Johnnie Walker Masters Ruby Reserve – 40 Year Old
$14,500.00
| Brand | Johnnie Walker |
| Country | Scotland |
| Size | 70cl |
| ABV / Strength | 43% |
| Age | 40 Year Old |
| Varietal | Blended Whisky |
What Is the Johnnie Walker Masters Ruby Reserve?
The Johnnie Walker Masters Ruby Reserve 40 Year Old is the second release in the Masters Edition series — one of the most prestigious and limited whisky programmes Diageo has ever produced. Released in 2020 to honour Master Blender Dr. Jim Beveridge OBE's 40-year career at Johnnie Walker, the Ruby Reserve was produced in an edition of exactly 398 bottles worldwide.
Every whisky component in the blend is a minimum of 40 years old, drawn from eight hand-selected casks that represent some of the rarest and most historically significant Scotch whisky in the Johnnie Walker reserves — including four distilleries that have permanently closed and whose remaining stocks grow smaller with every passing year.
"Jim personally selected eight exceptionally rare casks, with all the whiskies used at least forty years old. Only 398 bottles were produced. Working closely with his team — Donna Anderson (Malt Master), James Carson (Cask Master), and Douglas Murray (Distillation Master) — Jim brought his four decades of craft together in a single, unrepeatable blend." — Diageo, 2020
The ruby theme runs throughout: ruby is the traditional symbol of a 40-year anniversary, and the decanter — hand-crafted from Baccarat crystal fused with gold powder to achieve its deep red tint — carries the colour forward into every detail of the presentation.
The Eight Distilleries: Ghost and Active
What makes the Ruby Reserve extraordinary — beyond its age — is the provenance of its components. The blend draws on both active distilleries and closed "ghost" distilleries whose casks are irreplaceable. Once these stocks are exhausted, the whiskies they produced cannot be remade.
Cambus, Carsebridge, Pittyvaich, and Port Ellen will never distil again. The casks that existed when they closed are all that remain. As these stocks are used — in blends like this, or bottled as single malts — the total volume of spirit from these distilleries shrinks permanently. At 40 years old, the Ruby Reserve draws on some of the most historically significant liquid in the JW reserves.
The Baccarat Crystal Decanter
The Ruby Reserve is presented in a hand-crafted Baccarat crystal decanter — ruby red in colour, achieved by fusing clear crystal with gold powder during the glassmaking process. Baccarat, founded in 1764 in Lorraine, France, is one of the world's most prestigious crystal houses, producing glassware for royal courts and heads of state. The decanter is housed in a bespoke display case. The ruby colour is not incidental: it is a direct tribute to Jim Beveridge's ruby anniversary — 40 years of service — and to the tradition of ruby as the symbol of a fortieth milestone. The decanter alone is a collector's object of significant intrinsic value.
Tasting Notes
The Johnnie Walker Masters Series
The Masters Edition is Johnnie Walker's ultra-prestige programme — releases conceived not for the commercial market but as definitive expressions of the blender's art, created to mark significant milestones in the history of the brand and its people.
| Edition | Name | Age | Bottles | Occasion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edition I | The Odyssey 50 Year Old | 50 YO | 150 bottles | Jim Beveridge's 50-year JW journey |
| Edition II | Ruby Reserve ★ This bottle | 40 YO | 398 bottles | Jim Beveridge's 40-year career anniversary |
| Edition III+ | Future releases | TBC | TBC | Reserved for future milestones |
"Only 398 bottles of the Ruby Reserve were produced — fewer than the number of days in a typical year. Each one is a record of what was possible at Johnnie Walker in 2020 and will never be possible again."
Storage and Serving
- Store upright — the decanter stopper should remain sealed
- Away from direct light — UV degrades whisky and can fade the crystal
- Consistent cool temperature — avoid heat sources or radiators
- At 43% ABV, the whisky will hold indefinitely unopened
- Consider a locked display cabinet — the decanter has significant intrinsic value
- Once opened: use an inert gas preserver; finish within 12 months for optimum character
- Neat, at room temperature — 43% ABV is approachable without water
- A crystal or tulip glass concentrates the layered nose
- Allow 5–10 minutes in the glass before nosing — complexity unfolds slowly
- No ice — it shuts down the ghost distillery nuances significantly
- Water optional — a very small amount may open the fruit, but is not necessary
- Collector note: if opening, decant a single measure first and reseal immediately
The Masters Ruby Reserve was released at £15,000 RRP in 2020. As one of only 398 bottles in the world — containing 40-year-old spirit from four permanently closed distilleries — its secondary market value has only one direction of travel. Bottles from the Port Ellen component alone, if bottled as a single malt, would individually represent five-figure sums at auction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Johnnie Walker Masters Ruby Reserve is a 40 Year Old blended Scotch whisky released in 2020 as Edition II of the Masters Series. It was created by Master Blender Dr. Jim Beveridge OBE to mark his 40-year career at Johnnie Walker. Only 398 bottles were produced worldwide. Every whisky component is at least 40 years old, drawn from eight hand-selected casks including four closed ghost distilleries — Cambus, Carsebridge, Pittyvaich, and Port Ellen. The whisky is presented in a ruby-red Baccarat crystal decanter fused with gold powder, with an RRP of £15,000 at release.
The Ruby Reserve blend includes whiskies from eight distilleries — four closed ghost distilleries and four active ones. The ghost distilleries are Cambus (closed 1993), Carsebridge (closed 1983), Pittyvaich (closed 1993), and Port Ellen (closed 1983). The active distilleries are Talisker, Royal Lochnagar, Glendullan, and Cragganmore. All components are at least 40 years old.
The decanter is hand-crafted by Baccarat — one of the world's most prestigious crystal houses, founded in 1764 — from clear crystal fused with gold powder to achieve its deep ruby-red colour. The ruby colour references both Jim Beveridge's 40-year anniversary (ruby being the traditional 40th anniversary symbol) and the name of the expression. The decanter is housed in a bespoke display case and is itself a collector's object of significant intrinsic value.
The nose delivers rich layers of treacle toffee, caramelised apple, dark chocolate, plums, cherries, pink peppercorn, and sea salt. The palate is full-bodied and rich — smouldering driftwood and maritime smoke from Talisker and Port Ellen, cocoa nibs, brambles, blackcurrants, pears, and maraschino cherries. The finish is long, with caramelised apples, pepper, and demerara sugar. It is one of the most complex blended Scotch whiskies ever produced.
The 398-bottle edition size reflects the extremely limited nature of the cask selection — Jim Beveridge hand-selected only eight casks, and the total volume those casks yielded at the required age produced 398 bottles. The number was not artificially constrained for marketing purposes; it is simply what the selected casks provided at bottling strength.
Dr. Jim Beveridge OBE is the Master Blender at Johnnie Walker, responsible for maintaining and developing the character of the world's best-selling Scotch whisky brand across all its expressions. He joined Diageo (then United Distillers) in 1980 and has worked on the Johnnie Walker range for over 40 years. He was awarded an OBE for his services to Scotch whisky. The Ruby Reserve was created specifically in his honour, containing whiskies distilled during the early years of his career.
Shop Whisky Online holds stock of the Johnnie Walker Masters Ruby Reserve 40 Year Old with worldwide delivery. With only 398 bottles produced globally in 2020 and no possibility of restocking, availability through any channel is extremely limited. All bottles are verified, securely packed, and shipped internationally with appropriate insurance for high-value spirits.
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