The Times The Are a-Changin'...Tasting Four New Mortlach Expressions

As we roll comfortably into spring, it seems that the major players in the world of whisky are moving forward with their big ticket items, as the yearly release schedule gets firmly under way. Only two weeks ago, Suntory unveiled their mighty new No Age Statement Distiller's Reserve Yamazaki and Hakushu expressions. Now, hot on their heels, comes arguably the most widely anticipated release so far: the reemergence of Mortlach.  

So far, the news of four new Mortlach bottlings has not gone down well with one particular camp.  

The withdrawal of the Flora & Fauna 16 year old (which, according to Diageo, was sitting at around 800 cases per year, so a tiny outturn indeed) ruffled a few feathers with a small-but-vocal core of whisky enthusiasts and fanatics. The announcement of two No Age Statement releases (Rare Old, a name which has been particularly prickly for many and a Special Strength version (the same liquid but bottled at 49%) alongside a brace of older, super premium expressions (18 and 25 year old) did little to help stem the negativity about the releases, which are scheduled for June/July this year.  

But far from throw our miniatures out the pram and take to Twitter like it was a modern day pitch fork, we looked at the plan objectively. Mortlach is currently undergoing something of a major transformation from an under-appreciated distillery many whisky drinkers simply know nothing about - to a major player in the luxury market, which spans global proportions. Capacity is being doubled from an existing 3.8 million litres, with six new stills being installed - complete with worm tub condensers: probably the first time since the 1980's that any distillery of note (save for smaller, more craft orientated operations) has gone down this route.   

There are clear similarities with a certain distillery beginning with M and ending in acallan. Limited stock and a rising demand for a particular flavour profile internationally has meant that a rethink was necessary in terms of the type of bottling available and its pricing structure. Macallan's huge success in Asia has meant that certain expressions have been withdrawn and the stock structure has taken on an altogether more personality (and colour) led focus, without age statement.

   

The new look Mortlach, when it is finished.

Mortlach has the opportunity to do the same and become a serious rival in the same circles as The Macallan. It has a bold, European oak dominated character and given proper investment and careful stock selection, Diageo can promote the brand into the luxury league.  

But this can only happen if the new liquid is any good. Despite the best efforts of anyone, there will always be those who fervently criticise the decision to withdraw the 16 year old, resenting the progress of the brand into the major-league. 

To use an analogy from the world of music, it's a little like when Dylan went 'electric' back in 1965.  'Judas!' cried one hessian-clad misery guts. 'He's sold out,' cried another be-sandaled folkie, the full horror etched for all to see on his patchily bearded face, as Dylan tore through 'Like a Rolling Stone', backed with a new set of amped up, electrified musicians.  

The reason for their protestation? Arguably because they had lost control of something they thought they had all to themselves. 

Dylan's canon of music is of course a milestone in the Great American Songbook and his solo performances will always stand the test of time. But without his reinvention, his popularity would have swiftly reached a plateau. Probably fine for his many folk followers, but for a man of clear ambition, success needs progress - and progress requires decisions -  many of them hard to swallow for those who felt They Woz There from the beginning.  

Of course, Mortlach is a distillery, effectively owned by shareholders; a commercial distilling enterprise, not a visionary (if slightly frazzled) American singer songwriter. So the changes Diageo are implementing for the brand make a great deal of sense from a business point of view. By creating a range of whiskies, each with an escalating price point and age, alongside a bottle design with a greater degree of craftsmanship (they are quite stunning close up)- the halo effect comes into play, rather the same as it does in the Johnnie Walker range.  

But for the principle to work and for the halo to become fully (and angelically) illuminated, the liquid needs to be a fine piece of work at every price point, especially given that the releases are bottled into 50cl sized vessels (75cl for the US)    

So is it?

Well, today, we got the chance to find out, thanks to a presentation from one of its main creators, Dr Matthew Crow and Mortlach's newly appointed ambassador, Georgie Bell. After trying the new make spirit (which was about as bold and malty as any we have come across) it was time to visit the range for the very first time.  

Time to turn up the volume and hit play on Blonde On Blonde? 

