Liquid Time Travel: Sipping Seven Decades of Glenfarclas.

In a time and age obsessed with instant gratification and ephemeral trends, Glenfarclas has taken the art of patience to a level that feels almost absurd in the best way. The distillery’s newly released 70-Year-Old single malt isn’t just a whisky - it’s a liquid chronicle, a testament to what happens when craft, patience, and history converge in a cask. Australia is about to witness its oldest-ever single malt tasting, a rare occasion where time itself becomes the main ingredient.

Hand-selected and carefully nurtured in the traditional dunnage warehouses of Speyside, this whisky began its maturation journey in 1955 - a year when the world was a very different place. The Cold War was tightening its grip, Disneyland opened in California, and the Beatles were still a Liverpool rumor. While the globe spun fast and unpredictable, this whisky was busy doing the one thing that mattered - slowly, deliberately, becoming extraordinary. It’s almost cheeky to consider that a dram of Glenfarclas 70-Year-Old has been aging longer than some of today’s iconic rock stars have been alive.

Only 262 bottles were ever filled, with just 15 allocated to Australia, each valued at £20,000 ($40,000 AUD). And yet, The Whisky List and their collaborators have chosen to present this legend not as a trophy for collectors but as a shared experience.

On Thursday, 6 November, Sydney’s Silver’s Motel Whisky Bar - already a scene-stealer as Bar of the Year at the 2026 Good Food Guide awards - will host the tasting, followed by Melbourne’s Whisky & Alement on Monday, 10 November, a stalwart of the city’s whisky scene for over 15 years. Both nights promise a guided tasting led by Ian McWilliam, Glenfarclas Marketing Executive and Keeper of the Quaich, who has spent decades stewarding the brand’s legacy.

It’s seen the Cold War, the moon landing, and somehow survived to sip with you in November..

The tasting itself is nothing short of cinematic: beginning with the Glenfarclas 105 Highball to gently prime the palate, progressing through the 15, 21, and 28-Year-Olds, and culminating in the 70-Year-Old - a whisky that carries with it 152 years of cumulative maturation if you add up all the expressions. Each dram tells a story, each sip a dialogue between distiller and drinker.

For context, it’s a liquid narrative that spans more than a century of Scottish expertise, from the hands of six different distillery managers to the present moment. And yes, there will be cheese and charcuterie because some things, like pairing fine whisky with food, never go out of style.

Beyond the rarity, the event itself signals something larger about the Australian whisky scene: a maturation of taste, a respect for provenance, and a hunger for experiences that blend education, indulgence, and a little bit of showmanship. The Whisky List, Vintage House, Silver’s Motel, Whisky & Alement, and The Gillies Club have orchestrated a collaboration that feels more like a celebration of community than a marketing stunt. It’s whisky as storytelling, as heritage, as ritual.

This tasting isn’t just about the liquid in the glass; it’s a meditation on patience, craft, and the value of waiting. Imagine sipping a dram that has witnessed the rise of rock’n’roll, the first televised Royal Wedding, and the slow march of decades, all while you sit in a contemporary Sydney bar. It’s audacious, indulgent, and remarkably democratic - breakeven pricing ensures that the experience is within reach of dedicated enthusiasts, not just billionaires.

For those with the curiosity and the palate to appreciate it, the Glenfarclas 70-Year-Old tasting is bound to be a masterclass in restraint, history, and subtle luxury. And as you raise your glass, consider this cheeky thought: while most of us have lived a fraction of the whisky’s journey, for one evening, you’ll share in its 70-year-old perspective on the world.

Sydney: Thursday, 6 November 2025, 6:30pm at Silver’s Motel Whisky Bar, 187 Enmore Rd, Enmore NSW 2042

Melbourne: Monday, 10 November 2025, 6:30pm at Whisky & Alement, 270 Russell St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Tickets are $399pp and available via The Whisky List.

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Words by AW.