Glenglassaugh Just Released One of Its Oldest Single Malts

This 46-year-old Scotch is a sea shanty in a bottle that pairs perfectly with sushi.

Glenglassaugh might be a difficult name to say but it’s an easy Scotch to love. The Highland malt maker (it’s pronounced ‘Glen-GLASS-suh’, by the way) is something of a curiosity in the world of whisky: revered by cognoscenti, overlooked by just about everyone else. If you’re in the latter camp, it’s time to take a deep dive. There’s no time like the present, they say, and today the distillery offers up a particularly compelling point of entry. In a Men’s Journal exclusive, it announces the limited release of Glenglassaugh 46-Year-Old. 

The bottle will be priced at $4,800 and made available solely to the U.S. market. 

Glenglassaugh 46 is like a message in a bottle, according to master distiller Rachel Barrie. That message is more like a sea shanty—a deep and soulful tune evocative of the liquid’s maritime origin. 

“It was distilled on the 3rd of September 1975 and matured entirely along the shores of Sandend Bay,” she explains, referring to the idyllic fishing village in northeastern Scotland that the distillery calls home. “It offers rolling waves of silky tropical fruit, carried on a seductive ocean breeze. Simply put, it is the quintessential coastal single malt.”

Although we emphatically trust the whisky-making skills of this living legend (she’s also responsible for The GlenDronach as well as Benriach single malts), we’re also acutely aware of the potential for bias. So we had to secure a sip for ourselves, and can confirm the validity of these tasting notes.

Beneath the subtle brine, we also uncovered hints of mango and over-ripened papaya. Barrie claims these sweeter undertones are a result of the unique microflora surrounding the distillery. They never taught us that in high school biology. But, at any rate, those saccharine threads were elongated through long exposure to American oak. The sweet and salty components intertwine, hand-in-glove and—amazingly—are heightened when paired alongside an umami-rich food such as sushi. Yes, raw fish, preferably coated in soy sauce.

We digress. Navigate us back to the whisky, Ms. Barrie…

“Glenglassaugh 46 reached perfection with the most luxurious and harmonious balance,” she says. “The taste of paradise in a single drop.”

And yet it was almost paradise lost. The Victorian-era distillery, originally built in 1874 by a local businessman, was mothballed in 1986. It wasn’t resurrected until 2008, and thankfully for Scotch aficionados, its precious stock was left intact along the way. Barrie bottled the 46-Year-Old at a natural cask strength of 41.7 percent ABV and was left with enough juice to fill just 215 decanters. 

So, if you’re keen on pondering its seaside sensibilities, ye best set sail toward your local liquor store post haste.