A Scotch whisky that was specifically chosen by the late rugby legend Doddie Weir is set to be released to raise funds for charity.
Highland Single Malt AD/06:17, distilled and bottled by Ardnamurchan Distillery, will be available to purchase starting April 19. All profits will be donated to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, which funds research to find effective treatments to motor neurone disease (MND).
The whisky was chosen from a single ex-Oloroso Sherry cask on June 9, 2017 by Weir. The 61-cap Scotland international visited the distillery in Glenbeg to select the final cask shortly before he died on November 26, 2022 after living with MND for almost six years.
Weir was accompanied by friends and fellow rugby legends on the visit, including former Scotland captain and MND fundraiser Rob Wainwright, Ireland great Keith Wood, and Scotland scrum half Gary Armstrong.
A total of 327 bottles of the whisky have been labelled specifically to support the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation’s fundraising efforts. Four bottles (number one, two, five, and 55) will be kept aside for future actions to raise funds for the foundation.
AD/06:17 will be sold through Royal Mile Whiskies, Scotland's "leading specialist whisky retailer", who ship thousands of whiskies and spirits worldwide.
Bottled at 59.2% ABV, the whisky has a colour of "old oak and toffee lights", while on the nose there is "sweet and salted toffee, sea spray, chocolate coated raisins and a hint of banoffee". The palate is said to be "mouth coating", with hazelnut praline, sea salt and bonfire embers, with a finish of "lingering milk chocolate".
Managing Director at Ardnamurchan Distillery Alex Bruce commented: "We were incredibly honoured to welcome Doddie to our wee distillery at the beginning of October last year. His enthusiasm for life was unmatched, and I hope that everyone who manages to grab a bottle from this cask raises a dram in his honour.
"We look forward to donations from the sale of these limited-edition bottles of whisky raising more funds to support the continued efforts to find a cure for motor neuron disease."
Director of Fundraising at My Name’5 Doddie Foundation Paul Thompson added: "It’s particularly special to see the cask Doddie hand-selected just before he died, now packaged in these beautiful bottles featuring the My Name’5 Doddie tartan.
"We’re confident the AD/06:17 Cask will be highly sought after and raise a significant amount for our fundraising efforts, and will support our search for a cure to motor neuron disease."
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