For fans of malt whisky and, in particular, those who prefer their single malt bottled at a higher strength beyond the standard 40% ABV, there are some annual expressions and releases to look out for each year. The Diageo Special Releases is one such range and, for most markets around the globe, its annual arrival and launch is a heralded event. In a quirk of international marketing and timing, not all countries feature the DSR in the actual year of release. Australia is one such market and for over a decade now, each annual release of the DSR occurs in the year following the “vintage”. As such, March 2024 sees the arrival in Australia of the Diageo Special Releases 2023 range!
The Diageo Special Releases 2023 range follows the pattern and theme of all previous years: It showcases some of your favourite Diageo distilleries, as well as some of the ones that see less of the limelight. Indeed, the Diageo Special Releases 2023 selection features the first ever official bottling release of Roseisle, together with the rarely seen (at least in this country) Glendullan, under its Singleton persona. As always, the range displays diversity in age, cask treatments, and flavours or styles. There are a couple of NAS releases this year (Talisker & Mortlach), whilst the badge for the oldest bottling this year goes to Glenkinchie, bottled as a 27 year old. (And a fine whisky it is, too).
The Australian launch was held in Sydney last week at Eau de Vie (previously at Darlinghurst, but now located near the Wynyard end of the city, just off George Street and behind Shell House), and attendees were led through the range by Kate McGraw, Head of Advocacy for Diageo Australia. The night had an aeronautical travel theme, with attending guests provided with their ticket and passport to the event, and the Diageo staff appropriately uniformed…right down to the check-in counter!
A brief synopsis of each of the malts in the Diageo Special Releases 2023 range is provided below, together with some brief comments and observations penned by Whisky & Wisdom during the evening as we went through each malt. In no particular order…
Roseisle
12 years old, bottled at 56.5%. Matured in a mix of 1st-fill and Refill ex-bourbon casks.
Whisky & Wisdom was privileged to see and tour around Roseisle in 2009, just prior to it becoming fully operational. It was (and remains) groundbreaking in its production processes, energy efficiency and sustainability credentials, capturing of CO2 for commercial applications, and in its ability to create different styles of malt under the one roof. As just one example, the stills are connected to dual condensers – one copper, one stainless steel. Thus, by selecting which condenser to send the spirit vapours through, the distillery can control the character of the spirit produced. I was told at the time of my visit that Roseisle wasn’t envisaged to ever be bottled as a single malt – but then the whisky game is forever evolving and re-shaping. This is the first commercial, official expression of Roseisle and whilst it will likely be viewed as a curiosity to many, it is certainly a bottling that can stand up on its own two feet.
Glenkinchie
27 years old, bottled at 58.3%. Matured in a combination of refill ex-bourbon barrels and European oak butts.
Notwithstanding that this particular expression is the result of a more conventional cask maturation regimen and is thus in more familiar territory, the whisky has been beautifully matured and has melded perfectly with the oak. 27 years is an old whisky in anyone’s language but, despite the many years in wood, the spirit is still in harmony with the oak and there’s no sense of dryness, tiredness, or over-maturation. The spirit is still fresh and vibrant, but has been beautifully shaped and mellowed by the cask influence. Best of all, there’s still a wonderful complexity to the spirit that belies its old age. An outstanding dram.
Lagavulin
12 years old, bottled at 56.4%, and finished in Don Julio Anejo Tequila casks.
Fans of Lagavulin won’t be disappointed with this. While the old flagship expression at 16 years continues to be the benchmark and reference point for many Lagavulin fans, there have been ample 12 year old expressions of Lagavulin across many campaigns over the last decade to suggest that 12 years is a pretty good sweet spot for this much-loved distillery. The tequila cask influence is subtle, but – whether psychosomatic or real – you could close your eyes and easily convince yourself you’re drinking a quality, smoky mezcal here.
Talisker
NAS, bottled at 59.7%, and finished in a combination of White, Ruby, and Tawny ex-port casks.
Compared to previous Diageo Special Releases expressions of Talisker, this was a milder expression, certainly in terms of the peat. There was less of the iodine and dry peatsmoke seen in other recent expressions, but the signature seaweedy, maritime note was still very much on display. The port cask influence was evident with some dry spices, together with an alluring sweetness that complemented the malt.
Glendullan
14 years old, bottled at 55%, and finished in Chardonnay de Bourgogne French Oak casks.
For many years an anonymous, workhorse distillery for Diageo, Glendullan finally appeared in the limelight when it was included in the re-vamped Singleton range. (Fun fact…the name “Singleton” was originally dreamed up by the marketing department for Auchroisk back in the 1990’s, because they were worried no one would know how to pronounce the product’s name. “The Singleton of Auchroisk” was marketed into the early 2000’s before being retired. The Singleton name was then reincarnated a few years later as a collective brand name for the Glen Ord, Dufftown, and Glendullan distilleries). This particular expression was a little dry to my palate, but still a nice drop all the same.
Mortlach
NAS, bottled at 58% ABV, and finished in a combination of ex-Kanosuke Japanese whisky and ex-pinot noir casks.
Mortlach has traditionally been a more robust and meatier malt, courtesy of its use of wormtubs and the complex distillation process employed with its partial triple distillation. This Mortlach is no different. Whilst the decision to bottle without an age statement may tempt some to believe the whisky is young, there’s certainly no hint of youth on the nose or palate. The whisky is well crafted, and very drinkable.
Clynelish
10 years old, bottled at 57.5% ABV; matured exclusively in 1st-fill ex-bourbon casks
Whilst its stablemate and predecessor, Brora, has demonstrated it can mature to grand old ages and prosper, I’ve long maintained that Clynelish hits its sweet spot at 10-15 years. This bottling is another example of this, and the whisky shines at this age. Clynelish’s malt has always been flavoursome and complex in its own right, and it is perhaps no coincidence that it’s the only malt in the Diageo Special Releases 2023 range to come from a single cask type. The first-fill ex-bourbon casks have done the work beautifully; no further adornment is necessary.
Oban
11 years old, bottled at 58%, and finished in Caribbean pot still rum casks
Much of Oban’s marketing makes mention of its coastal location, which is amusing when you consider very little of the spirit actually matures there. Nonetheless, for reasons science can’t fully explain, there is a maritime character to many Oban bottlings, and this is no different. The rum cask influence lends a buttery-ness to the palate, together with hints of mint, citrus, and bananas.
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So…thoughts and conclusions? As always, it’s a great selection of malts, and it hits the objective it sets out to achieve, i.e. to showcase Diageo’s distilleries in a different light to the standard expressions. As for my favourite? Well, the Clynelish was tasty drinking and the Mortlach was extremely interesting…..but I can’t go past the Glenkinchie. It offered extraordinary complexity, terrific integration with the wood, just the right amount of oak, sweetness, dryness, and spice, and it exuded that overall Lowland charm.
As is the case for any limited edition bottlings, availability won’t last forever. The Diageo Special Releases 2023 is now in stock at all good retailers, so jump in quickly if you’re keen.
Cheers,
AD
PS…if you’re keen on previous incarnations of the Diageo Special Releases range, you might like our write-ups from these previous years…