Or simply skulk off to an inoffensive, grumpy solo acoustic version of The Times They Are a-Changin? 

Mortlach - Rare Old - No Age Statement - 43.4% - 50cl - RRP £55

Nose: A big hit of bold copper aroma, woody spice, rich caramel sauce, Creme Brûlée and a little charred meat.  It perhaps doesn't have the full on 'meatiness' that the Mortlach of old has become renowned for, but anyone approaching this from afresh, will find a plenty of meat on the bone -  the spices are very well integrated, alongside a sweeter vanilla note too.  

Palate: The charred meat continues, with swathes of robust caramel sauce, tobacco, dark chocolate and a touch of orchard fruit. With a little water, the orchard fruit comes to the front and the creamy vanillas start to take hold. A dram of two halves, that's for sure.

Finish: An oaky dryness, with a lingering and very mature spice note. 

Overall: It's Mortlach.... That's right folks, it's Mortlach. Nothing really taken away and nothing unnecessary added either. Solid, warming and very robust, just like it should be. The cask choice here is very complimentary and the refill hoggies balance nicely with a little re-charred spice, alongside a drop of European oak richness. A great start.  

Next up -  The Special Strength version, released specifically for Global Travel Retail outlets. This is effectively the same formulation as the Rare Old, but weighs in at 49%.  Will the slightly higher ABV make much of a difference?

Mortlach  -  Special Strength Edition -  No Age Statement -  49% - 50cl - RRP £75

Nose: Wow, a real surprise. Fresh blueberries, toasted vanilla, burnt caramel, milky coffee and a much more intense copper coin note. Vintage aromas at work?  In fact, open a bottle of 'Old' whisky, i.e. one bottled a long time ago and this shares a number of similarities. Given time, a sticky gingerbread pudding note develops alongside the more familiar charred wood/meat aroma.

Palate: The extra strength gives this a much more defined and direct mouthfeel, with scorched orange zest, blueberries, a very fatty nuttiness and a hint of menthol. Water brings through a light blackberry note, alongside a slate/flinty note.   

Finish: Dry tobacco and dark chocolate. 

Overall: The sceptic in me would look at this release as a bit of a cash cow, but in total fairness, this is a very different whisky to the Rare Old, despite sharing its DNA. The extra strength gives it a fundamentally different personality altogether and one which I very much enjoyed. A whisky that will keep delivering in many different ways, whenever you go back to it.  

Next up, the 18 year old, which Matthew informs us has a greater proportion of first-fill European oak, balanced with refill barrels and butts. Clearly, the 16 year old will be a reference point, but by how much?

Mortlach - 18 Year Old - 43.4% - 50cl - RRP £180

Nose: You're straight into a very robust mix of wet mossy leaves, gingerbread, spiced dried fruits, some earthy tobacco, dark chocolate and orange zest. Given time, a more fragrant rose note begins to develop (rather like Turkish Delight) and a lighter coffee aroma. Superb. 

Palate: The bold-as-brass approach continues to the palate, but with some very well balanced complexity in tow: more of the dried fruits, a return of the charred meat, malty dark chocolate, Cognac steeped oranges and then sweet vanilla. Water brings a welcome return of the orchard fruit and then a more milky/creamy coffee note. 

Finish: Dry, with more dark chocolate and oaky spice. 

Overall: A different liquid to the 16 year old, with greater subtlety and integration of the bold flavours you would hope for. This is sensational stuff, make no mistake. 

To finish - the 25 year old. Priced against the Macallan expression of the same age (around £600) this is clearly aimed squarely at the same type of high end drinker. A significant price uplift on where the 18 year old fits, so one would expect this to really deliver. The profile is taken solely from refill American oak casks too... Curious...

Mortlach - 25 Year Old - 43.4% - 50cl - RRP £600

Nose: Hard to put an age on this, but if we were pinned to the wall, we would say it has aromas associated with far older whiskies: highly polished leather, mahogany tables, toasted chestnuts, then into a heady mix of sandalwood, cedar and scented wax. Give this more time to open up and you're suddenly in tropical fruit heaven: custard topped mango, with a little dusting of soot, followed by more of the Turkish Delight from the 18 year old. Effortless ageing - peerless aromas. 

