On Thursday March 26, Club Mareva Beirut hosted a focused tasting dedicated to a single expression from Hunter Laing & Co. under their Old & Rare Platinum series — the Pittyvaich Distillery 34 Years Old.
It marked the first time this specific bottling was presented in Lebanon.
The Old & Rare Platinum series represents the highest tier within Hunter Laing's portfolio. Each release is drawn from a single cask, bottled at natural strength, with no chill filtration and no added coloring. What guests experienced in the glass was shaped entirely by time, oak, and the character of a distillery that no longer exists.
Pittyvaich was built in 1975 in Speyside and demolished in 2003. This particular single malt was distilled in April 1990, matured for 34 years in a Pedro Ximénez sherry hogshead, and bottled in November 2024. Only 231 bottles were produced from this single cask. Once they are gone, nothing comparable can be made again.
The tasting was presented by Jean Paul Abdallah, who guided guests through the distillery's history, the maturation period, the cask type, and what those 34 years in a PX hogshead brought to the whisky's structure and flavor.
The nose offered fig, molasses, and aged malt sweetness with faint floral notes and oak in the background. The palate delivered brown sugar, dark chocolate, soft spice, and the inherent fruitiness that defined Pittyvaich, deepened by the richness of the Pedro Ximénez cask. The finish was long and warm, moving through dried stone fruits, a hint of cigar box, and a final note of honeyed malt.
Single cask tastings from discontinued distilleries carry a specific weight. There is no next release. There is no comparable expression to return to. That finality shaped the tone of the evening and encouraged careful, unhurried attention to each pour.
With a limited number of seats and a single bottle on the table, the evening reinforced Club Mareva Beirut's commitment to presenting serious whisky experiences for collectors and enthusiasts who value authenticity, provenance, and character.
An evening dedicated to rarity, history, and the irreplaceable nature of a single cask.
Club Mareva Beirut proudly carries selections from Hunter Laing & Co., including expressions from the Old & Rare Platinum series and The Old Malt Cask range. We remain active in hosting dedicated tastings that explore the depth and individuality of each bottling, offering our guests an informed and structured approach to independent Scotch whisky.
