Objects of Desire: The Diageo Special Releases 2014 Single Malt Scotch Whiskies

There are many things in life that I’d like to have, but simply can’t afford. I think that must be true for all of us. But in my list of ‘objects of desire’, most are items that I already own. For example, I have a watch. I’d like a nicer one. I own a car, but would bite your hand off to trade in a seven year old Volvo estate for a Bentley Continental. Quite frankly, I can still tell the time as accurately as the next man, and I get stuck in the same traffic jams as the chap in the posh car next to me.

None of this quenches the thirst for ‘want’, however. And once again the carrot of desire is being dangled in front of the Scotch drinker with the annual release of Diageo’s ‘Special Releases’.

This year, eleven different single malts have been chosen from the rare stocks of casks across Diageo’s warehouses, some from closed distilleries, others from ones very much alive and kicking. So let’s have a look at the list of releases and, as we attended a pre-release tasting of all eleven single malts on offer last week, have a look at which of these are 9 carat gold and which are simply just 9 carrots...

DISTILLERY	AGE AT BOTTLING	YEAR DISTILLED	UK RRP	% ABV ON BOTTLING	VOLUME RELEASED (BOTTLES)
THE SINGLETON OF GLENDULLAN	38	1975	£750	59.8%	3,756
CAOL ILA UNPEATED	15	1998	£75	60.39%	10,668
CAOL ILA	30	1983	£425	55.1%	7,638
CLYNELISH	SELECT RESERVE	1999* (apparently youngest whisky in vatting)	£500	54.9%	2,964
CRAGGANMORE	25	1988	£299	51.4%	3,372
LAGAVULIN	12	2002	£80	54.4%	31,428
PORT ELLEN	35	1978	£2,200	56.5%	2,964
ROSEBANK	21	1992	£300	55.3%	4,530
BENRINNES	21	1992	£240	56.9%	2,892
BRORA	35	1978	£1,200	48.6%	2,964
STRATHMILL	25	1988	£275	52.4%	2,700

Quite a line up, when you sit back and look at exactly what has been chosen to go into glass this year. Turning up at the tasting was a mind-boggling affair, faced with 11 cask strength single malts is always a challenge, no matter how used to flights of that nature you are. But kicking off with a quick nose of the range, there were certainly some stars emerging from the pack.

The first one to call out, is the Cragganmore. At 25 years old, this carried an unusually buttery and sweet nose, with red apple, orchard fruits and popcorn. The palate was sweet with a big marmalade hit and the vanilla (from the new ends attached to the casks, perhaps?) gave it a vibrant finish for such an old whisky.

For those of you that love a heavy malt, the Benrinnes 21 year old was all Bovril and steak pies (not far off the one I had the night before) and delivering venison in a chocolate sauce on the palate. Very odd. Not for me, but I can see fans of this heavier style of whisky really going bonkers for it.

Of the rarest selection of closed distilleries, there was a return to Rosebank, with another 21 year old release, a step back in age from the 25 year old of a few years ago. This gave everything you want from a triple distilled Lowlander, matured in refill American oak casks: a palate of upside cake, vanilla marshmallow and candied orange peel showed well on the night, punching hard for such a light spirit.

There was the traditional Brora... a distillery over which an extreme fuss is always made, but personally, I just don’t know why. Like Morrissey and The Smith for me: I can see why people love ‘em, but I just don’t get it (oh, don’t let Morrissey anywhere near that Benrinnes by the way- too much beef in it for even him!) Yes, Brora is closed and yes, there have been some amazing releases from certain years in the 1970s, but overall, I’ve always felt my money (for my taste) could be better spent. This year’s Brora release will no doubt delight those Broraphiles, and I marked it down as one of my top drams of the night, but my two headline acts for the evening were...

...the latest Port Ellen release (of course) and the fantastic Caol Ila 30 Year Old. Let’s start with the PE. Oh, my it is good. We are finally seeing some increased use of European oak casks here, giving a wider flavour range than we have seen in the past. This is moving away from the peated grapefruit we know and love so well, to actually nodding in the direction of its ‘still alive sister’ Lagavulin, up the road. The nose was bacon bits, the palate giving almost light rum tones and mossy peat. Fantasy stuff, really.

But cracking on from the north of the same island is an amazing offering from Caol Ila. A 30 year old matured in refill American oak casks, the stock from 1983 is incredibly light with peat, toffee and peaches. One of the best for taking water, as well opening up to reveal that wonderful Caol Ila coal dust and bigger toffee notes. Simply wonderful.

