Review / The Diageo Special Releases 2023 : Spirited Xchange

It is that time of the year again. Each Autumn the Special Releases are released by Diageo, Scotland's largest producer of whisky. The 2023 Edition features eight whiskies selected from across their 28 single malt distilleries. The series carries the title of Spirited Xchange this year and each whisky has been selected by Dr. Stuart Morrison, one of Diageo's Master Blenders.

The Special Releases first appeared in 2001 and have been released annually ever since. The collection has grown to be eagerly anticipated by whisky fans, consumers and collectors around the world. The whiskies included each year are designed to showcase some of the best and rarest whisky, both single malt and single grain, held within Diageo's extensive portfolio of maturing stocks.

News / The Diageo Special Releases 2023

It is that time of the year again. Each Autumn the Special Releases are released by Diageo, Scotland's largest producer of whisky. The 2023 Edition features eight whiskies from across their 28 single malt distilleries, which show the diversity within their extensive portfolio. The series carries the title of Spirited Xchange this year and each whisky has been selected by Dr. Stuart Morrison, one of Diageo's Master Blenders.

Distillery Visit / Glenkinchie

Despite having been to Edinburgh for work and pleasure on numerous occasions, we had somehow never got around to visiting Glenkinchie. For much of its recent history this unassuming distillery was the closest to Scotland's capital and attracted many visitors because of the fact. Now it has increasing competition with the Holyrood distillery built right in the centre of Edinburgh and a couple more new ones out in Leith. So what have owners Diageo done? Given it a major revamp and made it even more important than ever.

Glenkinchie is now the official Lowland home of Johnnie Walker, the world's best selling Scotch whisky of which its single malt is an important component. The distillery is one of four dotted around Scotland that each play a similarly influential role within the famous blended range. The other three official regional homes of Johnnie Walker that form Diageo's Four Corners of Scotland are Caol Ila on Islay, Cardhu in Speyside and Clynelish in the Highlands. Each has been renovated to tell each distillery's individual story within the wider Johnnie Walker tale.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 30, 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. Here is the news from this week ...

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (August 23, 2019)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - The Diageo Special Releases 2016

The Special Releases are a limited edition range of whiskies that are bottled each Autumn by Diageo, Scotland's largest whisky producer.  The series started in the early 2000s and is designed to highlight some of the best and rarest Scotch whiskies from Diageo's extensive estate of single malt and single grain distilleries, including some that are no longer in production.

In 2016 special release there are 10 whiskies - nine single malts and one single grain - and all are bottled at the natural cask strength and all are non chill-filtered.

New releases > Diageo Special Releases 2010 Part 2

Diageo, the world's leading premium drinks company, have just released their latest cask strength single malt whisky range. The Special Release series began in 2001 and the selected bottlings are released annually, around this time of the year. The idea is to showcase special stock that they are holding from their existing and closed Scottish distilleries. This years selection is made up of nine single malt scotch whiskies, with all limited in numbers and are highly collectable and desirable as a result. They will only be able to be purchased from specialist retailers and in selected markets around the world.

We at Whisky For Everyone were lucky enough to get an invite to the official launch and tasting of the Special Releases that was recently held at Diageo's headquarters in London. We will present our tasting notes from the evening in two parts. To read the first part, including the Auchroisk 20 years old, Brora 30 years old, Glen Spey 21 years old and Talisker 30 years old - click here.
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Caol Ila 12 years old Unpeated
Info > 57.6% ABV - 6000 bottles - Matured in ex-bourbon casks - RRP £52
The Caol Ila distillery (pronounced cowl-ee-la) is located on the north eastern shores of Islay, the famous whisky island off Scotland's west coast. Islay is well known for producing the peaty, smoky style of whisky and Caol Ila is no exception. Well, except this bottling! Caol Ila produce an unpeated non-smoky spirit for roughly two weeks a year and release this in limited batches. Caol Ila was founded in 1846 and is the largest distillery on Islay, producing 5.8 million litres per year.

The colour is pale gold and the nose is fresh and vibrant. There are notes of vanilla, toffee and malty cereal grains (think of oatcakes), with the freshness coming from a combination of aromas, including salty brine, citrus zest, something floral (imagine honeysuckle) and a whiff of surgical spirit or bandages. The palate is light and zingy with the fresh notes from the nose appearing first, especially the zest and the honeysuckle. Then the saltiness comes, followed by the vanilla, toffee and cereal characters. Some additional green apple and a chalky, almost mineral note finish things off. Upon adding water, the whisky becomes creamier and more buttery in the mouth and some of the zingy, zesty notes are lost. The finish is clean and refreshing with that warming, medicinal touch of surgical spirit putting in a pleasant return towards the end.

