Step Into The Vault: A New Whisky Tasting Experience By Chivas Brothers

3 weeks ago

C&TH takes a trip up to Scotland to experience The Vault, the latest Chivas Brothers offering

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Chivas Brothers has launched The Vault, an immersive and ultra-special tasting journey at its iconic Strathisla Distillery, offering a select few whisky lovers the chance to sample and own rare and limited-edition casks from its world-renowned portfolio.

Chivas Brothers Invites Visitors Into The Vault

The easy one-and-a-half-hour flight from London Heathrow to Aberdeen brought us to the historical home of Chivas Brothers, the second largest producer of Scotch whisky in the world. With 12 single malt distilleries, Chivas Brothers has an award-winning portfolio featuring some of the world’s most revered single malts and blended whiskies, including The Glenlivet, Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s and Royal Salute.

The Strathisla Distillery in Speyside

Rightfully proud of its illustrious provenance and superlative Scotch, the brand has created an intimate and highly-curated experience for serious whisky lovers: a private, bespoke and immersive visit to The Vault at its Strathisla Distillery in the heart of Speyside in the Scottish Highlands. This is an opportunity for connoisseurs and collectors to own a very special slice of whisky history, with the purchase of their own cask – chosen from a selection of 14 rare casks of unparalleled character and purity never before offered for sale.

Our journey begins with a private tour of the 1786 distillery, the oldest working distillery in the Scottish Highlands and possibly the most charming, its position right on the banks of the River Isla, the river water used in the cooling process. Our visit – like every guest’s – was planned to precision in advance, with our favourite flavours and whiskies taken into account. Seated in a cosy drawing room, we are reminded of the brand’s history as we enjoyed our first tasting – hand-picked by master blenders – from among a staggering 240 Chivas Brothers whiskies.

The Whisky Library

The Vault is like stepping into an Aladdin’s cave, its Whisky Library wall-to-wall in a swathe of colours one doesn’t usually associate with whisky. This is where the real discovery unfolds – within these hallowed chambers, casks rising to the rafters, a slightly smoked smell of old wood with hints of vanilla in the air – as we sampled whiskies carefully chosen for us by master blender Sandy Hyslop and cask master Kevin Balmforth. Among the casks, each one chosen for its unmatched character, there is iconic Speyside single malt The Glenlivet (28 years old, second-fill European sherry butt; one of less than five remaining in this vintage), the newly re-introduced Longmorn single malt (30 years old, first-fill American oak barrel), as well as the last remaining whiskies from the now-closed Caperdonich distillery (with casks ranging from 26 to 31 years old).

For an avid whisky fan, this rare cask experience is the chance to own a piece of history and a whisky at the pinnacle of taste, maturity and flavour – designed not for re-sale, but for drinking and enjoying. Once purchased, a chosen cask can remain in The Vault for up to four further years – meticulously managed by Chivas Brothers experts – until you are ready for it to be bottled, with your own label should you wish.

The drawing room

Jacques-Henri Brive, head of luxury development at Chivas Brothers and our charming host, says: ‘Every journey into The Vault is entirely bespoke. Paired with the potential to own one of our most desired whiskies, matured in optimal conditions for up to four more years, this offering is a very special one.’

BOOK: The Vault by Chivas Brothers costs from £1,200 per person. chivasbrothersvault.com

Dine & Stay: Linn House

Emerging blinking into the late afternoon sunlight, we continued to be enveloped into the Chivas Brothers world with a stay at the brand’s first luxury retreat. Sleeping up to 24 guests in 12 bedrooms – each named after a Chivas Brothers distillery – the exclusive Linn House is an 1870 Victorian manor house renovated to the highest standards (high ceilings, beds you simply sink into) set amid rolling Scottish countryside. For us, this was the perfect conclusion to our visit, as – our edges softened by the afternoon’s tastings – we enjoyed a Linn House Sour by the fire before a top-notch dinner (prepared by the resident chef using all local ingredients) in the mahogany-panelled dining room. Whisky is about history and storytelling and our day – one surely on the bucket list for whisky lovers – drew to a close with a nightcap seated under blankets around the fire pit, sharing ghost stories under some of the darkest skies in the country.

Things To Do

Forge into the untamed wilds of the Highlands and experience a day of fly-fishing on the grounds of a historic castle
Tee off for a round of golf upon the rolling fairways of renowned courses
Follow in legendary footsteps on a trail that uncovers Speyside’s illicit whisky distilling past
Indulge in the Linn House Supper Series. This spring, guest chef Jack Stein (chef director at Rick Stein Restaurants) will be in residence, coinciding with the renowned Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, 30 April to 4 May

BOOK: From £9,600 for 12 guests for two nights. linnhouse.uk