Name: Glenturret Liqueur 17 Years Old 1976
Brand: Other
SKU: 0970496
Price: 350.01 GBP
Availability: SoldOut

Glenturret Liqueur 17 Years Old 1976 sold for £350.01 in Just Whisky's December 2021 auction. Distilled in December 1976, matured in a single cask until…

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The history of Scotch whisky has to a significant degree been shaped by excise legislation, ever since the first tax was imposed on it by the Scots Parliament in 1644. The parliament passed an Excise Act fixing the duty at 2/8d (13p) per pint of ‘aquavitae or other strong liquor’ – the Scots pint being approximately one third of a gallon.

Over the next two centuries, many changes were made to the legislation surrounding the taxation of whisky, but one factor that never changed was the determination of some distillers to operate illicitly, cutting out any proceeds for the treasury altogether.

In the early 1820s as many as 14,000 illicit stills were being seized each year, and it was estimated that more than half the whisky consumed in Scotland had been distilled without benefit of licence. In 1822 there were no fewer than 6,278 prosecutions for illicit distilling. 

The following year saw the passing of perhaps the most significant piece of legislation ever enacted in relation to Scotch whisky. The Act was an attempt – largely successful, as it turned out – to stifle the extensive trade in illicitly-distilled whisky.

The Excise Act encouraged legal distillation by cutting duty to 2s 5d per gallon, a historic reduction of more than 50 per cent, and a minimum still size of 40 gallons was sanctioned. A licence fee of £10 per annum was introduced, the concept of duty-free warehousing was developed, and distillers were free to export to England and overseas. 

One of the key figures behind the Excise Act of 1823 was the 4th Duke of Gordon, who had extensive estates throughout north-east Scotland, an area that was the very heartland of illicit distillation. Gordon proposed that if new legislation was put in place to make legal distilling more attractive, he and his fellow landowners would do all in their power to uphold the law as diligently as they could and evict anyone convicted of illicit distilling.

The advantages were perceived as being more revenue for the government, despite the lower level of duty, and opportunities for the lairds to make money out of the rash of whisky-making operations that would surely be built as a result of the proposed legislation. Remarkably, no fewer than 79 new distilleries were commissioned between 10th October 1823 and 9th August 1824, with the number of licensed distilleries rising from 111 in 1823 to 263 by 1825.

Perhaps the most significant name from a north-east of Scotland ‘Speyside’ perspective to join the list of legal distilleries was that of Glenlivet, where Captain George Smith began to distil legally at his Upper Drumin farm in 1824. However, Smith’s father, Andrew, had been distilling on the site since 1774, without ever feeling the need to acquire a licence! 
Glenlivet was notable as being the first distillery in the Highlands to be licensed in the wake of the 1823 Excise Act, with support from the Duke of Gordon. Not that the newly licensed Glenlivet flourished without interference, however. Many of Smith’s compatriots considered him a traitor for ‘going legit,’ and as he wrote some years later, they threatened to “…burn the distillery to the ground, and me at the heart of it. The laird of Aberlour presented me with a pair of hair-trigger pistols worth ten guineas, and they were never out of my belt for ten years.”

According to legend, Smith only ever had recourse to his pistols on one occasion. This occurred in a tavern where he stopped for refreshment after delivering some whisky to a customer, and involved a number of would-be thieves, keen to relieve wealthy travellers of their money. When they approached Smith, he drew one of his pistols and fired it into the fireplace. He was allowed to finish his drink in peace.
As a legitimate distillery, Glenlivet supplied high quality single malt to Scotland’s thirsty, expanding population centres to the south, and in terms of reputation, all other Speyside distilleries soon came to exist in its shadow.

One effect of the 1823 Excise Act was a move away from very small, localised licensed distilleries in southern and central Scotland, with larger whisky-making concerns reflecting the general trend towards bigger, more professional and integrated commercial activities across the UK. 
Indeed, Scotland had already witnessed a tendency towards the development of an industry focused on a relatively small number of extensive distilleries, with the likes of Kilbagie, Kennetpans, Glenochil, Cambus and Carsebridge among the most significant. This consolidation continued apace in the wake of the 1823 Act, though the Highlands were still characterised by a larger number of individually smaller distilling operations.

To give a clear idea of just how significant the 1823 Excise Act really was, many of the distilleries and single malts we now value most highly were licensed within a decade or so of its enactment. Not all of these were ‘new builds,’ of course, with some, usually farm-based, having previously operated under the radar without licenses.

The list of distilleries in question includes Balmenach, Ben Nevis, Benrinnes, cardhu, Edradour, Fettercairn, Glen Scotia, Glencadam, GlenDronach, Glenfarclas, Glengoyne, Glenkinchie, Miltonduff, Royal Lochnagar and Talisker   as well as many others no longer in existence.
While a very strong case can be made for declaring the 1823 Excise Act to be the single most important piece of excise legislation relating to Scotch whisky, a case can also be made for the 1860 Spirit Act which legalised the blending of malt and grain whiskies under bond for the first time. But that is another story for another day.

