Whisky Advocate Blog

I’ve written about the first and second releases here. Below you’ll find the info on the third release, taken from their press release.

DIAGEO LAUNCH THE NEXT BATCH OF THEIR SINGLE-CASK COLLECTION OF MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

Following the first batch launched in September, and a second collection released in January, Diageo are now launching the third batch of their single-cask collection of Single Malt Scotch Whiskies, The Managers’ Choice.

Among the seven expressions that feature in this third release are several single malts familiar to many malt whisky drinkers – Caol Ila™, Glenkinchie™, Glen Ord™ and Royal Lochnagar™.

But Dailuaine™, Inchgower™ and Mannochmore™ normally enjoy only very limited availability.

Each of the whiskies is drawn from one single oak cask, picked after a careful examination of distillery stocks, and bottled at its natural cask strength. The number of bottles obtained from the chosen casks can vary between approximately 640 and as little as 200.

So these are rare and distinctive whiskies. Aimed at collectors and connoisseurs, prices range from £200 to £300 per bottle.

The fourth and final release is scheduled for May.

Contact for further information: Patrick Roberts at cognis.pr@zen.co.uk

To get the full perspective, before you proceed, you really should read my blog post (and record-breaking 175 comments) on Round 1 here.

The press release below was supposedly embargoed until Monday.  But, since the cat’s already out of the bag, Diageo notified me today that I could post it up now. They did note, however, that the details on this second release probably won’t be up on their site until Monday.

Yesterday, I spoke with Nick Morgan, who oversees the limited edition and special releases. He told me that the bottles are already at the retailers in the UK and will get into circulation next week. The will eventually work their way into the rest of Europe within weeks. (Nothing for the U.S., sadly.) Nick also told me that Round 1 was successful and that most, if not all, of the bottles have been sold.

Just like Round 1, I’ll be getting samples of this batch. (It will take a while, with all the red tape.) I’ll let you know my thoughts after I taste them. Here are my tasting notes from Round 1.

So, what do you all think? Have you calmed down since the first release back in October? Has anyone tasted any of the whiskies from the first round?

Press Release:

Monday 11^th January 2010

Diageo launches the next batch of their first-ever single-cask collection of Single Malt Scotch Whiskies

Following the first batch launched in September, Diageo have announced that the second batch of their single-cask collection of Single Malt Scotch Whiskies has arrived.

The project encompasses all 27 of Diageo’s Single Malts  -  the first time that Scotland’s biggest estate of Single Malt distilleries has issued a comprehensive series of single-cask bottlings. Labelled The Managers’ Choice, each distillery is represented by a very restricted bottling of its Single Malt Whisky drawn from one single cask, selected after a careful examination of distillery stocks.

The rare limited-edition series is aimed at collectors and connoisseurs who will enjoy owning and exploring an unusual expression of their favourite Single Malt or even a whole anthology of highly individual Single Malts, chosen to represent a unique take on each of the 27 distilleries’ distinctive distillery character.

The releases are being staged in four batches over several months. September 2009 saw the first release of six malts: Cardhu™ (1997), Glen Elgin™ (1998), Linkwood™ (1996), Mortlach™ (1997), Oban™ (2000) and Teaninich™ (1996).

This second release comprises of:

Blair Athol™

Cragganmore™

Dalwhinnie™

Dufftown™

Glen Spey™

Strathmill™

Talisker™

For each Malt, the cask was nosed, tasted, discussed and finally chosen as a highly distinctive expression of that distillery’s Single Malts by a judging panel of acknowledged experts, including leading maturation experts and the distillery managers themselves.

In many cases, unusual cask woods will have had their influence on the final result. Perfect maturation and spirit quality have been the criteria, resulting in a bottling that delights with original and sometimes unexpected flavours whilst allowing the distillery character to still shine through.

Depending on the size of the cask and the rate of evaporation over the years since it was filled, the volume of bottles obtained can vary between approximately 600 and as little as 200.These are, consequently, extremely rare and distinctive whiskies.

Each cask is bottled at its natural cask strength.   This means that the liquid the connoisseur pours into his or her glass is exactly as it emerged directly from the cask when it was hand-picked a few months earlier by the experts – it’s as good as a dram drawn from the cask in the warehouse itself.

Classic Malts Selection spokesperson Nick Morgan said: “As we said last year when the first batch of The Managers’ Choice was launched, this is the most extensive collection we’ve ever released of single cask malt whisky bottlings, from all 27 of our operational malt distilleries. 

“Our announcement last September provoked a great deal of interest and comment. The release was a huge success, with a number of customers asking for more allocation. It met all our commercial expectations: in some territories, these bottlings turned out to be the fastest-selling limited-edition single malt whisky bottlings we have ever launched. We expect the second batch, which like before offers both celebrated and lesser-known single malt whiskies, will also be very well received.”

Full details, including tasting notes, will displayed on the Classic Malts Selection™ website www.malts.com. The updated website content includes the story of The Managers’ Choice and the selection process, a “Meet the Managers” page where they talk about The Managers Choice collection & questions related to the world of whisky, whisky tasting notes & audio, Q&A with a Sensory Expert, and details of where to buy the whiskies. Whisky enthusiasts registered as Friends of the Classic Malts™ have been given advance notice of the launch.

ENDS

NOTES

Release dates

Stocks of the new releases are now available in UK specialist retailers. Retailers in Northern European markets (Germany, Switzerland and the Netherland) will be receiving stock in the course of January.

Release details – second release

MALT	CASK FILLED	NO. OF BOTTLES	WOOD
Blair Athol™	November 1995	570	Bodega Sherry European Oak
	Butter scotch nose, with sweet, deep burnt flavours.
Cragganmore™	May 1997	246	Bodega Sherry European Oak
	An oaky fruity aroma with a warm dry finish,
Dalwhinnie™	February 1992	270	Refill American Oak
	Orange marmalade aromas with smooth bitter notes.
Dufftown™	May 1997	282	Rejuvenated American Oak
	Warm fruit cake aromas with a gentler smooth taste.
Glen Spey™	January 1996	276	New American Oak
	Toasted almonds with a warm finish.
Strathmill™	December 1996	300	New American Oak
	Fresh springtime aromas with caramel on the palette.
Talisker™	December 1994	582	Bodega Sherry European Oak
	Soft peat smoke, with lots of apple sweetness.

Pack shots are available – contact Pat Roberts on +44 (0)7774 424 410 or pat@cognispr.net

Prices

The UK RRP are as follows:

Website

See www.malts.com for full details of the release, including interviews with many of those involved in the selection process

Diageo’s distilleries

Diageo has 28 operational single malt whisky distilleries, but spirit distilled at Diageo’s new distillery at Roseisle is not available yet.

Craig Wallace

Full interview with Craig Wallace, and other details of the first The Managers’ Choice releases, can be downloaded from: ResponseSource: http://tinyurl.com/lawdxf

Distribution

The Managers’ Choice bottlings are available from specialist retailers in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands only.