Whisky bottle thought to be world’s oldest to be showcased at new Fife museum

What could be the world’s oldest bottle of unopened whisky is set to be the centrepiece of a multi-million pound development in Falkland.

Scotch Whisky Investments announced plans for a new multi-purpose development in Falkland.

The construction will see the former factory site, St John’s Works, transformed into a new headquarters for the international business, which will include restaurants, a museum, hotel accommodation and facilities for the community.

Featured in the museum will be the Italian Valentino Zagatti world-famous whisky collection which currently resides in the Netherlands.

The collection includes over 3,000 bottles of whisky from around 300 different brands, most of which are extremely rare.

World’s oldest bottle of Scotch

The oldest bottle, which will stand as the centrepiece of the selection, dates back to 1843 and is presumed to be the oldest unopened bottle of whisky in the world.

The whisky investors aim to educate others on single malt Scotch and showcase its history, while providing hospitality for worldwide investors.

It is hoped the site will create global appeal as well as invest in the Fife village by creating employment and tourism opportunities.

The firm said it is not yet known how much the overall investment will be worth.

Plans include the construction of a small number of cottages to be used as offices and visitor accommodation.

The business has also promised to provide new facilities for the community in the form of an additional public car park, a multi-use village green, micro-forest and play park within their development.

Glenrothes development

Further plans include an expansion of their proposed whisky storage facility in Glenrothes where they applied for planning permission to build four whisky maturing warehouses, a bottling plant, offices and storage.

A further 20 warehouses are now proposed for the vacant site on Crompton Road.

Both developments are now awaiting a decision from Fife Council with an online public consultation event to be held in August.

‘Significant investment programme for Fife’

Keith Rennie, director of Scotch Whisky Investments, said:  “We are delighted to be bringing forward ambitious proposals for Falkland and Glenrothes as part of a significant investment programme for Fife.

“Our vision as a company is to showcase and educate people about single malt Scotch whisky, as well as promote investment in the commodity and provide new facilities for Falkland.

“Through this activity, complemented by the expansion of our facilities in Glenrothes, considerable employment and tourism opportunities will be delivered not just for Fife, but for Scotland as a whole.

“We look forward to engaging with the public on these proposals and keeping the community updated as they progress.”