Don't say I never do anything for you, internet.
So every year Diageo puts out a fancy collection of higher strength bottlings from their Scotch malt distillery portfolio, and as of late the artwork and finishes have been getting fancier, the ages have been dropping, and the prices have been getting ever more extortionate. The online reactions to 2023's edition have therefore been pretty scathing, and I totally get that: with a median age statement of about 11 years old and a charge of $160 for the cheapest bottle here, it reeks "premiumization" at the expense of quality.
And we could just leave it there and move on. The problem, of course, is that the FOMO remains: but what if they're good??? And that, perhaps, because very few on RU-vid at least (and even elsewhere) seem willing to actually sit down with these damn things and give them an honest, objective evaluation, i.e. to show that they're not worth it (or the converse!) rather than just speculating.
So today let's actually do it, actually sit down and taste the Diageo "Spirited Xchange" Special Release lineup of 2023. All of them. At once. No notes, no edits, just a long-ass power session with eight glasses, and may the wreckage fall where it may:
- Roseisle "The Origami Kite" 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Diageo Special Releases 2023, first fill ex-bourbon and refill casks; 56.5% ABV) 85/100
- Clynelish "The Jazz Crescendo" 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Diageo Special Releases 2023, ex-bourbon American oak; 57.5% ABV) 88/100
- Glenkinchie The Floral Treasure 27 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Diageo Special Releases 2023, refill American/European oak barrels and butts; 58.3% ABV) 89+/100
- Singleton of Glendullan "The Silken Gown" 14 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Diageo Special Releases 2023, finished in Chardonnay de Bourgogne French oak; 55% ABV) 80+/100
- Mortlach "The Katana's Edge" Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Diageo Special Releases 2023, NAS, finished in ex-Kanosuke Japanese whisky and ex-Pinot Noir casks; 58% ABV) 84+/100
- Oban "The Soul of Calypso" 11 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Diageo Special Releases 2023, finished in Caribbean pot still rum casks; 58% ABV) 78/100
- Talisker "The Wild Explorer" Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Diageo Special Releases 2023, NAS, finished in White, Tawny and Ruby Port; 59.7% ABV) 87/100
- Lagavulin "The Ink of Legends" 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Diageo Special Releases 2023, finished in Don Julio Añejo Tequila; 56.4% ABV) 87+/100
This is the longest, most grueling, most expensive video I've ever done on this channel. Make no mistake, I needed a long nap afterwards. But I did learn a few things.
To no one's surprise, 1) the non-finished malts are just better on the whole and 2) the peaters manag to shine through their months-long dips in gimmicky barrels. The 27yo Glenkinchie is very much a conventional "old whisky" - dusty chocolate orange all the way - but it's a damn good one and, needless to say, the best Glenkinchie I've ever tried. The Clynelish is a big bright tropical fruit basket, devoid of wax but otherwise pretty perfect. The Roseisle - this distillery's first bottling - is a textbook vanilla-and-fruit Speysider that leans on the spicier side, to its advantage. Meanwhile the Lagavulin, while a bit simple and candy-like by that distillery's standards, is happily unruined by a mostly unobtrusive tequila finish, and the Talisker (barring a weird red-wine-vomit kind of note) is totally fine as far as young Taliskers go.
All of that was kind of as I expected. Beyond that, the Mortlach - contra my fears - is decent enough, if completely anonymous. But the Glendullan finished in chardonnay? Contrary to my hopes, not good: maybe a longer maturation would have resolved some of the dischord, but as bottled it feels unbalanced and borderline unpleasant. But that's still better than the Oban finished in pot still rum, which is just unpleasant full stop. Both have decent enough form - there's some good whisky in there somewhere - but the off notes cannot be ignored.
So there you go, all eight of the Diageo Special releases in under two hours. It's a mixed bag. That Clynelish could be mighty tempting if I could get it at an aggressive sale price, and it might be fun to own the first official Roseisle, and while the Glenkinchie is probably always going to be over-budget for me, it does make me curious about other Glenkinchies. Everything else? You can get better Lagavulins, Taliskers, and Mortlachs elsewhere for less money, and the less said about the other two the better.
Extra special thanks to my Different Spirits on Patreon ( / differentspirits ) -
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16 сен 2024
