The Glen Grant distillery has launched a 65-year-old single malt, the first in their new Splendours collection, which will feature some of their rarest whiskies ensconced in a design inspired by the distillery’s garden

When does whisky become an art-piece? When it’s in the hands of designer John Galvin and specialist glassmakers Nichola Burns and Brodie Nairn of Glasstorm. The trio came together to produce a vessel for the first in Glen Grant’s limited collection, which was worthy of its place at Art Basel – the world-renowned international art fair – where it launched in Hong Kong last month.

The launch was hosted in partnership with post-digital art group Random International, where Glen Grant presented Seasons, a live performance painting experience that blurs the line between whisky and art. Over four events, 65 artworks were created to celebrate the spirit, bringing it to an entirely different market.

Inspired by the lavish gardens at the Glen Grant distillery, the design of the bottle itself centres around the 65-year-old single malt, which is housed in a teardrop shaped receptacle designed and made by hand by Nichola and Brodie. This in turn is cocooned by John’s contribution, a sculptural wooden möbius strip, meticulously engineered to appear like a continuous loop.

“I didn’t even know about the garden until I visited the distillery, and I was totally blown away by it,” says John. “It was immediately clear that this incredible space would be the starting point for our design.”

The garden has been providing inspiration to visitors since the late 1800s when it was cultivated by James ‘The Major’ Grant who owned the distillery at the time. Filled with exotic plants collected on his world tours, this unexpected Speyside Eden is the heart of Glen Grant.

Combing through the wide variety of vegetation is what led John, Brodie and Nichola to the blue Himalayan poppy. “It was the obvious choice to base our design around,” says Brodie. “In bloom, it is so striking; so instantly eye-catching.”

On the hand-blown glass vessel, crafted in Brodie and Nichola’s Tain-based studio, the poppy is engraved in lustrous rose gold. The matching engraving is completed by hand in John’s Clydebank workshop. From start to finish, a single bottle takes over 75 hours to make – and that’s without factoring in the time spent designing.

It took 18 months from concept to sign-off to develop the final product, and the level of thought that went into the design is clear from first glance. The base of the sculpture resembles a wave breaking around the bottle, which, of course, is intentional.

“It represents the water that nourishes the garden, where the Blue Himalayan poppy grows. It also represents the water as a crucial element of the whisky itself alongside the seas that the Major crossed on his world tour, which led him back to Glen Grant,” says John.

The negative space surrounding the central bottle, which represents the seed of the poppy, is far from empty. Acting as a theatre window, it casts shadows, cleverly reflecting the flower onto the interior walls of the sculpture when the light hits just right.

The medium of the möbius strip is symbolic, too. Cast in cherry wood found in the distillery garden, it represents the Major’s journey around the world and back to Speyside.

Provenance was also of major importance on the project. Glen Grant made a point of working with Scotland-based designers, which adds huge value to the whisky as well as paving the way for the next generation of Scottish designers. “This project has given me the chance to train four future designers,” says John. “That’s a huge investment in the future of the craft.”

The malt itself was distilled in Scotland in 1958, through the coal-fired, slender pot stills introduced by the Major himself that are unique to Glen Grant. The spirit has been maturing in a single French oak butt since, tucked away in the distillery’s oldest traditional stone dunnage warehouse.

Selected by master distiller Grieg Stables to kick off the collection of limited releases which will be steadily unveiled over the next few years, the 65-year-old spirit had a certain something that drew him to it. “You get a sense of when a whisky is just right and quite simply, this couldn’t be any better. It should make you want to ask questions. Storytelling is what it’s all about.”

Visit the Glen Grant Distillery website

Visit John Galvin’s website | Follow John Galvin on Instagram

Visit the Glasstorm website | Follow Glasstorm on Instagram

Looking to explore the Scottish whisky scene? Click below to read about Glen Scotia’s limited edition bottle released for the Campbeltown Malts Festival.

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