Cragganmore 21 years old
Info > 56% ABV - 6000 bottles - Matured in ex-bourbon refill casks - RRP £135
Cragganmore is a distillery which is located in the heart of the Speyside region, close to the village of Ballindalloch. It was founded in 1869 and has a current production capacity of 2 million litres. Cragganmore has long been the Speyside representative in Diageo's Classic Malts - a range in which they have selected their definitive whisky from each region of Scotland. Despite this, Cragganmore is one of the least known single malts in the range. Sales are growing and a decent majority of whisky also goes in to blends, such as Old Parr and White Horse. Older expressions, such as this one, are rare.

The colour is a rich gold and the nose is packed with vanilla and oak. Added to this are notes of nuts (think of coconut and toasted almonds), malty cereals, shortbread biscuits, honey and a whiff of spice (imagine cinnamon bark). The palate is rich and tangy, with a lovely freshness. There are immediate notes of wood spices like cedarwood and cinnamon, more vanilla, honey, buttery biscuits (probably that shortbread again), oats and some fiery ginger. There is also a sharp tang of citrus (especially lemon) and further woody notes that dry the sweetness out and are reminiscent of wood shavings. The finish is warming, is of decent length and is a little bittersweet. It begins with honey and vanilla, before the wood and spice notes pile in to give a rasping, fiery ending.

Glenkinchie 20 years old
Info > 55.1% ABV - 6000 bottles - Matured in ex-bourbon refill casks - RRP £125
Glenkinchie, like Cragganmore, is one of Diageo's Classic Malts, this time representing the Lowlands region in the range. The distillery is located in the town of Pencaitland, which is a short drive from Edinburgh and makes it a popular spot for tourists. It was founded in 1837 and has a current production capacity of 2.3 million litres per year. The popularity of Glenkinchie's single malts are rowing as a result and older versions, such as this, are rare so we were looking forward to sampling it.

The colour is pale yellow gold and the nose is initially sharp, fresh and clean. With time, this settles down to reveal a highly perfumed and slightly unusual nose - it is a mix of floral notes (think of rose petals and honeysuckle) and tropical fruits (imagine mango and peach). These are joined by more traditional ex-bourbon cask aromas of vanilla, honey and oak, with a distinct grainy note also coming through. On the palate, it is again fresh with the floral and tropical notes present, along with some fresh green fruits (pear and apple especially). The vanilla, honey and oak notes combine with coconut and cereals well. The addition of water brings out the cereal character further and a dried grass herbal note appears to add dryness. The finish is short and sweet, getting drier towards the end.

Lagavulin 12 years old
Info > 56.5% ABV - Limited quantity of bottles, no exact figure released - Matured in ex-bourbon refill casks - RRP £59
Lagavulin (pronounce laga-voo-lin) is located on the south eastern corner of the famous whisky island of Islay. It is one of the most highly regarded distilleries for the production of the heavily peated, smoky style of whisky. The distillery was founded in 1816 and has a current annual production capacity of 2.2 million litres. Lagavulin single malts are highly sought after and it is the Islay representative in the Classic Malts series. It is occasionally used in blending, especially in the popular White Horse.

The colour is a light gold and the nose hits you in the face with a complex mix of aromas - toffee, burnt sugar, vanilla, malty cereals, a hint of salty brine, earthy smoke (think of damp moss and wet soil), honey and a whiff of parma violet sweets (those purple hard sweets that you had as a child). The palate is equally as complex and initially very sweet, with the honey and vanilla to the fore. Then comes an interesting fruitiness that is reminiscent of plums, and a hint of zingy lemon zest. Finally comes a touch of salt and that famous Lagavulin smokiness, which is more ashy and bonfire-like than on the nose. The finish goes on for ages with notes of burnt sugar and cereals mixing with the increasing peat smoke and a dash of bitter iodine.

Port Ellen 31 years old
Info > 54.6% ABV - 3000 bottles - Matured in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks - RRP £250
The Port Ellen distillery has been closed since 1983, making its whisky very rare and highly desirable. Diageo currently limit the release to this annual Special Release and as a result the price is high and they sell quickly. Releases through independent bottlers are more common but still limited and pricey. The distillery was located on the island of Islay and was founded in 1825. The floor maltings are still used to produce much of the island's peaty malted barley, but the distillery has laid dormant since it closed.

This whisky is amber in colour and the nose is surprisingly fresh and lively for something of this age. The smoke immediately hits and is woody and ash-like in nature. Then other aromas start to appear - sweet caramel, cereal husks, shortbread biscuits, some waxy furniture polish, vanilla and a whiff of salty sea air. The smokiness gets a medicinal antiseptic quality with time. On the palate, there is initial honey and caramel sweetness, with more coming from the vanilla and distinct cereal notes. The smokiness creates a bitter edge, almost acrid, and is distinctly ashy and reminiscent of burning embers. The finish is long and smoky, becoming more antiseptic and bitter with time. Vanilla, some burnt caramel and a herbal note (think of dried grass) mix with a pleasant saltiness to create a complex and enjoyable dram.

