The Glenrothes Launches Collectible 36-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky With An NFT

The Glenrothes is just shy of its 150th birthday, but the Scottish distillery is stepping firmly into 2022 with a newly-launched single malt whisky expression, that happens to come paired with an NFT.

The Glenrothes 36-year-old 1978 single cask opens with charming peach and candied ginger notes, followed by warm vanilla nestled with soft spice. It will retail for $3,600. But what makes the newly launched expression stand out is its digital component.

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NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are the current darling of the tech, art and fashion world. Blockchain technology (and by extension, crypto currency) is beginning to seep into the hospitality and spirits world; a bar in Miami recently offered a luxe cocktail that could only be purchased with bitcoin, for example. Glenfiddich, Patron and Penfolds dipped their toe into the blockchain world recently.

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In the case of The Glenrothes, fans who purchase the 36-year-old whisky get an NFT that unlocks original digital artwork by The New Yorker illustrator Maddie Dai. The whimsical scenes represent a mish-mash of “New York meets Scotland” themes, such as a hot dog vendor who also sells haggis. The art, which is static and monochrome in its original form, will have touches of color and animation in its digital form. The NFT will be hosted on Solana, one of more sustainable blockchains.

Additionally, the NFT will offer users VIP experiences in Manhattan, and the chance to visit the Scottish distillery, which is closed to the public.

“I was a little bit skeptical of NFTs because there’s a lot of buzz,” Paul Ross, managing director of malt whiskies at Edrington, says. “But I started to see where the collaboration could work.”

“If we did this ten years ago, there would be a large piece of art going alongside a bottle of the Glenrothes,” Ross notes.

A successful NFT has to offer more than just talking points, Marc Beckman, founder of branding agency DMA United, argues. Beckman advised The Glenrothes team on developing the NFT project. “The core component to The Glenrothes activation is that we’re not selling digital artwork for the sake of selling artwork,” Beckman says. Instead the NFT is more utilitarian. “The NFT will grant the holder access to unique experiences and services that nobody could have but the owner.”

Going forward, expect more spirits brands to experiment with NFTs, Beckman predicts. His agency has launched multiple blockchain-enabled projects, including marketplaces for clients in multiple industries.

The main appeal of NFTs, in the spirits world, is the ability to create communities of fans. “[NFTs] give the brands tremendous value,” Beckman says. “Now they can speak to their users directly, without the media or a retailer, between them.”