Pittyvaich 1989 25 Year Old Special Release 2015 (70cl, 49.9%)
Bottle No 78.
An official 25 year old bottling is a rare limited edition. This was distilled in 1989, just 4 years before the distillery closed down. It was matured for 25 years in a combination of refill American oak hogsheads and first fill ex-bourbon barrels. Part of Diageo's Special Releases 2015.
One of a group of distilleries to feature in the 2015 Special Releases that's rarely seen, in this case because it was only open from 1974 to 1993. Matured in refill American oak hogsheads and ex-bourbon barrels, this is a release of 5,922 individually numbered bottles.
Pittyvaich could be considered the front-runner for shortest-lived Speyside distillery. It was built in 1975 by Arthur Bell & Sons, next-door to their Dufftown distillery, in order to increase provision for its popular blends. Arthur Bell & Sons were bought by Guinness in 1985, who's merger with DCL to form United Distillers (now Diageo) the following year, saw the huge firm oversupplied by its enormous portfolio. Pittyvaich was an early candidate for closure, and was silenced in 1993 before later being demolished. The brief Flora & Fauna release was the only distillery bottling of Pittyvaich in its lifetime.