The year 2018 welcomes a host of Diageo Special Releases guaranteed to broaden your appreciation of Scotch
Every year, Scotch whisky connoisseurs eagerly await the autumn launch of Diageo’s Special Releases, a tradition which began in 2001. These limited quantities of whisky stocks originate from the ancient Scottish landscape; birthed at its lowlands to highlands, and around the hills of Speyside to the windswept isle of Islay. A key imperative of the Special Releases is to ensure all the malts are faithful to the spirit of their creation, and thus bottled with their natural colour, cask strength and not chill-filtered.
This year, the 10 expressions which made the cut represent some of Scotland’s rarest and oldest gems. In the words of Donald Colville, Diageo’s global malts ambassador, “The Special Releases launch is a highlight of our whisky calendar year. It’s a collection which allows both knowledgeable whisky fans and those new to Scotch to hunt out truly unique limited editions.”
Of the 10 bottles, one will find a staggering breadth which includes the fiery smoke of a Talisker 8 Year Old, aged in first fill ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 59.4 per cent ABV. Across the tasting spectrum, the 27-year-old Inchgower from Speyside boasts the whisky region’s familiar floral and fruity notes, mellowed by 27 years inside American oak. Its Speyside brethren, Pittyvaich 28 Year Old offers a rare glimpse into a unique two-decade-old distillery; one which was founded in 1974 by Arthur Bell & Sons, mothballed in 1993 and demolished in 2002.
Rounding up the rest of the 10 are the Carsebridge 48 Year Old (1,000 bottles), Caol Ila 35 Year Old (3,276 bottles), Oban 21 Year Old, Caol Ila Unpeated 15 Year Old, The Singleton of Glen Ord 14 Year Old, Lagavulin 12 Year Old and a Cladach that was matured in first-fill American oak ex-bourbon casks.
These premium bottles may be purchased from the private client sales team at Johnnie Walker House Singapore – a by-invite-only private suite – or at www.johnniewalkerhouse.com.
