The best ingredient in the Glenfiddich Time Re:Imagined collection is time itself

Ageism and whisky. It’s a thing. But in reverse. Kinda. An older dram is often perceived to be superior. It’s naturally more expensive, and the assumption is that it tastes better, having had more time to extract flavour from its cask. Whether that’s true comes down to your palate’s predilections. However, there’s something alluring about whisky that pushes past 10 years, intent on reaping the benefits of old age.

That’s what Glenfiddich offers us with Time Re:Imagined, a trilogy of single malts that clock in at 30, 40 and 50 years, hefty numbers by any standards. To give you a sense of the magnitude here, (re)imagine what you were doing 30 years ago. If possible, add 10. Then, for those who now have to lie about their age, throw in another decade.

Think about how much has changed. Consider what life was like. Pre-mobile phones. Pre-internet. Pre-CD. Pre-Post-it notes and Rubik’s Cube. That’s how far back you’d have to go to catch the first of these special liquids being barrelled. Since then they’ve done nothing but rest peacefully in a warehouse in Scotland’s Speyside region, shutting the world out, but taking so much in.

It’s fitting that a legacy brand such as Glenfiddich is intent on capturing time’s nuances. One of the few Scottish distilleries that is still family-owned, the company is run, hands-on, by the descendants of founder William Grant. It harnesses an impressive history and keeps its traditions tight. Only three malt masters have overseen operations since the '60s. Heritage is a cornerstone, and this is what’s really being bottled here.

The brand is not, however, stuck in the past. To launch the collection locally, Glenfiddich collaborated with prolific artist Justice Mukheli, asking him to create an interpretation of time. In so doing he acknowledges the unpredictable nature of working with an open-ended timeline.

“Part of what makes the conceptualising of Re:Imagined so intriguing is the process of making something that will only come to fruition in 50 years’ time,” he explains. “Those who started the project are not those who will bring it to light. This action — to start something that you won’t finish — requires vision and trust in those who will come after you.”

Beautifully presented in deconstructed, sculptural packaging that reflects moments frozen in time, only limited stock of this collection is available locally. So, if you want one, remember that, unlike these whiskies, time is not on your side. It will wait for nobody.