At the end of Iain Banks’ travel/tasting book Raw Spirits, after months of driving up and down Scotland in search of the perfect dram, he concedes “there is… no perfect dram. Or there are loads, depending how you look at it. What apparently tastes like a perfect dram now might not taste so good later. What tastes like a brilliant dram to me might taste awful to you…” before going on to shortlist a dozen or so whiskies as strong contenders.

In the end – and no prizes for guessing – he lists a Glenfiddich single malt* as “ultimately, the single malt that most impressed me without being outrageously expensive or simply unavailable… This is brilliantly different, complex, utterly assured whisky-making of the first order.”

He could’ve been talking about Glenfiddich as a whole, which is the world’s most-awarded single malt Scotch whisky brand.

We were at South Beach Club for Glenfiddich 1965, the limited-edition Singapore Anniversary Edition 50 Year Old. It’s rarer than a 1995 Mercedes Gullwing 300SL, only five bottles are available. (And at 30,000 pounds each, you can see why). Each bottle is accompanied by a unique art piece by five Singapore-based artists – Andy Yang, Eugene Tan, Chan Wai Lim, Sean Dunston and Flabslab. One might make the case that there is also real art inside the bottle.

The Glenfiddich 1965’s birth, like Spiderman’s origin, is somewhat fortuitous – two chance encounters made it happen. The first was when Matthew Fergusson-Stewart, Regional Brand Ambassador for Glenfiddich, broached the idea following a tasting event with local Glenfiddich enthusiasts. The second, when reality bit, happened after a conversation Peter Gordon (a fifth generation member of the William Grant family) had with President Tony Tan at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014. (Don’t say our Prez doesn’t do anything, okay?).

Glenfiddich 1965

Anyway, with senses tingling, the project starting flying. SiJie Leaw, Regional Brand Manager of Glenfiddich, said: “We wanted to commemorate the shared values between Singapore and Glenfiddich – that of a pioneering spirit and a willingness to invest in our future – through the release of the Singapore Anniversary Edition 50 Year Old. It is very costly to keep whisky stock for 50 years, and it can be tempting to sell whiskies at a younger age to maximize profits. However, Glenfiddich has chosen to safeguard an unparalleled number of aged stocks for future generations, and as a family-run company, we are able to take a long term perspective and ensure quality aged stocks are available to make exceptional whiskies.”

 Yes, but Parched – how does it taste?!? We’ll get to that in just a sec. At the Philippe Starck-designed South Beach Club, we had been drinking the 12-, 15- and 21-year whiskies during reception. Dinner was in a hall transformed into a log cabin to evoke the natural beauty and historic surrounds of Dufftown. (No, the Duff Beer rumours are not true.)

Food pairing with edible flowers

The food pairing was conceptualised by chef Janice Wong, with a whisky presentation that was part high-tech (very Minority Report) and part historic: a special guest from Denmark, Hans-Henrik Hansen, owner of the world’s largest collection of Glenfiddich whisky, also spoke. (Note to self: Get his email, make friends, visit Copenhagen).

After plowing through the sublime speeches and various vintages, we were given a sliver of the Glenfiddich 1965 to taste. It’s immediately smokier that you’d expect (but why not, it’s been in the barrels for a long time). Still. It’s robust, with floral notes and layers of soft fruits. It finishes long with the ever present oaky flavour and a slight hint of peat (this last bit was arguable but no matter). A glorious whisky that does the house proud, and if Iain Banks was alive (bless his soul), he mgiht’ve written another book about this.

Glenfiddich 1965

Each bottle is individually hand-blown and adorned with Scottish silver crafted by Thomas Fattorini, a sixth generation silversmith; decorations include the Scottish Thistle and the Singaporean Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid. You’ll also get a leather-bound book, which details the rich history of the whisky and Singapore as an independent nation.

For purchase enquiries, please contact Sijie Leaw at Sijie.Leaw@wgrant.com or 9475 7457.

* I won’t spoil it for you, read the book, especially if you’re planning a Scottish road trip.

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