A collection of 50-year-old Ladyburn single malts has just been released by William Grant & Sons in partnership with South Korean artist Ha Chong-Hyun.

The collection consists of two single cask releases: 10 numbered 10-bottle sets, and an additional single cask offering.

Aptly named the Ladyburn Ha Chong-Hyun Edition, the collection is the first official 1970s release from the mysteriously silent Ladyburn distillery. Only a few casks remain from Ladyburn Distillery, which operated at William Grant & Sons' Girvan complex for a brief nine years (1966-1975).  These casks, matured at the original site, are the last of the distillery's single malt, distilled in the 1970s before its closure.

Only 100 bottles were yielded from a single American oak refill barrel (No. 3219) containing 50-year-old Ladyburn single malt. Distilled on May 31, 1973, and bottled at 45.4% ABV, this whisky is said to have notes of vanilla, linseed, and citrus, followed by toffee, crème brûlée, and toasted oak.  

The 10-bottle collection, priced around US$220,000, is reserved for William Grant & Sons' private clients.

On the other hand, the second whisky for the Ha Chong-Hyun Edition, cask No.3216, was distilled on the same day and also aged for 50 years in an American oak refill barrel.

Limited to 85 bottles at 43% ABV, the single malt is really quite the flavor bomb. It purportedly has a nose of polished leather, wood shavings, linseed oil and barley sugar, while the palate offers additional notes of fruit, Black Forest gateaux, jammy sweetness and liquorice.

South Korean artist Ha Chong-Hyun.

All eleven bottles of Ladyburn single malt also feature artwork from Ha Chong-Hyun's "Conjunctions" series and curated in partnership with the Seoul Kukje Gallery. This collaboration with William Grant & Sons highlights the pioneering South Korean artist's "bae-ap-bub" technique, a method of pushing paint through hemp, which helped define the 1970s art scene.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team