Palate: A continuation of the fragrant wax, backed with salted caramel, light tropical fruits, Portuguese custard tart, and a hidden nuttiness (chestnuts again). Given more time, the complexity develops further with a wonderful integrated spiced oak, sitting alongside the creamy custard. Nothing is out of place, or too dominant - it all sits together rather brilliantly.  

Finish: Lengthy notes of creamy oak, some lighter fragranced wood and a more gentle spice, tempered by a sweet vanilla.

Overall: This is something to sit with, ponder over and try to get to the bottom of. It is without doubt, one of the best new releases to come from Diageo in some time (alongside the Special Release Convalmore of last year.) At £600, anything less would be considered as a huge disappointment, but hats off, as this delivers on every level.  

So there you have it. A brand new core range has arrived. Dylan has officially picked up his Stratocaster. The ticket price and volume have gone up accordingly and the venues are getting more far flung and exotic - but the show has become far more engaging. 

Those who don't want to go along for the ride, remember the old times, start stashing away the bootlegs and tell everyone you were there at the start...And if you still don't like what you're hearing, there's always Woody 'Dailuaine' Guthrie. He's not due for a reinvention any time soon, as far as we can see...

Lovejoy: Mortlach First Cask 1991 21 Year Old Single Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky Review

I love a bargain. More so, I love hunting around in charity shops, thrift shops and flea markets. In fact, before Christmas I even went on a special trip, driving to Brussels from London to look for interest artefacts in their legendary flea markets.

Taking a car was essential and proved to be a good decision when a real find was made: a lovely, but seriously heavy, antique wall mounted cabinet for just 30 Euro, the sort of thing that would be sourced by a dealer, cleaned up and put on sale in a North London ‘vintage’ shop for £300.  It now takes pride of place in my living room; I’m sure it has a wonderful back story, but I don’t know it. However, as with so many drams, this now has an immediate and very real narrative and hangs proudly in my home as a 3D postcard to a wonderful European weekend break.

It is these discoveries, and my house is full of them (from Ercol chairs to G Plan sideboards) which have popped up in a backwater shop somewhere, discarded and unloved, until they find a home which re-loves, re-uses and re-appreciates, that make me smile so.

However, these items are hard to find; they don’t come around every day and persistence is the key to digging out real gold. It really isn’t a case of wandering into a charity shop and walking out, Lovejoy-style, every time with something amazing. Nope, the gold-digging is the key and the moment, that wonderful moment, of finding something special is oh, so rare. As Arcade Fire sing, it is the place between the ‘click of the light and the start of the dream’; a place so rare, you often forget it exists.

In this day-and-age of extreme whisky prices, the click of the light is often when you hear about a product for sale that seems to have retained its price from a previous era when Scotch particularly, was much more innocent. The start of the dream is exactly that; realising if you’d been quicker, you could have picked it up at an amazing price, but now it is merely a dream.

However, every-so-often something comes along where you find yourself in exactly in the right place at the right time, something which happened to me recently in my local Laithwaites wine merchants... while browsing for a nice bottle of wine for dinner, my gaze was interrupted by some non-standard bottles of whisky. Investigating further, I found that one was a single sherry cask offering; a 21 year old Mortlach by Signatory (under their First Cask banner) for just £50.

Mortlach was the first distillery to be built in Dufftown, the beacon of whisky distilling in the Speyside region. Now owned by drinks giant Diageo, they have recently revealed plans to... well... ‘invest’ quite heavily in the brand, actually having a go at the premium market which brands such as The Macallan currently occupy. Having already announced that the current 16 year old Flora & Fauna bottling will slowly disappear from the shelves to make way for a new range of aged whiskies, as well as an expansion and rejuvenation of the distillery itself, the future for Mortlach is bright.

Any single cask for £50 these days is going to be a bargain, but a Mortlach (even before Diageo’s announcement) is a real bargain.

Mortlach – First Cask – 21 Years Old – 1991 / 2012 – 1^st October 1991 - #7715 – bottle no 209 – 46% abv - £50.00

Nose: Rich velvety honey, crunchie bar, milk chocolate and suede jackets combine to give a nose that really is older than the sum of its parts. This is a meaty nose that reacts well to sherry, without a hint of sulphur, but with real body and structure.

