LIMITED EDITION SCOTCH WHISKIES FROM ANNUS HORRIBILLIS

 INTERESTING SCOTCH WHISKIES FROM 2020

Limited-edition Scotch Whiskies are the crème de la crème of the spirits world and many of the best distilleries have been unveiling treasured expressions in the early days of Fall 2020. No other spirits category inspires such high prices and resale value as Scotch, though Cognac comes close.

These limited-edition Scotch Whiskies range in price from around $65 to the tens of thousands. Many are later resold at auctions for even higher prices. When people talk about investing in expensive Whisky, these are the types of bottles they are talking about.

If you’re a Whisky fan with some extra dough lying around for the holidays who just wants to sip some of the finest Scotch around, however, these bottles are great for that too, actually they are some of the best. After all, Whisky is made for drinking.

While there are certainly many reasons to want to enjoy expensive Whisky, including the incredible weight of existential dread and possibly looming apocalypse that have come to define 2020, there can be no better way to get through a pandemic and the real possibility of being stuck inside our own residences for the next several months than with one of the limited-edition Scotch Whiskies by our side.

Highland Park Cask Strength Release No.1

Highland Park Distillery launched its Cask Strength Release No.1 Whisky in Oct 2020. The new expression is set to be part of a new annual Cask Strength series that will be part of the Orkney-based brand’s core single malt Scotch range and will be available across the globe from launch.

Created to celebrate Whisky in its purest form, the Highland Park Cask Strength series will feature different flavor profiles and casks of different ages, though it also looks like the releases will not feature age statements. As the name implies, the new cask strength editions will be bottled straight from the barrel with no cutting of the proof.

To create Highland Park Cask Strength Release No. 1, whisky maker Gordon Motion married together casks that were predominantly Sherry seasoned American oak of varying ages. He focussed on creating a balance of flavour that was indicative of the distillery’s style.

A cask strength whisky is very much made the traditional way but it doesn’t have to be enjoyed so. Its full flavour allows you the control to discover the taste and strength that appeals to your palate by adding ice or water according to your preference. This way, everyone who loves Highland Park gets the chance to experience this single malt whisky in its purest form by bottling ‘straight from the cask’ but allowing you to choose the strength you want to drink this special single malt.

On the nose, the Whisky features aromas of heather honey and freshly grated nutmeg. The palate delivers molten toffee-logfire and sun-ripened citrus fruit. The finish lingers with peat smoke.

Highland Park Cask Strength Release No.1 will be bottled at 63.3% ABV and priced around $90 per 750 ml bottle. It can be purchased via a variety of specialty shops as well as Highland Park’s official web store.

Bruichladdich Launches New Octomore 11 Heavily Peated Scotch Whiskies Range

Bruichladdich has unveiled the Octomore 11 series. The new range of heavily peated Scotch Whiskies from the Islay distillery includes three expressions. Octomore 11.1 is a single malt that matured for five years in first-fill ex-American Whiskey casks from Jim Beam, Heaven Hill, and Jack Daniel’s. Bottled at 59.4% ABV, Octomore 11.1 was malted to 139.6 PPM (phenol parts per million).

Octomore 11.2 was also malted to 139.6 PPM. It matured in two separate casks: One quarter of the Whisky was aged in Pauillac ex-wine casks, while the remaining three quarters were aged in ex-American whiskey casks before being transferred into St Julien wine casks for 18 months. In total, the whisky was aged for five years on Islay before being bottled at 58.6% ABV. Unlike the other Octomores in the range, Octomore 11.2 will be available online via the Bruichladdich official website and in global travel retail.

Octomore 11.3 also matured for five years in first-fill American whiskey casks from Jim Beam, Heaven Hill, Buffalo Trace, and Jack Daniel’s. Malted to 194 PPM, the Whisky was bottled at 61.7% ABV.

If that wasn’t enough, Bruichladdich has bottled a 2020 edition of Octomore 10 Years Old to go along with the Octomore 11 series. To make the 10-year-old Whisky, the distillery combined 77 different casks. The Whiskies matured in a mix of virgin oak, and first- and second-fill ex-American Whiskey casks from Jim Beam, Heaven Hill, Buffalo Trace and Jack Daniel’s. Octomore 10 Years Old (2020 Edition) was bottled at 54.3% ABV.

The Octomore 11 range and Octomore 10 Years Old (2020 Edition) have been available for purchase on October 1 via Bruichladdich official website as well as a variety of specialty retailers. Pricing for the various bottles has not been announced at this time.

Royal Lochnagar’s 175th Anniversary Sees Launch Of 17 YO Whisky

Royal Lochnagar is marking its 175th anniversary by releasing a limited edition 17 YO single malt Scotch Whisky. The Diageo-owned distillery was founded back in 1845, a mile from the royal family’s Balmoral Castle. Bottled at 56.3% ABV, only 3,000 bottles of the Royal Lochnagar 175th anniversary Whisky have been created, and are priced at £250 ($325 USD) per 700ml bottle. It is set to be available from select specialist retailers and the Royal Lochnagar Distillery.

