Diageo Special Releases 2022
As of this morning, there has been buzz about the announced release of the annual Diageo Special Releases. The world's largest liquor conglomerate and at the same time the largest producer of Scotch whisky has been offering whisky lovers a series of limited editions of liquor from its own distilleries every year for more than a dozen years now. These are whiskies in one way or another especially, carefully selected, and moreover - which is not always so obvious with Diageo - they are whiskies offered in cask strength form, and therefore not infrequently clearly higher than the standard 40% or 46% vol. In addition, many of the corporation's member distilleries have extremely limited official offerings, so Diageo Special Releases give whisky lovers a chance to get a closer look at their capabilities and the everyday inaccessible variations of their distillates.
This year's Diageo Special Releases series includes 8 whiskies, has been named "Elusive Expressions" and is a sort of continuation of last year's "Legends Untold" series, full of references to legends, mythical creatures and stories in one way or another related to particular distilleries. Responsible for the selection of the series is Diageo's master buyer Craig Wilson, to whom we owe the soon-to-be available 7 single malt whiskies and one grain whisky.
The set includes:
Talisker 11yo, 55.1% vol., whisky matured in a combination of first-fill and refill bourbon casks and wine casks. In the aroma, notes of fruit from the orchard, sea breeze and suede. In taste, the producer promises salted caramel, fruit from the orchard, juicy berries and spicy chili. Price ok. 110 pounds per bottle.
Lagavulin 12yo, 57.3% vol., whisky extraordinarily smoky, initially matured in peat barrels, then transferred to fresh oak casks. In aroma it offers notes of beach bonfire, bakery interior, coconut and citrus. Price ok. 135 pounds per bottle.
Clynelish 12yo, 58.5% vol., whisky matured in American oak refill casks, and Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. In the aroma, notes of sweet glaze, vanilla, wax, roasted bananas and a whiff from the sea. Taste peanut butter, banana milkshake, white pepper and salted caramel. Price ok. 175 pounds per bottle.
Singleton of Glen Ord 15yo, 54.2% vol., whisky matured in American and European oak barrels for the first 7 years, then transferred to red wine barrels for another 8 years. The aroma offers notes of plums, raspberry jam, cherries and ginger. On the taste we can expect accents of ginger, butter cookies with cream, blackberry jam and pepper and tannins on the finish. Price ok. 120 pounds per bottle.
Mortlach, 57.8% vol., whisky with no age declaration, matured initially in American oak refill casks before being transferred to fresh American oak casks, tawny port casks and red muscat casks. In the aroma heavy notes of tobacco, meat sauce, a hint of marmite and pastry. Taste accents of red berries from the compote, meatballs and cranberry sauce. Price ok. 250 pounds per bottle.
Oban 10yo, 57.1% vol., whisky matured in American oak refill casks, then transferred to Amontillado sherry casks for the finish. In the aroma, notes of smoke, pecans and almonds. In taste, accents of peach ice tea and nuts. Price ok. 105 pounds per bottle.
Cardhu 16yo, 58% vol., whisky matured in refill and re-fired American oak barrels, then finished in Jamaican rum barrels. In the aroma accents of nectarines, wholemeal bread, molasses and mangoes. taste notes of cake, ginger and pepper. Price ok. 160 pounds per bottle.
Cameronbridge 26yo, 56.2% vol., the oldest and only grain whisky in the set, matured through a full maturation period in bourbon refill casks. Its aroma includes touches of toffee, butter, raisin cake, crème brûlée and butter cookies. In taste, we can expect the notes heralded by the aroma, as well as maple syrup-laden pancakes, cane sugar on croissants, and a delicate hint of coffee with milk. Price ok. £275 per bottle.
According to Diageo, whiskies from the Diageo Special Releases 2022 collection are available starting today, so keep an eye on the House of Whisky Online offerings, where they will also appear soon. In the meantime, we recommend taking a look between our shelves to see what we have on offer from DSR from years past.
[29.09.2022 / photo: Diageo]