A toast to 80 years: single malt whisky to mark the Philharmonia’s oak anniversary

To mark their 80th birthday, known as the oak anniversary, the Philharmonia Orchestra has partnered with London’s oldest independent whisky specialist, Milroy’s of Soho, to release a bespoke 16-year-old Macduff single malt whisky in celebration of eight decades of music. Raising a glass to a remarkable 80 years of music-making, Philharmonia Macduff is a 16-yearold (2008) 51.5% 70cl bottling and a celebration of the inherent harmony between whisky and music. It will be available to buy from 16 December, just in time for Christmas.

The Philharmonia team partnered with Milroy’s to select a single cask, set to be exclusively bottled to mark the occasion. A 16-year-old, third-fill sherry cask from coastal single malt Scotch distillery Macduff was chosen, offering an array of celebratory sweet and spice notes.  Bright and fruity, toffee apple, fig roll and milk chocolate notes dance across the nose. These develop into a bold nuttiness on the palate, alongside honeycomb, hazelnut and pecan, all enrobed in molten butterscotch. The finish is meandering and gently drying, with oak spices and cocoa nibs.

The Philharmonia was founded in London in 1945 by visionary producer Walter Legge. In the eight decades that followed, the orchestra has become one of the world’s greatest musical institutions. Shaped by principal conductors and leaders including Herbert von Karajan, Otto Klemperer, Riccardo Muti, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Christoph von Dohnányi, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Esa-Pekka Salonen, it is today helmed by Finnish Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali, and Principal Guest Conductor Marin Alsop.

William Mendelowitz, Philharmonia Director of Development, said: “Marking the Philharmonia’s 80th anniversary with this special bottling of a MacDuff 16-year-old is a truly unique and distinctive way to celebrate this milestone. I’m hugely grateful to Walid Fakhry for inspiring the idea and James and Jolyon at Milroy’s for bringing to life. It is a delicious whisky and a great gift for the holidays. I look forward to raising a dram, or cocktail, together with Philharmonia patrons at our events in the new year.” 

Jolyon Dunn, CEO at Milroy’s of Soho, said: “Whisky is an incredible vehicle for flavour, connection and celebration, and we were delighted to help Philharmonia celebrate its remarkable milestone with its very own bespoke bottling. Music and whisky are both known for their ability to bring people together – I can’t think of a better way to mark 80 years of this incredible orchestra.” 

Philharmonia Macduff 16-Year-Old (2008) 51.5% 70cl is exclusively available to Philharmonia patrons from Friday 12 December priced at £89.95, ahead of general sale to members of the public from Tuesday 16 December via Milroysofsoho.com and partner bar 3 Greek Street.