Craigellachie made the second stop in its global tour in New York City for Craigellachie 51, the brand’s newest expression that it’s sharing FOR FREE with whisky fans around the world.
This week, the whisky known as the “bad boy of Speyside” opened the doors to its Bar 51 experience at a secret location in Manhattan, where a select group of whisky appreciators had a chance to win a seat to be part of the 51-year-old whisky’s U.S. unveiling. Rather than putting it in a crystal decanter or having an exorbitant price tag attached to it, Craigellachie is instead sharing this rare expression with consumers in four countries and we were fortunate enough to be among those who tasted it!
“Craigellachie has always rebelled against modern day whisky norms, which is why the brand is doing the unthinkable and making a typically collectible Scotch whisky uncollectible,” said Georgie Bell, Global Brand Ambassador for Craigellachie. “We believe that whisky is made for drinking and enjoying with friends, and not for sitting on a shelf collecting dust. We’re excited to bring our Bar 51 experience stateside so that U.S. whisky lovers can have the chance to see what Craigellachie is all about.”
Bar 51 is a traveling “tiny bar within a bar” that serves Craigellachie 51, as well as other expressions from the range, including Craigellachie 13 and the award-winning Craigellachie 23. With only six seats at the bar, we cozied up with strangers who became friends over drams of whisky. Bar 51 only features 150 seatings total over its three nights.
“The fact that our distillery team back on the 22nd of December in 1962 made this whiskey, they made that whiskey to be drunk and enjoyed for friends,” says Bell. “They didn’t make it so that it could go on the secondary market. So, Craigellachie 51 is about heroing that — those special moments with friends. And we’ve been able to do that through the bar 51 pop-up. It brings it back to the flavor of whiskey as well. I read recently that there was one whisky at auction where they described that the flavor was speculated because no one had ever tried it before. This is more what whiskey is about — drinking it and enjoying it.”
The tasting was indeed a one of a kind experience that was only made sweeter with friends both old and new. If you missed Bar 51 in either London or New York, there will be two more chances to taste Craigellachie 51 when it comes to South Africa and Australia in the months to come.
