Jeanne Gang Conceives a Decanter of Bronze Branches to Cradle Oldest Single-Malt Scotch Ever Bottled
The first of the 125 editions of the Artistry in Oak decanters will be auctioned through Christie’s in November
Architect Jeanne Gang devises buildings that reshape city skylines. However, her output is just as transcendent on a smaller scale. Collaborating with whiskey maturation experts and bottlers Gordon & MacPhail, the Galerie Creative Mind conceived a decanter of bronze branches to cradle the oldest single-malt Scotch ever bottled, an 85-year-old spirit from The Glenlivet distillery.
“As a maker myself, I have an appreciation of things that take care and time,” says Gang, who designed the Artistry in Oak decanter, of which only 125 examples will be available worldwide. “The process of making whiskey is also deeply connected to nature, which resonates with my interests and how I practice as an architect. I study nature and natural systems for inspiration. Usefulness, beauty, pleasure—these are all things that I thought would be relevant for this project.”
“One of the greatest challenges was that this has never been done before,” says Stephen Rankin Director of Prestige at Gordon & MacPhail, and member of the fourth generation of the family that owns the company. “We’re the first to mature a whisky for 85 years. Every year that goes by is a year into the unknown. We have to appreciate we’re always dealing with mother nature so the key traits of this process are patience and trust.”
To start, Gang studied the whiskey-making process and looked to materials that had a natural connection. “Oak was important because it provides the wood from which the barrels are made—and not to mention, it’s a beautiful, strong tree,” she tells Galerie. “I thought about the way trees are used as protection by animals and how they twist as they grow. I started drawing a vessel held by four branch-like structures that spiral upward and wrap around a suspended glass vessel, cradling the precious liquid inside.”
Further investigating the slow, meticulous methods used to craft whiskey—particularly a spirit as nuanced as Gordon & MacPhail’s 85-year-old single malt Scotch from The Glenlivet distillery—further informed Gang’s design decisions. “It was important to select a material that was worthy of holding the world’s oldest single malt Scotch whisky ever released,” she says. “I wanted to use bronze for the armature’s entwining branches because it is incredibly durable, but also becomes even more beautiful as it develops a patina, just as whisky’s amber color and character deepen over the years.
Light, too, informs the sculptural piece. “The light is sometimes transmitted all the way through the whisky, highlighting its amber color,” suggests Gang. “This contrasts with the other places where the silhouette of the armature shades the whisky from one side and it appears much darker in color. This play of light is very much a part of the design.”
The first of the 125 editions of the Artistry in Oak decanters will be auctioned through Christie’s in November, with proceeds going to landscape preservation organization American Forests. Included in the lot, which opens for bidding on November 7, will be a personalized whisky tasting hosted by Gordon & MacPhail; a framed, signed sketch of an oak tree by Gang, which influenced the decanter’s design; and the cask end of cask 336 which nurtured the single malt Scotch whisky, presented in a bespoke frame.
“Partnering with Gordon & MacPhail for Artistry in Oak is a moment of pride for Christie’s,” says Adam Bilbey, Christie’s Global Head of Wine and Spirits. “The unveiling of Decanter No. 1 from Gordon & MacPhail 85 Years Old is not just a highlight of our season—it’s a celebration of time, tradition, and craftsmanship. Over the last 85 years this extraordinary spirit has been carefully and patiently nurtured by Gordon & MacPhail, culminating in the extraordinary moment.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2025 Late Fall Issue under the headline “High Spirits.” Subscribe to the magazine.