This year's Special Releases selection is very consistent across the board. All of the whiskies are good and the selection covers all the different styles and flavour profiles. They have chosen whiskies from well known and popular distilleries and mingled these with rare and lesser known ones. Our personal favourites are > Karen - Glenkinchie 2o years old, Matt - Talisker 30 years old.

New releases ... Scotch Malt Whisky Society - February 2010

A worldwide club
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a members club devoted to bottling single casks of whisky. The Society is UK based and has two members rooms in Edinburgh and London. There are also now offices spreading around the world and these currently include America, Australia, Japan and throughout Europe. Their collection of whiskies is extensive and ever growing. A panel of members select the whiskies from exclusive casks and these are then bottled and released at regular intervals throughout the year. You can join the club and check out their exclusive range of whisky at www.smws.co.uk.

Different labels
The Society has a unique label system that uses numbers rather than naming the distillery. For example, something labelled as 24.108 has 24 being the Society's number ID for the distillery and 108 being the number of casks bottled by the Society from that distillery. They do this to prevent any positive or negative prejudice that a consumer may have against a certain distillery. They provide comprehensive tasting notes and these are compiled by a tasting committee that discuss the merits of each bottling. The notes can often be curious and very creative! We were lucky to be invited to a tasting evening at the Society's London offices this week, where we sampled some of the whiskies from the new February releases. Thank you to Darren Rook for an excellent evening.

Our tasting notes
Cask 99.11 (Glenugie 29 years old)
Whisky from this distillery is scarce and the SMWS has not released any Glenugie for years, so to get the opportunity to taste some was a rare treat. Glenugie (pronounced glen-oogee) was located in the coastal Highland town of Peterhead, to the north of Aberdeen, and was closed in 1983. The colour is golden yellow and the nose is full of cereal grains and vanilla. These are joined by floral (think of heather) and herbal notes (imagine dried grasses and straw). The palate is very grainy and buttery and is reminiscent of Scottish oatcakes (this characteristic increases the longer the whisky is in the glass). Also present are vanilla, dried grasses and spice (think of nutmeg). The initial sweetness turns drier with a bitter edge. The finish is short, dry and light. An acquired taste but one that grew on us with time. 43.4% ABV/192 bottles/£78

Cask 119.12 (Yamazaki 16 years old)
This cask has only been released to the American, Australian and Japanese Society members. Yamazaki is Japan's oldest whisky distillery and was founded in 1923. The colour is rich golden amber and the nose is promising but has a distinct acetone note (think of nail varnish remover). There are a number of sweet notes present - caramel, raisins, dried peaches, dark sugar. The palate is note as sweet and offers a complex mix of flavours - candied orange, raisins, prunes, hints of liquorice and nutmeg - and is reminiscent to fruit cake and brandy. the finish is long, dry and slightly astringent and is full of spices and tannin. The addition of water softens this. A lovely dram. 54% ABV/262 bottles/no UK price available

Cask 22.28 (Glenkinchie 21 years old)
Glenkinchie is a Lowland single malt and the nearest distillery to Edinburgh. The colour is pale gold and the nose is light and fresh. There is distinct grassy notes (think of dried grass or hay) and these join with vanilla and fresh green apple aromas. On the palate, this whisky is light and inoffensive and offers an initial hot alcoholic burn. When this fades, other notes come through - vanilla, cereal grains, butterscotch and citrus (imagine lemon zest). The finish is short and crisp. The addition of water brought out some citrus on the nose (that lemon zest again) and more grains and dried grass on the palate. 54% ABV/223 bottles/£63.50

Cask 7.55 (Longmorn 40 years old)
Longmorn is a little known but well renowned distillery that lies close to the city of Elgin in the Speyside region. We don't get the chance to sample 40 years old whiskies often, so this was a real treat. The colour is orange amber and the nose is rich and sumptuous. There are plenty of aromas here - dark sugar, treacle, dried fruits, orange peel, cocoa, espresso coffee, waxy furniture polish and a hint of leather. WOW! The palate does not disappoint and is silky smooth, intense and rich. First comes orange marmalade and dried fruits and is followed by leather, cocoa and coffee. There are also minty, eucalyptus and liquorice notes. The finish is long and gorgeous. This has a dessert wine/Cognac feel and is a lovely complex whisky. 54.9% ABV/451 bottles/£186 (a great price for a 40 years old whisky!)

