disneyland resort open in Florida, and launch of the iconic Rubik’s Cube.

ABOUT THE GLENURY ROYAL DISTILLERY

A distillery was first recorded at the Glen Ury estate in the early 1820’s, allegedly established by the Duke of Gordon in an attempt to prevent illicit distillation on his lands. The Duke would be one of the main forces behind the 1823 Excise Act requiring distilleries to be licenced. In 1825, Captain Robert Barclay, the Laird of Ury, built his own distillery which was, in 1858, sold to William Ritchie whose successors would run the distillery until 1938. The Glenury Royal distillery was then acquired by Joseph Hobbs the owner of Ben Nevis distillery on behalf of Train & Macintyre, the UK subsidiary of the National Distillers of America.

The distillery was closed during World War Two, and in 1953 the National Distillers of America ended the increasingly unprofitable venture into Scotland in an ill-timed decision; just prior to the demand for Scotch whisky in America entering overdrive. The distillery was purchased by Distillers Company Limited, by the mid-1960s Glenury Royal was expanded to double its in capacity and in 1968 grain maltings were suspended. The Glenury Royal distillery would continue to produce whisky for another two decades however the distillery was closed in 1985 due to the downturn in the whisky market. In 1992, DCL decided to cease whisky production at Glenury Royal for good, and in 1993 the land was sold to developers and the distillery demolished.

ABOUT THE RARE MALTS SELECTION

This 23-year-old whisky was distilled in 1971 and released as part of the Rare Malts Selection. The Rare Malts Selection was created in 1995 as a celebration of silent distilleries, allowing whisky drinkers to sample antique whiskies from rare and valuable casks. All of the whiskies released as part of the Rare Malts Selection were selected because of their unique and individual character. Bottlings came from some thirty-six distilleries across Scotland, all from different geographic locations, and all with different stories behind them. The Selection therefore, was the perfect opportunity to get a taste of Scotch whisky history.

The Rare Malts series was launched in 1995 by Diageo who were then known as United Distillers and Vinter Ltd. (Diageo as we know it now was formed in 1997 after Distillers Company Limited merged with Guinness PLC). In 2000 Diageo decided to focus on premium drinks, and since 2012 they have invested heavily in Scotch whisky – an investment of £1 billion so far.