Singleton 40yo

Singleton brand owner Diageo announced the release of the latest installment of the Epicurean Odyssey Series. It is another extremely old and unique whisky, part of the circle of "sensory maximalism", coming from the Glen Ord distillery in the northern Highlands.

The Singleton 40yo (45.9% vol.) is a whisky that has been described as a deeply decadent drink. Offering notes of dark chocolate and ripe plums, the whisky has undergone additional maturation in Ron Zacapa XO rum barrels from Guatemala.

Only 1,716 bottles of the liquor have been produced, and it is expected to be available any day now in selected stores specializing in aged spirits. The price of a single bottle has been set at £3300.

Epicurean Odyssey Series began with the debut of The Singleton 38yo in 2020. A year later came the 39yo edition. The current launch is the third and final piece in the series.

The Singleton brand was created by Diageo, the world's largest Scotch whisky producer, in 2006 as an offering aimed exclusively at global travel retailers. It was a 12-year-old malt whisky from the Dufftown distillery. The same year also saw the debut of Singleton of Glen Ord 12yo as an offering for Asian markets. A year later, Singleton of Gledullan 12yo hit the US market. In 2008 Singleton of Dufftown 12yo went first to the British market, then to other European markets. Thus, a brand was created, consisting of whiskey from three different distilleries - Dufftown, Glendullan and Glen Ord - which, in terms of sales volume, had a chance to compete with the largest single malt whiskey brands, namely Glenfiddich and Glenlivet. For the most part, the division between the European (Dufftown), Asian (Glen Ord) and American (Glendullan) markets has been maintained, although editions aimed at global travel retail and special editions in particular, such as the Singleton 40yo described today, regularly break this rule. Another thing is that the distillery from which a particular whiskey comes is increasingly emphasized in marketing messages.

In July 2022, the new Visitor Center at Glen Ord was opened, and the distillery itself was officially named The Singleton of Glen Ord Distillery. The expansion and modernization of the tourist section of the distillery is part of a larger whole, an extensive investment campaign in which more Diageo-owned distilleries have been renovated and modernized in recent years and their tourist appeal has been raised. Multimillion-dollar expenditures have been made to promote the Johnnie Walker brand and related distilleries Cardhu, Caol Ila, Glenkinchie and Talisker. A state-of-the-art center has been created on Princes Street in Edinburgh, a combination of exhibition, sensory and multimedia experience, called the Johnnie Walker Experience.

Out of reporter's duty, it should be mentioned that the Singleton brand was established and first appeared on the market in 1986. Interestingly, it did not involve whiskey from any of the three distilleries mentioned earlier at all. At issue was whisky from Auchroisk, whose name, it was feared, might prove too difficult to pronounce for the average whisky lover. Hence, Singleton of Auchroisk was invented, which was, incidentally, the first example of a widely available whisky subjected to wood finishing, although this, too, was never loudly talked about.

The current offerings of the House of Whisky Online include an extremely an extensive selection of Singleton brand whiskies, of all three distilleries, as well as the former, Singleton of Auchroisk. We also have earlier editions in the Epicurean Odyssey series. It is only a matter of time when The Singleton 40yo will also appear with us. Stay tuned.


[19.04.2023 / photo: Diageo]