Exciting news for fans of rare and aged whisky this month, with Diageo releasing the third and final expression of The Singleton’s Epicurean Odyssey series. The first and second releases were bottled at 38 and 39 years old respectively, and so perhaps it’s no surprise that the third release is The Singleton of Glen Ord 40yo.
Tag: Dufftown
Diageo Special Releases 2020
The Diageo “Special Releases” range is keenly awaited each year, and the latest collection (2020) is now being made available to markets around the world.
[Update: If you’re looking for info on the Diageo Special Releases for 2021, see our more recent post here.]
Whisky & Wisdom has attended the launch events for the Special Releases range in previous years, but with COVID still largely preventing such public events, a special media kit was prepared for this year’s range. The box – a very attractive and well-presented affair, it must be said – contained samples of the eight releases.
The idea behind the Diageo Special Releases range is to present and showcase whiskies from selected distilleries that differ significantly from the usual or familiar form that we associate with those distilleries. We thus see things like unpeated releases from Islay distilleries; or releases with significant age statements that aren’t normally available; or releases given special cask treatments or finishes; or simply releases from closed or rarely seen distilleries. There’s always something for everyone, and each year’s Special Releases range showcases a diverse spectrum of flavours and also price points.
The Whisky Lover’s Guide to climbing Ben Rinnes
Thinking about climbing Ben Rinnes? If you love whisky and you’re visiting Speyside, then a hike up to the top of Ben Rinnes is a must.
Each year, thousands of whisky tourists make their way to Speyside to visit their own personal mecca. Each pilgrim no doubt has their own favourite distillery and plans their itinerary around getting a glimpse into the factory that produces their most revered malt.
Of course, no one travels all the way to Speyside to visit just one, single distillery and thus it’s not uncommon for we pilgrims to set up camp in one of the many hotels or B&B’s and use it as a base to explore multiple distilleries over several days.
Outside of the distilleries, however, your average whisky tourist quickly runs out of things to do in Speyside. The only other pursuits are the outdoors – golf, salmon fishing, and hiking. And it’s this last category that offers something pretty special to the whisky enthusiast.
Ben Rinnes is the highest mountain in the Speyside region. At 840m, it’s officially a “Corbett”, being 300 feet shy to qualify as a Munro. It towers above many of the distilleries, and the snow melt and water run-off from the hills goes a long way to supplying many of the surrounding distilleries in its foothills. Needless to say, the view from the summit is incredible, and distillery spotters can have fun trying to identify the many distilleries visible from the top. For the whisky enthusiast or jaded Speyside visitor looking for a new perspective, climbing Ben Rinnes is a highly recommended and rewarding journey. So here’s the whisky lover’s guide to climbing Ben Rinnes…
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Kininvie – The distillery emerges…
Like so many other aspects of the whiskysphere in recent years, there are entities or processes that have been around for a long time, but simply weren’t well known. The internet, combined with a booming market, have resulted in many industry secrets or hidden jewels coming to light. Distilleries are one such example – if there wasn’t a commercial release available (or widely distributed) on the market, consumers simply didn’t know it existed. Ailsa Bay, Inchgower, Allt-a-bhaine, etc, are all examples of distilleries that most whisky drinkers simply haven’t heard of, despite the fact they’ve been around for many years. Kininvie is another example, although that’s now all changing, courtesy of its whiskies suddenly being thrust into the limelight.
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?