Palate: Sweet, oak spices with pulled pork, rich cherry cordial, a surprising amount of buttery vanilla, some banana pancakes and bags of maple syrup.  A heady mix of hazelnut praline and strawberry jam finish off a deep and well rounded palate.

Finish: Fruits come to the fore, before oak spices, patchouli and cardamom finish off the dram.

Overall: A well balanced single sherry cask with excellent tones of oak, fruits and vanilla.

As the world goes mad for whisky and the residual market pushes prices up and up, it is refreshing to know that there are still bargains out there if you look hard.

And if you find them... drop us a line!  

Blimey... Did That Just Happen?

Wow, the month has surely shifted on. Only a second ago, we were sitting in our office, enjoying a brace of old blended Scotch whiskies we had won in an auction, lamenting the time it had taken for us to post anything meaningful on Caskstrength. Then suddenly it was the middle of December.  

Take into account two house moves, several hundred whiskies to sell and a lot of other nonsense - and you realise that all of one's good intensions have simply vanished into thin air.

Needless to say, that we return within a month where Scotch whisky has already faced three fairly major discussion points.

The whisky elves wait for a comment from JM  

First up and we find Best PR Campaign Of The Month#1 in full swing. Yes, the vibrant, yet choice words of whisky writer Jim Murray, who this week apparently claimed that Kentucky was producing better whiskies than the ones coming from Scotland, or words to that effect.

Journalists across Fleet Street were poised over their keyboards looking for the killer headline. Was this the end of Scotland's dominance in the whisky world, its mighty crown lying tarnished amongst some mythical whiffy sherry casks? Or was it simply just a well chosen sentence from the adroit Murray, in an attempt to give some much needed Christmas spice to his latest edition of The Whisky Bible, of which one assumes he has a warehouse-full ready to ship as stocking fillers.   

Either way, people chatted, tongues clacked, keyboards rattled and Twots Twitted, all somewhat having the desired effect, we imagine.  Effortless PR at its very best. 

Seriously, most people who own a bottle of bourbon and a single malt Scotch whisky will be able to tell you that making any comparison between the two is like comparing the sound of a Tuba with that of a Xylophone. Yes, they sit near each other in the whisk(e)y orchestra, both offering wonderful layers of  texture to the symphony of spirits, but singularly, they have vastly different timbres, which is a quality to be celebrated.  We love American whiskey.  Hell, we even awarded a blisteringly youthful single malt from America our new release Whisk(e)y of the Year last year in the Best in Glass award (this year's is being hosted in January, folks)-  but that doesn't mean that all Scotch is redundant, or that the US is officially producing 'better' whisk(e)y. No, they're producing different whiskies with their own wonderful character. 

It's high time to celebrate the category as a whole, driving success forward, ever challenging boundaries and above all, bringing drinkers together in a way that other spirits can only dream - both men and women (hmm...see our final point below)  

Yes all this is probably sentimental tosh and yes, it is 'just whisky' but clearly, people care and that is good.  

A thoroughly modern Mortlach

Speaking of which, earlier this month, Diageo announced that the Mortlach distillery is to expand its range of whiskies, including two no age statement releases (Rare Old and Special Strength) an 18yo and a 25yo. Alas, the tremendous 16yo is to be discontinued, but for any new Mortlach to see the light of day is truly exciting news.  Mortlach remains a criminally underrated distillery and we're looking forward to trying the new expressions soon.  The Mort, the merrier.  

Finally this week, PR Campaign Of The Month #2... of sorts.  Dewar's, no stranger to courting controversy (earlier this year releasing the questionable Highlander Honey) unveiled its 'Meet The Baron' campaign, where a sturdy, reliable and all-round good egg can be seen selflessly helping various drinkers in perilous situations, such as being chased by rabid dogs and chatted up by a buxom lady.  

Hang On!!  what was that??  Oh yes, the Baron's skills apparently spread to effortlessly intercepting an approaching blonde assailant (a larger lady), allowing the intended 'victim' to hang out instead with a bevy of lingerie models.  