The big question as always is over price and this year the big hitting single malts come with big hitting price tags (over £2k for the Port Ellen, for example) but they do have some for under £100, and you can pick up both the Caol Ila unpeated and the Lagavulin 12 for a combined cost of less than a flight to Scotland in the week of the referendum. I vote yes for staying at home with bottle of each.

As much as these are shiny desirable jewels,  with some absolute corkers in there, I just can’t afford the two I really loved. Never mind, my watch still works and it tells me it’s time for a whisky: someone pass the Johnnie Walker Black label. Bloody good stuff, you know. And less than £30 a bottle. What’s not to like about that?

Northern Lights: Highland Park Freya 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

When I'm king, there will be certain things that I shall outlaw. Of the ever growing list, here are just four:

Separate hot and cold taps.

I can understand the idea of a tap solely for the use of cold water, but whoever wants tap to produce simply scalding water? Not me. Neither do I want to keep adjusting two taps when filling a bath or a basin with water. Nope, I want a mixer tap.

I remember reading once that the wonderfully talented artist Jack White was asked why he didn't choose to live in the UK, after marrying his English wife. His response: "why would I want to live in a country with separate hot and cold taps?".

Yup, good point.

The pretence of two single beds pushed together in a hotel, being sold as a 'double bed'.

No it isn't. It is two single beds pushed together, where you always end up sleeping on the uncomfortable ridge that develops between the two. #MiddleClassWoe

Middle Class Dreadlocks.

If I raise kids and they've got dreadlocks, I will consider myself a failed parent.

Centre Lights.

Hideous things, the centre light is the thug of the lighting world, illuminating a room in an overly aggressive way, creating a harsh and unforgiving atmosphere and using brightness to swear directly into your eyeballs. Not even the humble dimmer switch can save it.

Urgh. Give me 3 well-placed lamps over one bright centre light any day.

Mother Nature's interior design has the sun as her centre light. Being a Scando, I tend to melt in the searing midday heat and much prefer the mood lighting which she throws,  courtesy of the aurora borealis or the 'Northern Lights' as they are more commonly known.

Cast into the night sky as a result of “the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere” (thanks Wiki!), in the days of the Vikings the phenomenon was attributed, as most things were, to one of their gods. Or more accurately, goddesses, Freya.

Whisky is no stranger to flirting with one of Mother Nature’s most beautiful accidents (see The Dalmore ‘Aurora’) and here we find Highland Park linking their new limited edition bottling from their Valhalla series with the ethereal beauty of Freya.

Pioneering in their development of liquid to match personalities, this Highland Park series started with the muscle-man Thor (a big flavour of a whisky), moved on to shape-shifter and trickster Loki (a crazy beast different on the nose, palate and finish) before embracing the female side of Norse folklore, with Freya a whisky matured, unusally for HP, in first fill ex-bourbon American Oak casks.

Highland Park – Freya – 15 Years Old – Limited to 19,000 - 51.2% abv - £140.00 RRP

Nose: A delicate smoke lifts up lemon meringue pie, heather honey, a big whack of vanilla and some candy floss. On the back of the nose, custard cream biscuits and a touch of menthol.

Palate: A delicate smoke creates a bed of flavour that gives more of the lemon meringue pie, some critical, a hint of chamois leather and... a big hit of fresh pine and vanilla. With water, the vanilla develops more body and flavour, giving a sweeter palate all round.

Finish: The peat comes through big time on the finish. One of the more peated Highland Park I’ve ever had. If I was given this blind, I’d have begged it much more as an Islay than an Orkney. Maybe a young Caol Ila. With water, plenty more vanilla and some lemon drizzle cake along with water melon at the death.

Overall: Freya does indeed deliver all that she reflects in her recorded character: it is a light whisky which comes across as young for its age (I would have Freya down as having a little more guile, a little more wisdom, underpinning her beauty) but with a wisp of smoke to remind us that this isn't a Lowland whisky, but from an island. Big on the peat, this is more Islay than Orkney, but that’s a nice turn for Highland Park and shows they can play in a more peaty arena.

Certainly drinkable, Freya wouldn't be our first name on the team sheet when it comes to recent Highland Park Valhalla releases (Thor still stands out as the exceptional one), but it certainly won't disappoint those looking for a lighter HP with a bigger focus on smoke, a counterbalance to the richness of the 18yo+ releases and the higher end GTR releases.