Diageo Special Releases 2023
As every year at this time, leaks about this year's Diageo Special Releases have just appeared online. Most likely, we would know nothing about it if it weren't for the U.S. government agency Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, or TTB for short. As required by relevant U.S. laws, the labels of future liquor editions must be disclosed well in advance and made public. For the umpteenth year in a row, Diageo is unable to keep a secret until the day of release for precisely this reason. Whisky enthusiasts get a foretaste of what awaits them in late summer, the Internet heats up with discussions and fierce polemics or criticism, and when the market is ready for it, colorfully labeled bottles finally hit it.
This time could not have been different. Unseen TTB delivered the news, the network heated up, all according to plan. So what did we learn from the labels?
This year's Diageo Special Releases promises to be intriguing. For here, first of all, there promises to be a change in the leading theme. From the world of mythical beasts, we return to reality, but together with the producers of the various whiskies - or rather, the barrels from which they come - we take a journey around the world and its diverse cultures. The labels will feature Inca motifs, those associated with Brazilian carnival, those originating in Japan, or finally those set in the reality of African-American jazz. However, vibrant colors and bold graphic motifs have not been abandoned.
In line with a trend in the whisky world that has been in place for some time, whisky maturation experiments will play a big role in this year's DSRs. The days when simply finishing in sherry barrels was an event worthy of being noted on the label are long gone. Now barrels of tequila, Japanese whisky, or wines from carefully selected varietals are coming into their own.
We know of seven planned editions. If Diageo intends to be faithful to tradition, there is one more surprise waiting to be announced at a much later date. So what does the revealed - volens nolens - seven look like? Here they are. All whiskies bottled as cask strength and without cold filtration.
Roseisle 12yo 56.5% vol. - is perhaps the biggest surprise. Roseisle Distillery, located a little west of Elgin, opened in 2009 and was designed to be able to produce several different styles of whisky. Its production capacity of 12.5 million liters of pure alcohol indicates that it is intended to be a mass producer of malt input for the corporation's blends. It's impossible to say whether the proposed DSR 2023 presents a profile typical of the distillery, as firstly, no one has yet had the opportunity to taste Roseisle single malt whisky, and secondly - the multitude of styles produced there largely precludes the existence of such a thing as a typical Roseisle profile. Anyway, the proposed Roseisle 12yo edition comes from first-fill bourbon and refill barrels. This much we know, and how it tastes, we will find out in due course.
Oban 11yo 58% vol. - is a whisky subjected to additional maturation in Caribbean rum barrels distilled in alembics. As we do not know which rum is involved, any speculation about the character of this whisky must remain just that, speculation.
Lagavulin 12yo 56.4% vol. - whisky, whose presence in the DSR set can be almost certain. Diageo's flagship malt managed to win the hearts of whisky lovers back at the end of the last century, when its 16yo version became perhaps the most important part of the Classic Malts of Scotland set and, for many, provided an introduction to the world of uneasy whisky with a smoky, peaty character. This time, however, we are dealing with its unusual incarnation, for Diageo's experts decided to use tequila añejo barrels from the Don Julio stable to finish this whisky. Notabene also owned by the conglomerate.
Glenkinchie 27yo 58.3% vol. - is the oldest whisky among the seven revealed. The whisky, which comes from the Lowlands, a little south of Edinburgh, is often referred to as The Edinburgh Malt. This true oldie among the youngsters, DSR 2023 was matured in American oak refill barrels of the barrel type, and European oak butt barrels, also refill.
Clynelish 10yo 57.5% vol. - here is not to expect much in terms of maturation. Clynelish has proven time and time again that it performs perfectly if allowed to lie those ten years in bourbon barrels. That's what happened this time, too - Clynelish 10yo comes entirely from first-fill bourbon barrels.
Singleton of Glendullan 14yo 55% vol. - Singleton brand in this year's list will be represented by whisky from the Glendullan distillery located in Dufftown. So, what we have is a fine whisky from Speyside treated with Chardonnay de Bourgogne white wine casks from French oak. It promises to be a veritable land of gentleness.
Mortlach 58% vol. - The Dufftown Beast will appear in the list without an age declaration, but in an arch-rival barrel combination. This is because it was matured partly in point noir wine barrels and partly in Japanese whisky barrels from the Kanosuke distillery. It is a young whisky maker, opened in 2017 in Kagoshima Prefecture. It has three alembics with different neck shapes and arm angles, giving it the ability to put together whiskies with different flavor profiles. Kanosuke whisky wins gold medal at 2022 World Whisky Awards.
This much is known for today. We will learn more with time. More, so details on the eighth piece of the DSR 2023 puzzle, as well as the prices of each edition and perhaps the size of each one. Diageo Special Releases are, by definition, limited editions.
The impatient are invited to visit the House of Whisky Online. We still have some whiskies in our current offerings from the Diageo Special Releases from previous years. Or at least we had at least a few bottles at the time of preparing this material.
[25.04.2023 / graphic: Diageo]