Watch the film twice and we're pretty sure you can just about make out the sound of the hand grenade pin hitting the floor of the marketing department, coupled with anguished flailing executives desperately trying to regain control of the inevitable explosion that is about to occur.  

The Baron, shortly before the 'car crash'-of-an-advert
was pulled

Sure enough, it did. After numerous complaints citing sexism, the video was (rightly) taken down from Youtube and similar online sources.  But not before nearly 300,000 people had seen the clip.  

Not only does the advert brilliantly slip on its own banana skin, but it highlights how desperate whisky companies are to try and appeal to who they perceive as 'The Drinking Man' (actually the brand's campaign slogan.) What surprises most is the fact that given the firewall levels of market research, focus grouping and other more robust legal checks most sensible companies go through, no one thought that the advert might come across as a poorly put together and totally outdated piece of 70's thigh-slapping nonsense. 

Whoops. 

Like a faint waft of Brut aftershave, the video has now disappeared into the ether, so it's unlikely you'll be able to find it.  Don't worry though -  Anchorman 2 is about to come out.  Whammy...

Back on lighter, more enjoyable grounds, we met up with the fantastic Tom Bulleit yesterday and tried his newly released, higher strength Bulleit Rye. We'll explore this later this week, but needless to say, it is excellent.  Now what was Jim Murray saying... ;-)

The Path to Gold: Johnnie Walker Explorers' Club Gold Route

Like that regular visit to the doctor, every year, Scotch whisky gets a bit of a health check from the folks at the SWA: assessing its international performance, growth, uncharacteristic hotspots and areas of concern.

And like a thoroughbred race horse, (but not 'Seabass', judging by my crumpled betting slip from Saturday's Grand National) Scotch appears to be in an even ruder health than it was this time last year.  Exports are up once again with the 2012 figures showing the the Scotch whisky business worth a staggering £4.3 billion, an increase of 87% over the last decade.  New markets such as South America have seen increases as much as 14% since last year's figures and the USA sits at the top of the whisky fountain with imports breaking through the £700 million mark for the first time.

Despite this, the volume of Scotch whisky exports actually declined by 5%, demonstrating that consumers are looking more towards higher end, luxury and premium products amongst their blends and single malts.

Hot off the back of such positivity comes the news from Diageo, that they are investing substantially in building a brand new (as yet un-named) distillery in Teaninich with the capacity to produce up to 13 million litres of spirit, alongside expansion of the existing Teaninich and Mortlach distilleries to practically double capacity. Heady days indeed. This is a clear indication that we are living in an era where Scotch (TM) is as industrious and as bankable a commodity as one is likely to find.

Of course, some people have a hard time with the fact that whisky has been taken out of the hands of the privileged few and pushed outwards to the masses, which is of course an absurd sentiment.  Yes, we're no longer going to find 1970's single cask Ardbegs for the price of KFC Bargain Bucket, but travel virtually anywhere around the globe and you'll find a decent whisky behind the bar.  To be a continued global success, whisky needs to keep looking forward, not reminiscing about the 'good old days', with wizened hands clawing onto a single cask Port Ellen, bottle number 1 of 12.  

As Oliver Klimek recently wrote on his excellent Dramming blog, the whisky business does not exist simply to provide whisky geeks with single cask bottlings. To be frank, without the likes of internationally renowned blends, it would simply cease to exist at all.  

So onto one of those blends.  Johnnie Walker is perhaps the most ubiquitous whisky, if not brand name in the world.  The recent activity in the Walker camp - from the introduction of Platinum, to the extra smoky Double Black, alongside the Director's Blends have demonstrated that the brand continues to walk at a particularly spritely pace.  Now more recently, the Striding Man has decided to take a sojourn abroad with the release of the Explorers' Club Collection; a trio of bottlings launched exclusively into Global Travel Retail, now a lucrative market all of its own right.  We reviewed the inaugural bottling, Spice Road, at Christmas and at a shade under £30 were hugely impressed by its balance of spice, seasoned oak, dried fruit and classic Walker smoke.   So when the next bottling, Gold Route hit the shelves we were intrigued.  Would the thread of Walker excellence remain? The price is approximately twice that of the Spice Route at around £60 or $95, so expectations are high, all things considered. 