Aged in Pedro Ximénez and oloroso Sherry-seasoned casks, Royal Lochnagar 175th Anniversary Whisky features aromas of mango, melon, hints of wood, bracken and brambles. On the palate, flavours of chocolate and light coffee blend seamlessly with sweetness and juicy acidity. The finish is said to be long and dry, with a hint of sandalwood. This rare release portrays true Royal Lochnagar character and celebrates its history as a tiny treat for the whisky connoisseur.

Royal Lochnagar was originally called New Lochnagar, but was renamed after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert took the first distillery tour in 1848 and issued a Royal Warrant, permitting the use of ‘Royal’ in its name. The distillery uses a combination of slow and long fermentation, slow distillation and worm tubs. It has a production capacity of 450,000 liters, making it one of the smallest distilleries out of Diageo, and uses as its water source the “crystal clear water” of Scarnock Springs.

Owing to the diminutive size of the distillery’s production it is rare to see a release that is not the classic 12 year old. On the sporadic occasions that they do appear they are invariably tiny runs like this 3,000 bottle lot. They can be highly collectable. Almost half of the bottles will be available at the distillery itself, meaning that the remaining bottles will be particularly hard to find in international markets.

The GlenDronach Kingsman Edition 1989 Vintage

This is the second GlenDronach collaboration with The Kingsman movie franchise, the first being in 2017. This new release is a 29-year-old whisky aged for the majority of time in just six Oloroso sherry casks, with a final maturation period in Pedro Ximinez casks. Just 3,052 bottles are available, each with a Kingsman insignia and housed in a gift box signed by master blender Dr. Rachel Barrie and The King’s Man director Matthew Vaughn (film release in 2021). It’s a lovely and full-flavoured whisky, with notes of dark fig, candied cherry and blackberry throughout, along with a bit of spice and tobacco. It’s bottled at 45.2% ABV with no colour added.

The GlenDronach is revered for the dedication to exquisite sherry cask matured Single Malt since 1826. Their values have remained constant; impossible perfection built on unshakeable tradition. This twenty-nine-year-old Single Malt is a masterful expression of exceptional complexity and depth, truly befitting a Kingsman.

This exceptional 1989 Vintage is inspired by the oldest bottle housed at The GlenDronach Distillery – a twenty-nine year-old whisky bottled in 1913, just before the outbreak of the first World War. Three friends had each purchased a bottle before leaving for war, vowing to open them together on their return. Tragically, only one of them returned home. Having never opened his bottle, his family later gifted it to the distillery, where it remains unopened and displayed in remembrance of fallen friends.

TASTING NOTES

Expression: Dense autumn fruits melt with date, fig and treacle, rolling into black winter truffle, raisin and cocoa. Blackberry, tobacco leaf and date oil linger into the rich, deep finish

Appearance: Tarnished copper

Nose: Dark field berry and plum skin on a base of aromatic bitters, sherry-soaked walnut and vintage leather, with smouldering cedar wood on a slate and earthen floor.

Overall: While The GlenDronach Kingsman Edition 1989 Vintage is good, it's not necessarily great either. The almost sherry or balsamic vinegar note on the nose is not so overpowering that it ruins the experience. It does drink a bit hot with the spice on the flavour profile. The main factor hurting a memorable experience is the bitter black tea and resin notes on the finish. Adding a drop of water upped the all-spice and black peppercorn but gave it a waxy mouthfeel. Its far too expensive to buy.

The Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 7

Balvenie distillery shares the same (massive) site with Glenfiddich and Kininvie but makes its whisky in a very different manner to its two sisters. Its floor maltings have been retained and although this only makes up a small percentage (up to 15%) of the total mash, it is believed that it helps contribute character to the new make – the small amount of peat which is burned might help. Given that Balvenie has only opened to visitors in recent times, it certainly wasn’t kept for cosmetic or touristic reasons.

It’s a large distillery with nine, fat, short-necked stills producing a new make character which is notably sweet and honeyed – completely different to both Glenfiddich and Kininvie. Interestingly, when William Grant built its Ailsa Bay malt distillery in Girvan, the still shape replicated that of Balvenie, but the new make is different again.

This was one of the first distilleries to introduce a ‘finished’ single malt with the launch in 1993 of Double Wood, which was first aged in ex-Bourbon casks before being given a short period of secondary maturation (aka finishing) in ex-Sherry.

This utilisation of different wood types runs through the Balvenie range with a new 17-year-old Double Wood recently joining Caribbean Cask (ex-rum) 14 year old, and the 21-year-old Port Wood as part of the core range. As well as single barrel releases and older age variants up to 50 years in the range, a cult small batch, Tun 1401, has also recently appeared, followed by Tun 1509.

This release is the latest in The Balvenie’s Tun 1509 series. This odd name refers to the tun, or large oak vat, that the whisky is put into to allow it to marry and rest before bottling. Malt master David C. Stewart has been at the distillery for nearly 60 years, so he knows all about the inventory.

