As one of the most anticipated releases in the calendar of whisky connoisseurs, Diageo’s Special Releases is an excellent example of their precious whisky stocks. As with its previous collections, the Diageo 2020’s series is dedicated to celebrate distinctive maturation techniques, rare finishes and unexpected taste profiles with bottlings done at cask strength to fully realise each distillery’s profile.
In the years that were, these collections have included Port Ellen, a 48YO Carsebridge, a 35YO Caol Ila and a No Age Statement Cladach which blended six coastal distilleries across different whisky regions and utilised contents from four different types of casks. This year, a lineup of eight stars includes the following;
Cardhu 18 Year Old | Smooth and generous, a small batch double matured for two years in Amontillado sherry-seasoned hogshead.
Cragganmore 12 Year Old | An unusual smoky expression of a Speyside classic, never released before, matured in refill American oak casks.
Dalwhinnie 30 Year Old | Extra-mature and gentle highland malt with rich flavours from over thirty years of maturation in refill hogsheads and butts.
Lagavulin 12 Year Old | Powerful and peaty, the king of Islay, a small batch of Lagavulin matured in refill American oak casks.
Mortlach 26 Year Old | Rich and bold, a small batch of ‘The Beast of Dufftown’ matured in first-fill Pedro Ximenez/Oloroso-seasoned casks.
Pittyvaich 19 Year Old | A 1989 ghost, double matured in Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry seasoned casks.
Singleton 18 Year Old | A previously unreleased expression of lively rich fruit and spiced oak, matured in freshly charred American oak hogshead.
Talisker 15 Year Old | Rugged and smoky, made by the sea, the first ever release of Talisker as a 15 year old, matured only in freshly charred American oak hogshead.
“Discerning drinkers around the world will delight in this new collection. From the hand-selected Single Malt Scotch to the visually arresting bottles, they each tell a strong story of the extraordinary place and the people who have shaped each dram. These prestigious and limited-edition bottlings offer fans an opportunity to collect and explore some of our rarest stocks,” says Ewan Gunn, Diageo Global Whisky Master.
Naturally, for expression of such limited nature, each bottle bears an individual number.
At this point in time, only the Singleton 18YO is available for purchase via Boozeat for RM580 per 700 ml bottle, while interested parties may contact Moet Hennessy Diageo Malaysia at diageoinfo@mhdm.com.my for purchase of the full collection. A second collection of special releases is poised to hit the shelves and racks in October 2020, probably a good time to raise a glass again, in a post Covid-19 landscape.
