Every year, Diageo (the massive international alcohol conglomerate) releases its beloved Single Malt Special Releases Collection. It’s like Scotch whisky Christmas Morning and as anticipated as Sazerac Company’s Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. The bottles just landed on my desk, so I’m going to take a deep dive into each one and rank them according to how tasty these whiskies are.
Spoiler alert, they’re all really f*cking tasty.
While all of these whiskies are single malts made from 100% malted barley (peated or unpeated), there really is a massive amount of difference between each one’s flavor profile and overall vibe. That’s accomplished via the aging process both in which barrels were used for the primary maturation and the finishing barrel (if applicable), as well as the actual location of the warehouse around Scotland. Also, one of them technically isn’t a single malt at all. It’s a “Single Grain” whisky made with wheat from the famed but very niche Cameron Bridge Distillery (we’ll get into that later).
Overall, you’re looking at true and quintessential Scotch whisky experiences with these seven bottles while also getting a bit of a flavor tour around Scotland. And brass tacks, these whiskies are never bad or even mediocre. So the ranking is really on my personal palate’s whims and desires. Read those tasting notes, see what speaks to you, and then let that guide your whisky purchases.
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6. The Singleton of Glen Ord 15-Year-Old
ABV: 54.2%
Average Price: $129
The Whisky:
This Highland whisky is a classic that you don’t always see on local shelves. The Singleton of Glen Ord is routed to the Asia-Pacific market almost exclusively. So this is a nice chance to actually get your hands on some of the juice if you’re in the U.S. The actual whisky is aged in refill American and European oak (those are barrels that have already held scotch at least once before) initially and then finished in wine-seasoned casks that have a very light touch (think white wines, not red).
Tasting Notes:
The nose does pop with a dry white wine vibe with a sense of butter, woody spice, and tart red berries next to creamy vanilla with a toffee vibe. The palate stays super creamy with a nice maltiness that’s attached to big bowls of fruit — grapes, melon, blood oranges, apples, pears, and more. There’s a light sense of kosher salt in the mix late that leads to a slow build of peppery spices and sweet marzipan.
Bottom Line:
This is a great, standard unpeated malt. It’s fruity and creamy and feels like it was kissed by white wine oakiness. The only reason it’s last in this ranking is that it wasn’t a super exciting pour of whisky — just a really good one.
5. Cameron Bridge 26-Year-Old
ABV: 56.2%
Average Price: $319
The Whisky:
The Lowland whisky is from the country’s largest grain whisky producer that also makes the famed Haig family of grain whiskies for David Beckham. This single-grain (wheat) Scotch whisky was distilled back in 1992 and left to mellow in refill American oak casks for 26 long years before batching and bottling at cask strength.
Tasting Notes:
The nose has a nice grainy spiciness that leans toward black pepper with a hint of cinnamon-laced toffee before the fruit kicks in with toasted coconut, fresh mango, papaya, and … freshly plucked pea pods. There’s a sweet caramel on the palate that’s accented with more of that spiced toffee, creamy honey, dark and milky chocolate, and a touch of waxiness. The end has a sense of dried red chili pepper heat next to sweet honeycombs and earthy oak.
Bottom Line:
This was really nice and didn’t overdo it on the age with too much woodiness or char. There was a nice balance. Ultimately, this did feel grainier than maltier, though — with a tad more rough-around-the-edges vibe. Still, I’m really splitting hairs there.
4. Clynelish 12-Year-Old
ABV: 58.5%
Average Price: $199
The Whisky:
This unpeated Highland malt was mellowed in refill American oak barrels that held bourbon and then finished in Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry-seasoned casks.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a subtle mix of mincemeat pies, syrupy pears from the can, floral honey, and a herbal note of maybe bay leaf or sage with a whisper of mint on the nose. The palate has a waxy saltwater taffy vibe tied to vanilla with a soft pepperiness and woody winter spice warmth next to soft toffees. The end is lightly spiced with dried chili pepper and peppercorns next to that soft and waxy vanilla saltwater taffy on the spicy finish.
Bottom Line:
This is delectable and subtle. There’s a nice “classic” single malt whisky vibe that’s equal parts comforting and fresh. That said, I really want to try this in a cocktail with a splash of sweet vermouth and a dash or two of bitters.
