Tag: Diageo

Lagavulin 8yo Launch

As is widely known across the whiskysphere, 2016 sees the Lagavulin distillery celebrate its 200th Anniversary. No one celebrates a 200th birthday lightly, and Lagavulin has been widely praised for the release of its limited edition (but widely accessible and affordable) celebratory 8yo in honour of the occasion.  Whisky & Wisdom had an early taste of this, and wrote up a piece about the distillery and the whisky back in April.   You can read that piece and the review on the 8yo here.

However, more recently – and closer to home – the 8yo had its local launch in Australia just a few weeks ago. Held at The Wild Rover in Sydney’s Surry Hills, the launch was not just the unveiling and tasting of the whisky, but it was also an incredible virtual reality (VR) tour of the distillery.

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Johnnie Walker Select Casks – Rye Cask Finish

Keen to learn more about Johnnie Walker’s Select Casks range and the new Rye Cask Finish?  Read on…

Keen observers of the malt whisky industry will have noted the kaleidoscope of ever-expanding and diversifying product portfolios amongst the various brands.   The days of a distillery featuring just a 12yo and an 18yo bottling are long gone…today it is de rigueur for serious distilleries to offer an entry-level NAS, a peated NAS, a 10yo with a wood finish, a 12yo, a 14yo port wood, a 15yo cask-strength, an 18yo sherry wood, a 21yo, a 25yo that no one can afford, and finally a release with a fancy gaelic name that will be mispronounced around the world.

Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is subjective, and there are pros and cons on both sides of the argument.  The marketing departments argue that they need more bottles on the shelf of liquor stores and bars so that the brand stands out.  It also gives the warehouses and blenders flexibility with stock.  And, for the consumer, the range of choice, variance, and price points forever increases.  My personal view is that the industry is self-generating a consumer base that becomes increasingly fickle and with a shorter and shorter attention span, but that’s a piece for another day.

In the meantime, it’s been interesting to observe that the same pressures and marketing ideals have extended to the blends.  Even the most traditional blends are having to come out with variations and new expressions to maintain interest and keep up with the Joneses.  Or, in this case, the Johnnies.

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Lagavulin 8yo and the 200th Anniversary release

This article looks in detail at the Lagavulin 8yo expression, which is quite the story.  Over the years, I’ve had countless discussions with whisky enthusiasts from all backgrounds about that magic moment in their life:  When did they first try a single malt, and which one was it?   It astounds me how often people tell me their first single malt was Lagavulin.   And, for the record, it was my first single malt, too.

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Mortlach distillery – the Beast beckons…

It was a long time ago now, but back in 1988, UDV (now Diageo) made the momentous and ground-breaking decision to launch the Classic Malts range. The launch of those six whiskies drew newfound attention to the world of single malts and helped propel the whisky boom we now find ourselves in.  Mortlach distillery was not one the original Classic Malts…

I often wonder about how the marketing team at the time set about choosing which distilleries would be featured in the Classic Malts range? Looking at the portfolio available to them, Glenkinchie for the Lowlands obviously chose itself, as did Talisker for the Islands.  But what about Speyside?  We know now that Cragganmore got the gig, which subsequently thrust that relatively small distillery into the limelight.  But how different might the whisky world be today, and the fortunes of one or two distilleries if they’d selected, for example, Dailuaine, Knockando, Mannochmore, or Glen Elgin?   Or Mortlach?

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Port Ellen and dram envy

[Update 2024: The article below was originally written in 2015.  Of course, the *new* Port Ellen distillery opened its doors in March 2024, but this changes the narrative only a little.  Much of what follows remains valid, given it will be many years until the new spirit has matured, and there will always be lust for the “old” Port Ellen.] What makes Port Ellen whisky so special?  Why is the Port Ellen distillery so revered, considering it was decided to close it down in 1983?  Let’s look at the fully story, including why Port Ellen whisky makes plenty of people envious…

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What’s wrong with Diageo?

In recent times, it’s become fashionable to moan about and berate the big boys of the whisky game.   Let’s not beat about the bush – I refer specifically to malt snobs, blogs, and the cognoscenti getting stuck into the likes of Diageo and whinging about either their bottlings, the quality of the latest release or the price tag attached, or perhaps even lamenting that a particular expression isn’t made available in their local market.  “What’s wrong with Diageo?” is a question you might hear asked occasionally.

Well, as fashionable as it is to bag and complain about Diageo, I’m going to do the opposite. I’m going to stand up for them. Not that they need the likes of little old me to get vocal about anything on their behalf, but I figure some balance and perspective is due.  This article was originally published under the title, “Standing up for the big boys“.

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Lagavulin or Laphroaig – which is better?

It’s the question every Islay whisky fan asks themselves at some point in their whisky journey:  Laphroaig or Lagavulin – which one is better?  Is there a definitive answer?  Yes, there’s some juicy stuff we can explore over the next minute or two…

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