Johnnie Walker - Gold Route - 40% - 1 Litre

Nose: Soft fudge, freshly sliced ginger, a lighter sooty note coupled with a touch of medicinal peat,  vanilla sponge cake and fondant icing.  With a little water, a more creamy coconut note emerges, alongside a welcoming gentle woodsmoke and some very subtle orchard fruit notes, tinned pineapple and condensed milk. Very good indeed. 

Palate:  Sooty and a little grainy at first, with some tingling liquorice notes, a malted cereal sweetness a vanilla fudge creaminess, some mint humbugs and zesty lemons.  In fact, the mouthfeel is quite sharp and zesty, the further in you travel.  Some lingering smoke on the death rounds out a feisty palate indeed. With water, the fruitiness starts to come to the fore, with icing sugar-dusted red apple, a touch of  Juicy Fruit chewing gum and an aniseed ball, thrown in for good measure.  

Finish: Lemon zest, a touch of anise and a lingering mintiness nestle alongside something slightly grainy. 

Overall:  Whilst this isn't lacking in stature, in my opinion it perhaps lacks some the more direct notes offered by the Spice Road.  It has some subtle spice of its own, which sits alongside the creaminess and definitely benefits from a few drops of water to really coax the beast of complexity from its cave.   The question is, would one buy a bottle of this, over two bottles of Spice Road?   I'm not sold yet, but one suspects that like life's more challenging constitutionals, there is more to this walk than first meets the eye...

Manager's Choice... Part Deux

In the 2008 / 2009 season, there were 9 managerial changes in the English Premier league. That's nearly 50% of the clubs choosing to replace the man at the helm, the man with whom the buck stops, the man whose stamp is on the team.

Diageo are certainly one of the major Premiership clubs when it comes to drinks, esp with regard to whisky. What a haul of distilleries they own, run and draw fantastic profit from. Yes, their starting line up includes international super-stars such as Arthur Guiness and Jose Cuervo all dressed up in their nice Red Stripe kit and marshalled brilliantly by Captain Morgan. But there is some home-grown Brit talent in there too. The English midfield of Archers and Pimms, backed up by Tanqueray and Gordons, but it is their Scottish talent which which really shines through. The back line of solid, dependable drams which are consistently good if not spectacular.

In the Manager's Choice we get to see these distilleries individually, on player-cam as it were, at their supposed very best. In this first release of the rare bottlings, we get to see the first-team regulars of Oban, Cardhu, Mortlach and Linkwood. And the lesser known bench-warmers of Teninich and Glen Elgin. Below we saw how the Oban, Linkwood and Glen Elgin got on up close, so lets see how the other three get on with their bid for first team glory.

Teaninich - Distilled 1996 / Bottled 2009 - Managers' Choice - cask 9802 - 246 bottles - 55.3%


Nose: Well, you'd know where this comes from, just by the nose. Is that a hint of Glenmorangie whipping up the nostrils! Plenty of light, floral notes, brandy-butter, vanilla, clear apple juice, almonds. Pleasant.

Palate: Humm, not what I expected at all. A huge explosion of moss and earth, dark chocolate moose, oak and toffee. With water the dark chocolate powder.

Finish: Medium, sweet and fruity like moist fruit cake.

Overall: A nice dram that really performs well with a drop of water in. Some lovely floral aspects which make this a great example of the distillery.

Mortlach - Distilled 1997 / Bottled 2009 - Managers' Choice - cask 6802 - 240 bottles - 57.1% Vol


Nose: So much character comes shooting out of the glass with the overriding sense of honey roast ham crisps by Branaggans backed up with spearmint.

Palate: It's an odd one this. With a 57.1% you'd think a drop of water is required, but I found it okay without, but it didn't really perform as well as I'd hoped. A little lackluster and with water even more so. Like mash potato with too much milk in it.

Finish: quite yeasty in a Real Ale sense, the finish is quite long and hot with a meaty quality like bovril or bisto.

Overall: 'Bulky' would be the word to describe this one. Complex if we were being kind.

