This is the annual release from Diageo which is looked forward to by most whisky fans. Diageo releases this annual tasting yearly and there is always a good selection on offer to sample. The theme this year is focused on from the previous year which is exploring the variety of casks used as well as the cask finishes.
Diageo produces up to 40% of all scotch whisky in Scotland. The number of distilleries they own is 32 which includes two grain distilleries.
Before getting into the tasting, its worth providing a short discussion on one of the distilleries – The Singleton. This is always somewhat confusing as it is three separate distilleries. Each was originally designed to produce whisky with a palate more suitable for a specific market. For the UK market it is The Singleton Dufftown, for the US market The Singleton Glendullan and for Asian markets The Singleton Glen Ord. As one might expect, Diageo soon found that the market for whisky is global regardless of palate. However, most of The Singleton releases in the UK still come from Dufftown.
The six tasting selection of Diageo 2024 Special releases
The Singleton Glen Ord 14 year old (£132, 54.7% ABV)
- Nose – dark forest fruits, wine, caramel, grass and oak. A definite hint of old pews in a church.
- Palate – pretty similar to the nose.
- Finish – long with a lot of spice which gradually fades away.
- Overall – A very nice dram, better than last years Glendullan. A lovely red gold colour indicating a wine finish. It is a “blending” of Refill casks made from European oak, American Oak, wine casks and re-charred Pyrenean Oak. It has medium legs.
Mortlach NAS (£250, 57.6% ABV)
- Nose – cinder toffee and meat stock
- Palate – banoffee pie, tropical fruits – melon, papaya.
- Finish – long, mouth filling, more burnt toffee , salt and pepper.
- Overall – Adding water brings out the banoffee but kills everything else.
Benrinnes 21 year old (£340, 55.4%)
- Nose – fruit, definitely a speyside.
- Palate – fruit and nuts
- Finish – medium, sherry
- Overall – This is heavily sherried from oloroso and PX casks. It is made from four different casks to provide the balance, but it still is nothing more than a “speyside”. It needs time to breathe and is a nice dram.
Caol Ila (unpeated) NAS (£110, 57.3% ABV)
- Nose – a festival of sweets, nice pear drops, fruit, green grass, and straw.
- Palate – very malty, burnt rubber – over cooked Maillard reaction.
- Finish – moderate.
- Overall – Interesting as unpeated and also a short fermentation for Caol Ila of only 48- 50 hours.
Talisker 8 year old (£90, 58.7% ABV)
- Nose – peat
- Palate – peat with smooth toffee, vanilla and raspberry ice cream.
- Finish – Peat and cream.
- Overall – this was produced from stone spun casks – these polishes them and restores them. Very experimental.
Lagavulin 12 year old (£155, 57.4% ABV)
- Nose – Coastal peat
- Palate – Juicy and fruity
- Finish – Herbal smoke
- Overall – A peaty smooth whisky which non peated whisky enthusiasts will enjoy. It is better than the Talisker, a smooth peat sweetness and wood.
The Conclusion of Diageo Special Releases 2024 tasting
From the brevity of the notes, you can see interest waned after the first whisky. Maybe we were not in the mood, maybe, as was the consensus in the room, except for the Glen Ord, none of these were worth buying. It’s not so long ago that the constraint on purchasing all the Special Releases was cost, not quality. This will be the first time this whisky drinker will not buy a single bottle.
Maybe it might be worth seeing what the bottles go for on the secondary market? It would be an interesting tasting from a perspective of exploring the distillers use of experimental casks. None where horrible, it was just that only the Glen Ord shone. The Caol Ila was interesting from the perspective of being non-peated and it is rare to see this whisky type from Caol Ila. The Talisker because of the novel way the casks were rejuvenated.
Finally, here’s hoping that Diageo’s 2025 Special release will be just as exciting with plenty more different whiskies to sample.