3. Lagavulin 12-Year-Old
ABV: 57.3%
Average Price: $149
The Whisky:
This peated Islay whisky is aged in heavily peated American oak refill barrels. That means that the bourbon barrels have held a lot of peated whisky over the years before this whisky went in. Those barrels are vatted with the same whisky that spent years mellowing in virgin oak casks. The resulting blend was bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
This is very Lagavulin from the jump with a subtle ashiness that’s countered by briny peat, cellular floor dirt, old cellar beams, and slate after a briny rain next to singed fruit orchard bark. The palate is lush and sweet with a sense of Lemon Drops singed with a blow torch next to salted lemon rinds and a hint of seared salmon skin with a layer of smoked belly fat still attached. The end amps up the ashy seaside smokiness with a flake or two of salt and dark lemon in the mix.
Bottom Line:
I know burnt Lemon Drops don’t sound appetizing, but Lagavulin’s team has pulled it off here. This really is delicious but is a big and bold peaty whisky, so expect some ash. It’s not licking-the-inside-of-a-cold-Weber-grill ashy but it’s close.
(tied) 2. Talisker 11-Year-Old
ABV: 55.1%
Average Price: $119
The Whisky:
This classic lightly-peated Talisker is aged by the sea in American oak, ex-bourbon first fill, refill casks, and wine-seasoned casks. Those barrels are batched and then bottled as-is after 11 years of quiet mellowing.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a clear sense of seaside campfires far down a rainy beach next to a fruit orchard with a hint of nori sheets, old boat rope, and a dash of brown wintry spices on the nose. The palate leans into the oiliness of the nori with a slightly singed salmon skin vibe, smoked fish oils, and a touch of that distant campfire next to smoked plums and apricots with a hint of salted pear chips and dry red chili pepper. The end has a long meander through a pebble beach with sea salt, smoked pear, and briny seaweed salad next to a hint of fatty smoked salmon bellies with a black and red pepper crust.
Bottom Line:
This is wonderfully nuanced and full of maritime sensations. The overall texture is luxurious and welcoming with a mild peatiness that’s never overpowering. It’s truly a masterpiece of whisky.
(tied) 2. Cardhu 16-Year-Old
ABV: 58%
Average Price: $179
The Whisky:
This Speyside unpeated malt was aged in refill and re-charred American oak bourbon barrels for 16 years. That whisky was then refilled into Jamaican pot still rum-seasoned casks for a final rest before vatting and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a definite sense of aura of funky rumminess with a hint of barrel char and grilled tropical fruits with plenty of brown spices — clove, allspice, nutmeg — surrounded by creamy lemon meringue pie, mango lassi, and freshly washed sheets flapping in the summer breeze (it’s wildly engaging and kind of weird but I love it). The palate has a rummy toffee syrup mood with spiced rum cocktails cut with banana bread, walnuts, and brown butter with a hint of brandy-soaked oak staves. The end has a light black pepperiness with more of that rummy barrel funk and soft and sweet (not acidic) tropical fruit.
Bottom Line:
This was really freakin’ good. It was a journey and was the best unpeated single malt (or single grain) whisky by far.
1. Oban 10-Year-Old
ABV: 57.1%
Average Price: $109
The Whisky:
This lightly peated Highland whisky from the tiny Oban Distillery is rendered from refill and new American oak barrels. That whisky is vatted and then refilled into Amontillado-seasoned casks for a final rest before batching and bottling as-is.
Tasting Notes:
There’s a lithe sense of lemon/lime saltwater taffy wrapped in white wax paper with a hint of lime leaves and wild sage next to salted smoked lemons and tangerines with a hint of really good and cloudy extra virgin olive oil speckled with smoked sea salt and freshly cracked red peppercorns. The palate is silken and full of layers of smoked grapes, smoked plums, and salted chili pepper candies with a fleeting sense of violet and lavender creaminess tied to a lush vanilla underbelly. The end has a mild woody chili pepper spiciness that’s dry and leads to a limber finish with warmth, lightly caramelized malts, and smoked apricot jam with brandy cream.
Bottom Line:
This had a wonderful texture of pure lusciousness throughout. It was enticing and complex while feeling convivial and somehow light and fresh. This really is a stellar whisky that transcends peated/unpeated. Ultimately, it’s just really f*cking good.