Cardhu - Distilled 1997 / Bottled 2009 - Managers' Choice - cask 3362 - 252 bottles - 57.3% Vol


Nose: A lovely nose of coconut, vanilla, lemon drizzle cake / homemade lemonade. Really fresh and lovely. If my clothes came out of the washer smelling like this, I'd be happy! With water, a hint of white pepper.

Palate: Strong and robust, with zests of lemon and lime. With water: This really comes to life. Really yummy now the strength is knocked down and the flavours really come to life. All the citrus fruits: orange, kiwi, lemon and lime come flooding out. Super stuff.

Finish: A great length; not too short, not too long. The epitome of medium! This malt coats your mouth with a delicate waxiness and leaves you just dry enough to want to take another sip, like a good dry white wine.

Overall: Absolutely the best of the three in this section of the tasting. A stick-on first teamer and so far the first name on my team sheet.

Overall our favorite was the Cardhu by a county mile. We're yet to see the big guns of Talisker, Lagavulin and Caol Ila but on this evidence Diageo need to get those guys off the bench and on to the pitch, to really show their skills off. This ain't no pre-season friendly, this is real life. And Diageo need to play to their strengths. On this evidence, the only Glen they need is Glen Hoddle.

**Note: We have now freed up the "comments" section of the bog so anyone can now leave us a comment, not just registered users! Enjoy!**

Choice FM

Ok, here's a little scoop for you....some of you will have already heard about Diageo's plans to release a Manager's Choice single cask bottling from each of their operational distilleries (except for Roseisle, which is obviously not ready yet). We, like many of you received an excitable email recently about the release and immediately our appetites were whetted.

Here are the details of the first batch of distilleries, unveiled... a pretty attractive looking starting point:

Cardhu - distilled 1997- 252 bottles - £250

Glen Elgin - distilled 1998 - 534 bottles - £250

Linkwood - distilled 1996 - 480 bottles - £200

Mortlach- distilled 1997 - 240 bottles - £250

Oban- distilled 2000 - 534 bottles - £300

Teaninich - distilled 1996 - 246 bottles - £200

However, one thing keeps nagging away whilst I type this....the pricing.

Granted, some of these bottlings will become legendary- especially when we get into the Talisker/Lagavulin/Caol Ila territory (look at the 15 yo Caol Ila Manager's Dram of old - purportedly an astonishing sherried expression of Caol Ila & now retailing for around 500 quid).

But consider one thing:

At this years Feis Ile, the "Diageo-owned-operational-Islay-distilleries" both released single cask bottlings, of a similar age to the Managers Choice, hand selected by The Manager (or Iain McArthur in Lagavulin's case) which retailed for between 60 and 70 quid. That seems like pretty good value, in any financial climate. Okay, you had to get to Islay on a certain week at the end of May, but I can't help thinking that the new bottlings seem mightily expensive, especially when you can pick up one of these bottling on eBay (or equivalent site) for well under what the first batch of the Managers Choice's are being released at.

That said, these bottles are unique and individual. And to have a complete collection of Manager's Choice bottlings in one's cabinet would be pretty impressive, wouldn't it? This is mirrored in the press release where Classic Malts Selection spokesperson Nick Morgan says:

"We have occasionally issued single-cask bottlings of individual single malt whiskies before, for instance for visitors to the annual Islay Festival. And single-cask bottlings of our malts can sometimes be obtained from independent bottlers.

“But this is a much more ambitious venture - the most extensive collection we’ve ever released of single cask malt whisky bottlings, from 27 of our operational malt distilleries, involving both the well-known and those whose product isn’t widely available.

“Each individual distillery cask selected by the experts after an extensive examination has doubly earned its place in The Managers’ Choice, regardless of its age: because it faithfully illuminates that distillery's individual DNA, and also because it will offer the connoisseur a different, interesting and perhaps unexpected experience of that whisky.”

Hopefully at some point we'll be in a position to bring you a few notes on a couple of the Managers Choice whiskies but until then, you can re-enjoy the notes on the Caol Ila Feis Ile 2009 (Billy even put his signature on that bottle...) and the 2007, 2008 and 2009 single cask Lagavulins by clicking on the text.