60-year-old whiskey launched to mark Queen's Diamond Jubilee

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A whisky specialist has launched a 60-year-old single malt to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Gordon & MacPhail in Elgin, Moray, has released 85 bottles of Glen Grant 60 Years Old, which were distilled on February 2 1952, four days before the Queen acceded to the throne.

The whisky was bottled on February 2 this year, making it exactly 60 years old.

The limited-edition bottles are being put on the market for a recommended retail price in the UK of £8000 (A$11,835) each.

Michael Urquhart, joint managing director of Gordon & MacPhail, said: "Glen Grant 60 Years Old is a rare single malt whisky and we are delighted to be releasing it to mark the celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

"With whisky of this quality and rarity - each bottle comes with a certificate of authenticity - we expect considerable interest, not just in the UK, but from the international marketplace where recent export figures have shown we have an avid consumer following.

"In producing the packaging for this remarkable single malt we worked with Scottish craftsmen, allowing us to showcase some of the finest talent in the country."

The drink is described as having aromas of Cox's Pippins and Granny Smith apples, laced with cinnamon and root ginger.

It comes in a pyramid-shaped crystal decanter with a diamond-shaped stopper.

The decanter is packaged in a hand-crafted box made of Scottish elm, felled a short distance from Holyrood House, the Queen's official Scottish residence.

-AAP