Craigellachie 51 lottery tasting
A few lucky whisky lovers had the chance to try Craigellachie 51 rare whisky at the Bar 51 pop-up at The Duke of Clarence from October 23-25.
With just 51 bottles of Craigellachie 51 created, only 180 people Australia-wide were given the chance to sip a dram.
In order to secure a place at this money-can’t-buy experience, whisky aficionados had to enter a lottery for a chance to win a tasting of Craigellachie’s aged 51-year-old statement for free.
The competition proved a hot ticket with whisky connoisseurs, the bar industry and the general public alike, with more than 2000 entries to attend Bar 51 in Sydney, one of just four Bar 51 pop-ups worldwide.
Having already visited London and New York, Sydney was the third stop on Bar 51 and Craigellachie 51’s exclusive journey.
The Bar 51 experience kicked off with a welcome cocktail called the York & Clarence featuring coconut fat washed Craigellachie 13, lemon juice, Crawley’s sugar syrup, egg white, walnut bitters and cookie dust.
It also a private tasting of Craigellachie’s 13, 17 and 23-year-old age statements before the crowning glory of the evening: Craigellachie 51, followed by a Craigellachie cocktail called the Old Soul, featuring Craigellachie 13, homemade pineapple syrup, Bokers bitters and a dried pineapple slice.
Global Ambassador, Georgie Bell, led the tasting, and said: “Australia, and in particular, Sydney, welcomed Bar 51 with open arms, and we far exceeded the number of entries we expected to receive in the lottery.
“No other distillery has ever given away such a rare whisky before, but after waiting 51 years to be enjoyed by people around the world, we think it was a fitting way for Craigellachie 51 to be shared. There was a lot of anticipation leading up to the tasting each evening, which was rounded out with a cocktail featuring Craigellachie 13. Guests loved the exclusivity of the Bar 51 experience with some guests travelling to Sydney from interstate to taste a dram.
The Sydney Bar 51 pop-up was held at The Duke of Clarence, an 18th century inspired London Tavern in Sydney, over three nights.
Mikey Enright, owner of The Duke of Clarence, said: “With only four Bar 51 pop-ups around the world, we were thrilled to host the Australian experience here at The Duke of Clarence. A lot of our guests are whisky drinkers already, so there was a lot of excitement around potentially winning a place at the Bar 51 tasting.”
