Each year, Diageo launches its highly exclusive Special Releases, which show some of the international spirits giant’s Scotch distilleries from a different angle. The whiskies always come in cask strength and with colorful artworks. Often, they also feature out-of-the-ordinary or downright crazy cask formulas. This year’s eight-piece selection includes, for example, an Oban with a rum finish or a Lagavulin with a tequila finish. Furthermore, the current outturn includes an offering from a production site that has never seen any of its product bottled before: Roseisle from Speyside. So far, all of the units output has gone into blends. But now there is also a distinct distillery bottling available: Poetically monickered “The Origami Kite”, the malt in question is a 12-year-old Scotch composed entirely from classic ex-Bourbon casks. Besides the Oban, the Lagavulin, and the Roseisle, the series also contains whiskies by Mortlach, Glenkinchie, The Singleton, Talisker, and Clynelish. At a free, open tasting at Alsterhaus in Hamburg, I recently got to sample ’em all!

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Eager to get to know the new kid on the block, me and my friend Aaron from Drams United chose the Roseisle as our starter. With the number “12” proudly printed on the label, it is significantly older than most other debut bottlings. Scent- and taste-wise, it presents itself bright, fruity, and delicate with apple purree, vanilla sugar, crunchy grape, and Danish pastry. From first sip to last echo, it is all smoothness and balance. In short: a most lovely dram showing just how great a genuine ex-Bourbon maturation can be! Next up, we picked The Singleton’s contribution. It comes in the form of a 14-year-old Speysider with a Chardonnay finish. During the sniffing, the light and floral whisky still feels a bit reserved. As soon as the liquid hits the tongue, however, a true flavor explosion follows! Citrus zest, vanilla pudding, spring wood, candy cane, peach peel, and mint leaf are but some of the fantastic aromas it offers – all underpinned by pronounced vinuous notes from the wood in which this total stunner was finished.

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Our third pick was the oldest in the series: the Glenkinchie 27 Years Old called “The Floral Treasure”. Despite its advanced age, this elegant and complex Lowlands malt has not lost any of its drive and vigor. At 58.3 per cent ABV, it even possesses the second-highest strength in the outturn (being bested only by the fierce and fiery Talisker). The offered smells and tastes of the Glenkinchie include apricot, tangerine, almond, and sugared redcurrant. During the seemingly never-ending finish, the flavors turn greener. Now lime and kiwi are most noticable. They provide a fresh and sour kick that contrasts nicely against the underlying sweetness. Afterwards it got heavy and waxy. The Clynelish 10 Years Old, which we had next, emphasizes on the very qualities for which the fan-favorite Highlands distillery is known and loved. The massive drop has lots of edges, and fills the mouth with toffee, pastry, and lemon curd, as well as garden fruits and white chocolate. Especially towards the end it becomes extra-impressive; the aftertaste is incredible!

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Half-time! This means: Four drams tasted, another four drams to go. So, without much ado or delay, we continued with the Oban 11 Years Old tellingly monikered “The Soul of Calypso”. The Caribbean pot still rum cask, in which the whisky was refined, left a strong mark on the liquid. Besides sweet pineapple juice and a somewhat smoky-ish undertone, I also sensed a rush of raisins, brown sugar, chocolate cream, and – in the colorful finish – sweet and runny honey. The offering by Mortlach was next in line. Though it comes without an age statement, we must not fear that its makers have cut back the aromas and flavors in any kind of way. The heavy, meaty, and fruity malt oozes with oranges, cherries, and redcurrants as well as carrot cake and other sweet treats. A little to my surprise, the aftertaste “only” felt mid-long to me. Considering the whisky’s weight and stature during the previous stages of the degustation, I had expected the finish to stay with me a bit longer … yet, for the time that it was there, it certainly treated my tastebuds well!

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The last two whiskies in the series were peaty, coming from Talisker Distillery on the Isle of Skye and Lagavulin Distillery on Islay. Finished in three different types of Port casks and bottled with almost 60 per cent ABV, the Talisker could easily be called the “Port Ruighe” on steroids (cheers to my friend Björn for this fitting comparision)! It’s peppery and fruity with lots of hot paprikas and juicy berries enshrouded in cold cigarette puff. Furthermore, there’s milk chocolate spiked with ginger bits. This adds a good amount of sweetness to the mix. Whereas the whisky starts off rather easy, it gets more demanding with time – until it concludes in an long, good, and ashen finale. And last but not least: the Laga! As already said in the intro, this one has an extra-special maturation history, having spent the last of its days in a tequila cask. While I had a few whiskies with such a wood formula before (e.g., from Stauning in Denmark), I previously never had one such dram from Scotland, let alone Islay. Besides the novelty value, this immense smoker going by the name of “The Ink of Legends” also offers a great, unconventional flavor experience. On the one hand, there’s the classic Lagavulin notes of fumy smoke and BBQ’ed bacon. On the other hand, there’s a surprisingly strong tequila kick from the finish. On the tongue, an invigorating lemon and lime spritziness joins in, too. And in the aftertaste, the peatiness becomes especially big and powerful.

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Now that we’ve directed the spotlight at each of the eight bottlings of the Diageo Special Releases 2023, there is one point we still got to address: the prices. No matter from which perspective you look at it, the fact remains that these premium whiskies require you to dig pretty deep into your wallet. If you decide to do so, however, you will be rewarded. Cause at least in my view, this year’s selection includes top-quality malts only. Whether or not I will make a purchase is still open. There are some bottles that I feel quite tempted to buy, so let’s see what the future will bring. One way or another, I am extremely happy for the chance to try the complete Special Releases 2023 range in one sitting – and free of cost! For that I gotta take my hat off to both Diageo and Alsterhaus. Thank you, cheers, and slainte mhath!

by Tobi

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The drams

Roseisle “The Origami Kite” (Single M. / Speyside / 12yo / 56.5% / ex-Bourbon casks / EUR 140)
The Singleton “The Silken Gown” (Single M. / Speyside / 14yo / 55% / Chardonnay finish / EUR 150)
Glenkinchie “The Floral Treasure” (Single M. / Lowlands / 27yo / 58.3% / Am. & Eur. oak / EUR 400)
Clynelish “The Jazz Crescendo” (Single M. / Highlands / 10yo / 57.5% / 1st-fill Am. oak/ EUR 200)
Oban “The Soul of Calypso” (Single M. / Highlands / 11yo / 58% / Rum finish / EUR 170)
Mortlach “The Katana’s Edge (Sin. M. / Lowl. / NAS / 58% / ex-Kanosuke & Pinot Noir / EUR 300)
Talisker “The Wild Explorador” (Single M. / Islands / 11yo / 59.7% / Port casks / EUR 140)
Lagavulin “The Ink of Legends” (Single M. / Islay/ 12yo / 56.4% / Tequila finish / EUR 190)

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Diageo @ Web: http://diageo.com/ (Producer)
Alsterhaus @Web: https://www.alsterhaus.de/ (Location)