Shilla Showcases $145,000 Bottle Of The Balvenie Sixty In Duty-Free

A sizable pop-up for The Balvenie Sixty, 1 of conscionable 71 produced.

Shilla Duty Free is putting nan spotlight connected whisky astatine Seoul’s Incheon International Airport pinch a typical pop-up dedicated to The Balvenie Sixty, nan oldest-ever liquid from nan brand, released to people nan day of manufacture icon and erstwhile malt master, David C. Stewart.

With genitor institution William Grant & Sons—which besides makes Glenfiddich—only offering 4 bottles to world duty-free stores, from a worldwide allocation of 71, Shilla Duty Free, portion of South Korea’s Hotel Shilla Group, opted for an experiential pop-up for its sole vessel to thrust rider liking and footfall. The recreation retailer said that nan show was “attracting important attention” successful Terminal 2 of Incheon Airport.

The duty-free value was not disclosed but nan merchandise has been tagged astatine $145,000 successful nan home market.

The pop-up, themed ‘A Journey of Greatness’, is presented arsenic if visiting The Balvenie Distillery first-hand, pinch specifications of Stewart’s effect connected nan trade of making whisky. It besides uses soundscapes and an audio guideline to explicate nan brand's history and heritage.

Seoul Incheon—one of nan busiest connecting hubs successful Asia-Pacific—was erstwhile nan biggest location successful nan world for duty-free sales, peaking astatine conscionable complete $2.4 billion successful pre-pandemic 2019 acknowledgment to precocious volumes of Chinese passengers. Now that they are returning, Shilla is ramping up its attraction connected them arsenic good arsenic outbound Korean travelers, and Scotch fits nan measure nicely.

A pop-up for exclusive whiskies

An highly uncommon azygous malt, The Balvenie Sixty is nan type of merchandise that tin operation beardown unit interest. It derives from a azygous European Hogshead cask from 1962, nan twelvemonth that revered malt maestro David C. Stewart started astatine nan distillery, located successful Speyside successful nan Scottish Highlands. The Balvenie Sixty pays homage to Stewart’s 60 years dedicated to nan marque up until 2022, making him nan longest-serving malt maestro successful nan industry’s history.

During this clip he pioneered techniques that person had a awesome effect connected accumulation methods utilized today. He is besides renowned for immoderate caller activity astir cask finishes for The Balvenie. In 2023, he stepped into nan domiciled of honorary ambassador handing complete nan title of malt maestro to his erstwhile apprentice Kelsey McKechnie. The Balvenie Sixty vessel is nan first to transportation nan signature of some Stewart and McKechnie.

Since July this year, nan different locations successful duty-free wherever consumers could bargain The Balvenie Sixty were Amsterdam Schiphol Airport successful nan Netherlands, Taipei’s Taoyuan Airport successful Taiwan, and Dubai International Airport successful nan United Arab Emirates.

A spokesperson from Shilla Duty Free said that nan institution would “continue to present differentiated products and services” specified arsenic rarities for illustration The Balvenie Sixty. Its pop-up will beryllium coming until January 18 adjacent year. During that clip a bid of whisky products, chiefly exclusive to world duty-free, will beryllium displayed there.

According to nan retailer, nan pop-up acquisition is gaining popularity, particularly arsenic nan rider numbers astatine Incheon Airport increase. According to spot expert OAG, betterment successful nan South Korean aerial marketplace was 22% off nan 2019 precocious by August 2023.