Rare whisky to be sold to aid injured servicemen

A BOTTLE of whisky created in honour of Scotland’s oldest woman is to be auctioned to help injured servicemen and women regain quality of life.

The Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve was named for the grand-daughter of William Grant, founder of the Glenfiddich Distillery, who celebrated her 110th birthday last year.

A bottle of the single malt, which is one of the rarest in the world, will be auctioned in London next week with profits in aid of Walking With the Wounded.

Peter Gordon, Glenfiddich chairman and great-nephew of Janet Roberts, said: “The Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve is one of the rarest whiskies Glenfiddich has ever released and a real part of my family’s history.

“My great-aunt has witnessed great change at the Glenfiddich distillery over the past 110 years, so it seems fitting to honour her remarkable life in this way.”

Only 11 bottles of the Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve will be released to the public – one for each decade of her life.

The first bottle of the 55-year-old malt sold last year for £46,850, breaking a world record for the most expensive single malt Scotch whisky sold at auction.

Those who have sampled the whisky say it is pale gold in colour, light on the nose and delicate, with aroma of orange blossom, toasted almonds and a whiff of smoke.

Brian Kinsman, Glenfiddich’s malt master, said: “It is an honour to be one of four malt-masters who have played a role in nurturing this remarkable whisky.

“It is a truly special whisky and demonstrates our pioneering approach to whisky-making.”

The money raised by the sale, which takes place on Friday, 10 February at the Honourable Artillery Company, will go towards education and retraining programmes for servicemen and women who have been injured in action.