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.
As a whisky brand, “The Singleton” perhaps needs some explanation, although the origin and history of the name might surprise you. It actually dates back to 1986 when the then-owners of the Auchroisk distillery decided to market Auchroisk internationally as a single malt. Being a gaelic name that few people could spell, much less pronounce correctly if they saw it written down, the marketing team decided to badge it as “The Singleton of Auchroisk” and it became known simply as The Singleton, as this was a term non-Gaelic people could cope with. It lasted in some markets until as late as 2001 before being withdrawn, and the Singleton name was retired for a few years.
It was re-commissioned in 2006, this time being re-purposed as an encompassing brand name to accommodate three different distilleries in Diageo’s stable that – outside of the Flora & Fauna range – didn’t have their own single malt brand. Glen Ord, Glendullan, and Dufftown formed the Singleton trinity. Initially, each distillery’s Singleton expression was reserved/isolated to specific markets or was introduced as a Travel Retail exclusive, although over time they’ve each become more uniformly distributed around the globe. (That said, the Singleton’s .com website focusses only on Glendullan and is a USA-centric site).
The new Singleton 40yo release comes from the Glen Ord distillery, as did the previous two releases in the Epicurean Odyssey series. Founded in 1838, Glen Ord is a Highland distillery located just slightly north and to the west of Inverness, roughly a 30 minute drive by car. The distillery was acquired by Dewars in 1923, which was then subsequently acquired by the Distillers Company Limited just two years later, thus cementing it in the stable we know today as Diageo. The distillery is renowned for making a particularly green/grassy new-make spirit, and after some serious expansion programs over the last 10 years, the distillery is now the second largest in Diageo’s stable, with a capacity of just under 12 million litres a year. (Roseisle tops Diageo’s list with a capacity of 12.5M litres per year). When firing on all cylinders, Glen Ord is now the sixth largest distillery in Scotland!
The distillery has an excellent Visitor Centre offering tours of the distillery and insights into the production side of the industry. It also serves as the brand home for the Singleton range. Nestled away inside a re-purposed warehouse (third picture in the gallery below), it is a worthwhile detour if you’re heading through Inverness up to the far north of Scotland.
(Click on each image above to enlarge)
The Singleton 40yo in the Epicurean Odyssey series has quite the story, although it can be a challenge to knuckle down on the precise details if you rely on the official press release and the blurb supplied to most retailers. So here’s the inside word that you won’t find in too many places: A number of Glen Ord casks, both refill hogsheads and butts were selected and picked out when they were 12 years old. The spirit from these casks was then divided and re-racked into a number of different casks for a secondary maturation period of 28 years! This secondary maturation took place in a mix of rum, bourbon, Oloroso sherry, and Pedro-Ximenez sherry casks, thus creating a kaleidoscope of different flavours and complexity. All these casks were then tipped and the spirit married before then spending a final finishing period of just a few months in ex-rum casks that previously held Ron Zacapa’s Zacapa XO and Zacapa Royal rum. A limited number of 1,716 bottles were produced.
There are two different versions of the release, with a very limited “Cask Strength” at 55.4% (which is what Whisky & Wisdom reviews below), and a more widely available version at 45.9%. The 45.9% release is now available in Australia.
So with all that as background, how does the whisky stack up? It’s a seriously credentialed whisky with a serious pedigree and a not-insignificant price tag. Whisky & Wisdom sat down with a wee sample (pictured above) and spent a good half hour exploring its depth and nuances. Our thoughts as follows:
The Singleton of Glen Ord 40yo, 55.4%.
Nose: The nose instantly betrays aspects of the whisky’s grand age, with hints of oak, leather, tobacco, and dark chocolate evident up front. With time, the soft aromas of dark fruits (e.g. plums and currants) emerge. It’s a wonderfully complex nose, deserving of your time and contemplation. The rum cask influence is subtle but effective, yet happily doesn’t overwhelm or distract the malt.
Palate: At 55.4% ABV, the palate has a pleasing strength and warmth without any aggression or volatiles. The mouthfeel is soft, sultry, nicely viscous, and suitably sweet. A whisky of this age risks being over-oaked or dominated by the wood; in this instance, the balance has been superbly maintained. Just like the nose, the palate is equally complex, and confirms the dark chocolate and dark fruit characteristics. The influence of the rum casks is again well balanced – the richness and sweetness is there, but it complements the whisky rather than drives it. It is never cloying or saccharine.
Finish: Superbly balanced, the finish is long and – unlike so many whiskies of this age – it avoids going down the bittersweet trail, or becoming thin and spirity. Immensely satisfying, you’re in no hurry to rush back for another sip…the preceding one you took is still giving.
Comments: This is one of the few whiskies of this age and price-range where the pedigree and story on paper actually translates into the bottle and on to the palate. It is a truly delicious whisky, with a weight and body befitting of a 40yo experience. Most pleasingly of all, it remains vibrant, sweet, rich, and luxurious, rather than just being a dry, dusty time capsule. Full marks to its creators.
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The Singleton 40yo is now available in Australia through Dan Murphy’s with an RRP of $5,940. Needless to say, quantities are limited, so if you or a loved one have a 40th birthday milestone on the horizon, this would be one to pounce on.
Cheers,
AD
With thanks to the team at Example.
PS: You might also like our other articles featuring The Singleton whiskies…
