Diageo Classic Malts

[jcskinner]

This year's Classic Malts releases are now out.
I don't know if any have made Ireland yet.

Here's the PR release:
" Special Releases for 2009

Special, unique, individual. These words are often bandied about when it comes to single malts. That’s why we’re careful to reserve our praise for the outstanding bottlings that really deserve it.

Each year we release a selection of limited edition, natural cask strength malts we call ‘Special Releases’. Perfect for whisky enthusiasts, collectors and very generous gifters, our Special Releases are exquisitely packaged, often individually numbered and extremely scarce.

Opportunities to buy such sought-after bottlings do not come along every day...

Each of our Special Releases is bottled at natural cask strength. This means absolutely nothing is added or taken away. It’s the closest you can get to drawing a dram from the chosen cask yourself, without actually being in the distillery warehouse at the perfect moment of maturation."

And here are the drams:
BENRINNES 23 YEAR OLD
BRORA 30 YEAR OLD
CAOL ILA UNPEATED 10 YEAR OLD
LAGAVULIN 12 YEAR OLD
MANNOCHMORE 18 YEAR OLD
PITTYVAICH 20 YEAR OLD
PORT ELLEN 30 YEAR OLD
TALISKER 25 YEAR OLD
TALISKER 30 YEAR OLD

None of them particularly cheap, it must be said. I'm not aware of any Irish retailers, so I can't suggest what they might sell for here.
Certainly the Port Ellen and the Taliskers look to be the pick of the bunch to me. And an unpeated Caol Isla is intriguing.
Anyone else got any thoughts?

[John]

Hi Jc,
I saw the 30yo Port Ellen retailing recently for about £230.00. Described as 'outstanding' etc, etc. and welcomed against a backdrop of 'recent mediocre releases' from PE. I reckon the marketing depts are trying to rewrite history as the same players did nothing but praise those previous same releases when they first entered the market! Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. . As a by-the-way, any idea of how much of this brand is left to be released?
The Brora 30yo is also worth having a look at, very nice dram, and dwindling stocks due to closure also make it one for the future.
Cheers,
J.

[jcskinner]

I'll make a point of asking the Diageo people present at our tasting tonight what price these bottles will retail for in Ireland and where they might be available.
I don't get the impression that stocks of Port Ellen are running dry quite yet, but perhaps I'm wrong there. I'll ask that too.

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

As JC says it is believed that there are still large amounts of Port Ellen stock piled by Diageo. It is just the fact that they releasae it in limited editions and are pricing it accordingly. Brora on the other hand is getting quite scarce now and will run out sooner than later.

Port Ellen was originally pretty much made for blend fodder so it was never bottled as a 20 odd year old. But when some of the independ bottlers got PE up to age and started bottlinging casks of PE it was a relevation to the enthusiasts and became an over night cult whisky. Luckily it took Diageo a few years to cotton on to the fact and we were treated to some cheap classics but unfortunately no more ... I'm lucky to still have a bottle

[Michael Foggarty]

On a scale of 1 to 10 of these reaching Ireland it would be around the 1 mark, After all if we cant get regular supplies of Lagavulin, Talisker and the like what hope have we got in getting the premium stuff?

[jcskinner]

I think I might touch base with our friends in Diageo and establish whether they are prepared to send some of the good stuff in this direction.

[varizoltan]

that would be great JC

[IrishWhiskeyChaser]

Don't think it's up to Diageo but up to whether or not there is a market for it ...and some how I don't think so.

[jcskinner]

There's only a cask's worth of bottles of each dram, and likely they're all pre-allocated to retailers.
I don't know if the usual minimum case purchase (6 bottles) would apply to these. I guess it would be up to a local retailer to inquire from Diageo about bringing some in.

[Whiskey Pilgrim]

Kaixo Chico´s,
Since the Diageo take over of Bushmills,i think their should be at least one expression from the worlds oldest distillery..Bushmills !!!!


Agur....................