Product description
Special Releases is a limited edition range of whiskies released each fall by Diageo. The series was introduced in 2002 and highlights the best and the rarest malt and grain whiskies from the company portfolio bottled at natural strength.
The 2020 release included eight single malts – from the oldest of the bunch 30 years old Dalwhinnie and Pittyvaich to the youngest, Talisker 8 years old. Four out of eight: Dalwhinnie, Cragganmore, Lagavulin and Talisker used to be part of the legendary Classic Malts series launched in the late 1980s. Talisker 8 years old was distilled in 2011 and after being aged in standard oak barrels finished in Caribbean rum casks sourced from Jamaica.
Nose: sweet and smoky, butterscotch, vanilla, brown sugar, candied lemon and orange peel, pineapples, bananas and whiffs of sea breeze.
Palate: sweet and salty, brown sugar, baked plantains, mango, lemon peel, white pepper, green olives, a drop of Maggi seasoning and fading whiff of smoke.
Finish: medium long, with notes of brown sugar, vanilla, tropical fruits, sea salt, white pepper and distant whiff of smoke.