Cask 53.139 (Caol Ila 27 years old)
Caol Ila is located on the famous whisky island of Islay and they produce whiskies in the smoky style. The colour of this whisky is golden yellow and the nose is smoky, sweet and fresh. There is a delightful combination of aromas - sweet earthy peat, vanilla, candy floss, salty brine and something fishy (others in the group suggested anchovy). On the palate, this has a complex mix of notes - sweet vanilla, cereal grains, dried grasses, damp moss, slightly acrid bonfire smoke, salty brine, lemon zest and spicy chilli peppers. The finish is long with the peat smoke lingering for ages. It is light and fresh for something of this age and drinks well without water, despite its ABV strength. With water, more vanilla, grass and burning bonfire come out. An absolute cracker of a dram. 55.5% ABV/256 bottles/£82

Cask 33.80 (Ardbeg 11 years old)
Ardbeg is also located on the western island of Islay and the current insatiable thirst for their whiskies has seen this bottling sell out in just three days! Therefore, the only place to try it is at the SMWS rooms in Edinburgh or London. The colour is golden yellow and the nose is pungent and fresh. There is plenty of smoke here (a combo between bonfire ember and damp soil) and some citrus (think of lemon zest), salt, seaweed and vanilla. On the palate, this feels even smokier (especially the peaty/soil element) and feels oily and buttry in the mouth. Other notes include vanilla, caramel, grass and bitter iodine. The finish is very long and peaty. Water brings out more sweetness and this is balanced by more salt and iodine. 56.6% ABV/242 bottles/£55.50

Dram of the night > a difficult choice but the Caol Ila 27 years old.

Have just tried ... Glenkinchie 12 years old

Glenkinchie is the nearest distillery to Edinburgh. It is currently owned by multi national drinks company Diageo and is the lowland region's representitive in their 'Classic Malts' range. The distillery is located 15 miles from Scotland's capital city and it's visitor centre is one of the most visited. Glenkinchie has thrived while so many other lowland distilleries have been closed or mothballed, due mainly the proximity to Edinburgh and Diageo's involvement and promotions. Whilst, Glenkinchie is not one of the most well known distilleries in Scotland, the whisky produced there is held in high regard and some is used in the blending of Diageo's world famous Johnnie Walker range. The single malt range is small, consisting of a 10 years old, this 12 years old and a 'Distiller's Edition' that is finished in an Amontillado sherry cask. There is also a limited release of a 20 years old. Independent bottlings are very rare.

The colour is rich and golden and the nose is aromatic. The two prominent notes are something floral (like heather) and a toasted nuttiness (like almonds). These are joined by some vanilla and a citrus note (imagine lemon zest). On the palate, this is light, smooth and creamy. The vanilla and zestiness is present and these marry well with some gorgeous honey, brown sugar and heather notes. The feeling is buttery in the mouth and is heavier than most lowland whiskies that I have tasted to date. They are generally lighter and fresher than this. The finish is slightly dry and short with just a hint of aniseed at the end. This is an enjoyable whisky and would be good as an aperitif or to introduce someone to a good whisky. It should cost between £25-30 from all independent shops and some larger supermarkets.

Have just tried ... Glenkinchie 20 years old

Glenkinchie can be found just 15 miles from Edinburgh and is one of only three distilleries currently in operation in the Lowlands region. Maybe it is this close proximity to Edinburgh and the resulting tourist trade that has allowed the distillery to survive, while so many others in the Lowlands have perished. It is owned by multi national drinks giant Diageo and is one of their 'Classic Malts'. Large amounts of Glenkinchie whisky also go into the blending of the world famous Johnnie Walker brand. This particular whisky is a limited release (only 5000 bottles) and is bottled at cask strength (58.4% ABV). It has been matured for the first 10 years in a bourbon cask and then for the next 10 years in a cask that has previously held a German brandy called Asbach.

The colour is deep gold and the intense nose is old, woody and slightly musty. The presence of the brandy is prominent with hints of fruit coming through (dried pears and apples). After five minutes or so, the nose opens up well to reveal more complexity of candied orange peel, caramel and something bitter like coffee beans. On the palate, it is full bodied, which is unusual for a Lowland whisky as they are normally very light and fresh. This one is creamy and sweet offering an obvious brandy influence mixed in with raisins, spices (cinnamon and nutmeg) and rich vanilla. There is a burn from the alcohol as the level is so high, so I would recommend adding water. Once I added a dash of water this becomes a very, very good whisky with the flavours and the level of alcohol becoming more balanced and it feels great in your mouth. The finish is reasonably long with just a hint of liquorice at the very end. This is a really good whisky that shows how a different cask, can influence and enhance the final product. The brandy influences are there but are not overpowering. The limited release, quality and age of this means that if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a bottle, then it will cost around £65.