To produce Batch 7 of Tun 1509, Stewart continued his exploration of the    Speyside distillery’s aged and precious stocks to find 21 unique casks to marry in the Tun, which is maintained by the distillery’s team of on-site coopers and sits proudly in Warehouse 24. The liquid was left to marry for three months before being bottled at the distillery. This rare technique creates the perfect environment for the different casks to ‘knit’ together, allowing each of their composite qualities to mix and create a unique single malt Scotch whisky which is more than the sum of its constituent parts.

Launching across the United States this month, The Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 7 is comprised of liquid from Sherry Hogshead, Ex Bourbon American Oak Barrels and DoubleWood Refill Sherry Butts, which were used once to finish DoubleWood before being filled with New Make and aged.

Plans call for this whisky to be hitting stores now, bottled at 52.4% ABV, without chill filtration and priced around $410 per 750 ml bottle. You’ll find official tasting notes below. Also, it should be noted this offering, as is customary with other Tun releases, comes “with a breakdown chart showing in-depth detail on the whisky, with visual representations of the flavor profile of each of the 21 casks and the overall character of the resulting single malt.”

Nose: Rich and deep, lots of exotic and elegant oak notes, followed by sweeter aromas of dried fruits raisins and dates, then a spicy outburst of ground ginger and some melted brown sugar.

Taste: Rich and lush and slightly peppery with candied orange peel, lots of oak vanilla, some golden syrup, layers of honeycomb, toasted hazelnuts withsome spicy ginger and nutmeg to finish.

Finish: Sweet and malty with oak vanilla and spice.

Orphan Barrel Distilling Co. Debuts Muckety-Muck 24 YO Single Grain Scotch Whisky From Ghost Distillery Port Dundas

Orphan Barrel Whisky Co. has introduced Muckety-Muck 24 Year Old Single Grain Scotch Whisky from the Port Dundas Distillery. Muckety-Muck is the latest addition to the Diageo-owned brand’s hand-bottled collection of nearly forgotten Whiskies and the first Single Grain Scotch Whisky to be featured.

While the storied Port Dundas distillery closed its doors a decade ago, the distillery was once a prominent local landmark overlooking the city of Glasgow. Established in 1810, Port Dundas quickly became one of Scotland’s most respected distilleries with its sweet and smooth Single Grain Scotch Whisky.

Port Dundas was also home to a piggery during the distillery’s most successful years. Legend has it that hundreds of pigs fed on distillery draff, and the prized pig Muckety-Muck won over passersby with his decorated wall of medals in the breeding shed. Muckety-Muck 24 Year Old Single Grain Scotch Whisky from the Port Dundas Distillery is a tribute to this whimsical pig and Port Dundas’ prosperous period as Scotland’s largest distillery.

Six variations of the bottle label are available, each featuring Muckety-Muck boasting a Scottish tartan sash in either red, green, blue, gray, yellow or orange. This limited edition Whisky and caricature are a tribute to traditional Scottish culture and Port Dundas’ spirit animal: the pig.

Muckety-Muck 24 Year Old offers crisp fruit and light toasted oak flavors with a butterscotch vanilla finish. Following the release of Orphan Barrel Forager’s Keep Single Malt Scotch Whisky last year, Muckety-Muck is the second Scotch Whisky and latest iteration from Orphan Barrel Whisky Co. The limited edition bottle is available in limited quantities at select spirits retailers nationwide, including Drizly, for the price of $225 per 750ml bottle.

Set beside the Forth and Clyde Canal on a hill overlooking the vibrant city of Glasgow, Port Dundas is known for its core expressions: Port Dundas 12 Year Old and Port Dundas 18 Year Old, which are still available.

Glasgow 1770 Triple Distilled Release No.1

Edinburgh has never stood out in whisky terms. Finally, things changed with the arrival of Holyrood and there is also the Leith distillery to look forward to. The decay of the once mighty industries such as shipbuilding, has created various rejuvenation initiatives, meaning it now plays host to Clydeside and in theory Clutha: the Douglas Laing £10.7 million venture that seems stuck in red tape. But before all of this, came the Glasgow Distillery Company, or the Glasgow 1770 distillery to be exact, in 2014.

With the arrival of this triple distillation edition, the trio of core whiskies is now complete, also featuring the single malt and peated expressions. Meaning more experimental and single cask expressions can be pursued. For now, we have this release and we’ve talked about triple distillation in detail, which moves the need to repeat ourselves. A No Age Statement release, this is bottled at 46% strength, features virgin wood and will retail for £49, or in 70cl terms circa £68.

Colour: honey.        

On the nose: plenty of robust vanilla, some butterscotch and fresh pinewood. Popcorn, dried reeds, new plastic and a bourbon-like feel with the wood influence. Oily, white chocolate and honeycomb. Adding water, brings a lightness, shaking off the vanilla and wood thrust and unlocking oats and a hint of orange.

In the mouth: creamy, inoffensive and an oozing texture. Plenty of vanilla. Caramel, fennel, a hint of ginger and almonds. White pepper, apples and a metallic note. The addition of water lessens the texture and overall experience. More buttery oiliness, but it feels like a step backwards.

The use of triple distillation and virgin oak all is well-judged and arguably this is a single malt that could appease both bourbon and Irish whiskey drinkers.