Perthshire, Scotland-based hotel Gleneagles is celebrating close to a century of outdoor experiences with the launch of its Pursuits whisky range. The hotel has sourced casks from four distinguished whisky distilleries in Scotland to provide enthusiasts with the opportunity to own these single malt Scotch whiskies, each unique in its own right and limited to one cask per expression.
Named after and inspired by four popular countryside activities offered at the estate,–Fishing, Falconry, and Shooting–the Pursuits series offers a sensory adventure like no other. The 2023 edition of the Pursuits range features an additional expression, Horse Riding. All four expressions were bottled in December 2022, one of which; the Imperial Distillery is no longer in operation, thus making the range all the more rare and collectable.
The Pursuits series bottles are all individually hand-engraved and numbered, adding to the unique and exclusive nature of the range. The range will be displayed and available to purchase at the hotel’s Still Room, which is home to a collection of over 200 different bottlings.
Fishing, from the Royal Brackla Distillery in the Highlands, was matured in a single hogshead cask for eleven years before being bottled. The spirit offers a creamy texture, with hazelnuts and almonds balanced against a delicate creme caramel, with a touch of lemon oil. The finish delivers a hint of white pepper along with chilli spice, which plays against the citrus oil and cereal notes.
Falconry, from the Caol Ila Distillery on the island of Islay, was matured in a single hogshead for fourteen years. This is a dense whisky, rich with flavors of black pepper studded salami and rich smoked Gruyere, while lime citrus plays against dark chocolate. The finish lingers with notes of black pepper, charcuterie and lime zest.
Shooting–the most limited of the range with only 191 bottles available–was made in the Imperial Distillery in Speyside. Matured in a single barrel for 26 years, the palate gives notes of red berries with freshly cut mint leaves, which marry oily citrus and vanilla, building and developing an unctuous texture. The finish offers delicate vanilla and light ginger lingering with hints of eucalyptus and white chocolate.
Horse Riding, from the Tobermory Distillery on the island of Mull, was matured in a single hogshead for 27 years. It features flavors of salted butter and clear runny honey spread liberally over toasted rye bread with a hint of almonds. The finish offers touches of mint and tarragon, giving an indication of age, set against the sweetness of lemon drizzle cake.
“Here at Gleneagles we have outdoor pursuits to suit everyone and with our latest Country Pursuits series we are proud to launch four unique single malt expressions inspired by some of our favorites,” said Daniel Baernreuther, Gleneagles General Manager. “Our highly anticipated exclusive collection of hand-picked whiskies are all from distinguished Scotch whisky distilleries. The range is a true celebration of single malt whisky and the exceptional experiences Gleneagles has to offer.”
Listed in The Gleneagles Retail Arcade, The Still Room, the Pursuits collection of four bottles is available to purchase for £1200. For more information, head over to the hotel’s official website.
Last year, Gleneagles unveiled a new cocktail menu for its American Bar that features ingredients sourced from the estate, named the “Book of Berries”.