Gordon & MacPhail has announced a landmark moment in whisky history. The release of the world’s oldest single malt Scotch whisky: Gordon & MacPhail 85 Years Old from Glenlivet Distillery.
A staggering eight-and-a-half decades in the making, it was back on 3 February 1940 when John and George Urquhart laid down a single American oak cask with Glenlivet spirit. The architects of Gordon & MacPhail’s independent bottling vision knew they would never taste what would become Cask 336, but trusted in time, tradition, and a level of willpower I will never possess to finish the job.
Fast-forward 85 years, and that vision has come to fruition. On 5 February 2025, Gordon & MacPhail finally bottled this unprecedented whisky. At 43.7% ABV, only 125 decanters of Gordon & MacPhail 85 Years Old from Glenlivet Distillery exist, making it one of the rarest and most remarkable whiskies ever released.
Gordon & MacPhail 85 Years Old from Glenlivet Distillery and American architect Jeanne Gang
Artistry in Oak: The Jeanne Gang Collaboration
To honour this historic moment, Gordon & MacPhail has partnered with American architect Jeanne Gang to design a bespoke decanter.
Gang brought her architectural insight to the world of whisky, inspired by the parallels between aged wood and enduring design, to create a decanter themed ‘Artistry in Oak’.
It was unveiled on 2 October 2025, with Decanter No.1 heading to Christie’s New York for auction in November. Proceeds (minus costs) will support American Forests, the oldest conservation non-profit in the U.S., ensuring oak trees and the future of whisky continue to flourish.
The Gordon & MacPhail shop in Elgin, in 1895
The oldest whisky ever?
This release is a record-breaker. The current title for the oldest whisky ever is claimed by Macallan Time:Space, a 1940 vintage aged for 84 years. It will surely try and steal back the crown soon (assuming the distillery can…).
Gordon & MacPhail 85 Years Old from Glenlivet Distillery is more than just a headline, however. It’s a living document of maturation, restraint, and belief in the long game. This is Gordon & MacPhail through and through.
For 130 years, it has matched cask to spirit with near-obsessive precision, and nowhere is that more evident than in this whisky.
The cask itself, an American oak container tended for generations, has yielded a whisky that’s not only intact but thriving. The fact that it was still 43.7% ABV at the time of bottling is a testament to the consideration and understanding Gordon & MacPhail have for whisky maturation.
A whisky born in wartime, matured through a century, and released in a bottle designed to last just as long. For those who want a taste of history, it doesn’t get older than this.