The Deil's awa wi' the Exciseman - Robert Burns

"The deil cam fiddlin' thro' the town, 
And danc'd awa wi' th' Exciseman; 
And ilka wife cries,  Auld Mahoun, 
I wish you luck o' the prize, man.

The deil's awa the deil's awa, 
The deil's awa wi' the Exciseman, 
He's danc'd awa he's danc'd awa 
He's danc'd awa wi' the Exciseman.

We'll mak our maut, and we'll brew our drink, 
We'll laugh, sing, and rejoice, man; 
And mony braw thanks to the meikle black deil, 
That danc'd awa wi' th' Exciseman.

There's threesome reels, there's foursome reels, 
There's hornpipes and strathspeys, man, 
But the ae best dance ere came to the Land 
Was, the deil's awa wi' the Exciseman.

The deil's awa the deil's awa , 
The deil's awa wi' the Exciseman, 
He's danc'd awa he's danc'd awa  
He's danc'd awa wi' the Exciseman."

…burn the distillery to the ground, and me at the heart of it.

In this intriguing piece, Gavin D. Smith delves into the relationship between taxes and the Scotch Whisky industry.

1823 EXCISE ACT

Historical

We've compiled a list of codes to make it easy to find out what whisky is inside each bottle from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. The first digits relate to the distillery, and the numbers after the dot (.) relate to the number of the release, from that distillery. Sometimes you'll see a letter preceding both -that relates to the type of liquid in the bottle, for example a "G" means it's a Grain whisky.

SMWS Bottle Codes

Useful Info

We're excited to partner with Rothes Sports Development Group this month to raise money for a great cause. The charity was formed in 2025 to enchance local health, welfare and sporting opportunities in and around Rothes, Moray.

Rothes Sports Development Charity Auction

In our inaugural Blog entry, Guest writer Ian Buxton explores the seemingly unglamorous distillery mill. The unsung hero of whisky distilleries.

The Distillery Mill

Distilled in December 1976, matured in a single cask until being bottled in January 1994 by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

Glenturret Liqueur 17 Years Old 1976 SMWS L16.9

SMWS

Other

Multiple

Full Size

glenturret_liqueur_17_years_old_1976_smws_l169.jpg

70 cl

54.1%

SMWS L16.9

Glenturret Liqueur 17 Years Old 1976

glenturret_liqueur_17_years_old_1976_smws_l169b7da66.webp

glenturret_liqueur_17_years_old_1976_smws_l169f73442.webp

springbank_25_years_old_1994_private_cask_no31.jpg

50.4%

Private Cask No.31

Springbank 25 Years Old 1994

springbank_25_years_old_1994_private_cask_no31dd10a6.webp

springbank_25_years_old_1994_private_cask_no313064e6.webp

springbank_25_years_old_1994_private_cask_no30.jpg

46.6%

Private Cask No.30

springbank_25_years_old_1994_private_cask_no30999e68.webp

springbank_25_years_old_1994_private_cask_no30ddd903.webp

glenlivet_16_years_old_nadurra_cask_strength_batch_1013z.jpg

Nadurra Cask Strength Batch: 1013Z

Glenlivet 16 Years Old

glenlivet_16_years_old_nadurra_cask_strength_batch_1013zc3ff99.webp

glenlivet_16_years_old_nadurra_cask_strength_batch_1013zc6cedd.webp

bowmore_legend.jpg

Bowmore Legend

bowmore_legendc86c88.webp

bowmore_legendd9fb25.webp

macallan_select_oak_1824_collection_1_litre.jpg

100cl

1824 Collection (1 Litre)

Macallan Select Oak

macallan_select_oak_1824_collection_1_litredfe976.webp

macallan_select_oak_1824_collection_1_litredcb154.webp

bunnahabhain_2002_madeira_cask_finish_feis_ile_2020.jpg

Madeira Cask Finish Feis Ile 2020

Bunnahabhain 2002

bunnahabhain_2002_madeira_cask_finish_feis_ile_20209baf82.webp

bunnahabhain_2002_madeira_cask_finish_feis_ile_2020805752.webp

hazelburn_14_years_old_2004_oloroso_cask_matured.jpg

49.3%

2019 Oloroso Cask Matured

Hazelburn 14 Years Old 2004

hazelburn_14_years_old_2004_oloroso_cask_matured06815a.webp

hazelburn_14_years_old_2004_oloroso_cask_matured1f8c9d.webp

macallan_edition_no5.jpg

48.5%

Edition No.5

Macallan

macallan_edition_no5cba0d9.webp

macallan_edition_no592b8a5.webp

macallan_edition_no6.jpg

48.6%

70cl

Macallan Edition No.6

macallan_edition_no647a86f.webp

macallan_edition_no600cc3f.webp

macallan_edition_no548f8a1.webp

macallan_edition_no51a0e96.webp

arran_21_years_old_1997_distillery_exclusive.jpg

42.4 Distillery Exclusive

Arran 21 Years Old  1997

arran_21_years_old_1997_distillery_exclusive1b53e5.webp

arran_21_years_old_1997_distillery_exclusiveb8147a.webp

Glenturret Liqueur 17 Years Old 1976

Specifications

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Springbank 25 Years Old 1994

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