Beirut Duty Free has been celebrating the sale of two of the world’s most exclusive Scotch whiskies – a Balvenie Fifty Year Old and a Glenfiddich Fifty Year Old, which sold for $42,000 and for $35,000 respectively.

 

Lynn Noujaim, the liquor buyer at Beirut Duty Free sourced these collectables to meet customer demand for travel exclusives, according to Phoenicia Aer Rianta which manages and controls the retailer at Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY). The Lebanese gateway processed 6.25m passengers in 2013.

 

The Balvenie Fifty (left) is one of two special whiskies, filled from the same distillation into the same type of cask on the same day in 1963.

 

The two releases of The Balvenie Fifty are, however, markedly different in character, despite their identical origins, due to the maturation process which has been monitored closely by The Balvenie Malt Master David Stewart.

 

The Glenfiddich Fifty Year Old (right) is from a limited supply of 450 bottles – with just 50 available each year. From the sixth release only eight bottles are offered in global travel retail, which makes this a landmark sale for Beirut Duty Free.