The 2022 Prima & Ultima Scotch Whisky releases from Diageo
Prima & Ultima is Diageo’s annual launch of uncommon whiskies from its in depth stock. In its third yr in Europe, this system will debut this yr in america. The upcoming US launch, scheduled for November, showcases a few of Diageo’s rarest whiskies. They are going to be supplied on an invitation-only foundation to Diageo’s Personal Consumer service members and a handful of choose retailers. The expressions are already out there in Europe.
The time period “prima” denotes that every expression represents a primary for the whisky or the distillery. In distinction, “ultima” signifies that the whisky represents the final out there inventory in Diageo’s cask stock.
4 of those whiskies, Lagavulin (1993), Royal Lochnagar (1981), Singleton of Glen Ord (1987) and Talisker (1984), will all be out there within the US. The opposite 4 expressions, Mannochmore (1990), Brora (1981), Port Ellen (1980) and Cragganmore (1973), will solely be out there to European shoppers however could finally change into out there to American collectors within the public sale aftermarket. All eight whiskies are bottled at cask power with no added colour or chill filtration.
Just lately, I sat down with Dr. Craig Wilson (CW), Diageo’s Whisky Platform Supervisor and Grasp Blender, and James Mackay (JMc), Head of Uncommon & Distinctive Spirits at Diageo, to debate the Prima & Ultima program and this yr’s crop of releases. Tasting notes observe the top of the interview.
Craig Wilson has a life-long curiosity in taste from his time as an environmental chemist, biologist and chef. He entered the whisky business after incomes a Ph.D. in Brewing and Distilling on the prestigious Heriot-Watt College.
A protracted-term member of the Whisky Specialist Group, he has gained a number of awards, together with the celebrated ‘Grasp Blender of the 12 months class on the Icons of Whisky in 2017.
With over 12 years as a Grasp Blender, he has confirmed experience, distinctive consideration to element, and a ardour for unearthing exceptional whiskies. He’s among the many most extremely regarded and revered Grasp Blenders within the Scotch Whisky business.
James Mackay first visited a distillery in 1972 (at Brora, aged one, together with his great-uncle who farmed the close by property). He started his wine & spirits profession within the early Nineties, within the Philippines, in partnership with Whyte & Mackay house owners Andrew and Katherine Tan. James then moved to Taiwan to launch Glenfiddich and Balvenie after which to Hong Kong as a model technique marketing consultant working with Moët-Hennessy, Pernod-Ricard and Bacardi as Richemont luxurious group.
James joined Diageo in 2015 to determine a brand new non-public shopper enterprise catering to personal collectors and household workplaces earlier than changing into Diageo’s Head of Uncommon & Distinctive Spirits, a worldwide position based mostly in Amsterdam.
JM: Diageo has hundreds of thousands of casks of maturing whisky. What’s the method for narrowing down every year’s alternatives for the Prima & Ultima releases?
Dr. Craig Wilson, Diageo’s Whisky Platform Supervisor and Grasp Blender
CW: The choice course of for every launch of Prima & Ultima is exclusive to the Grasp Blender that curates it. For this launch, I drew on my expertise in nurturing and restoring the uncommon spirits of Diageo’s distilleries, together with Brora and Port Ellen. I chosen probably the most distinctive ‘firsts’ and ‘lasts’ of their variety.
JM: Do you begin from scratch every year, or is there a brief record of expressions that have not made the lower but however will likely be thought of for subsequent releases?
CW: Throughout my whisky-making journey, I’ve been fortunate sufficient to find some unbelievable casks maturing throughout the distillery warehouses. On this third launch of Prima & Ultima, I’ve chosen some uncommon finds that I’ve personally marked as excellent. A few of these have been casks I’d beforehand found, and a few have been discovered throughout the curation of Prima & Ultima. Relaxation assured, these symbolize the top of every distillery’s maturing casks.
JM: Are the Prima & Ultima expressions at all times bottled “as is” instantly from the cask, or do you think about whether or not their aroma and taste profile is likely to be enhanced by a further barrel end? Are there any expressions that obtained some other cask remedy?
CW: Not one of the Prima & Ultima releases have obtained further cask finishes. They’re, in truth, greater than that. The whiskies have been of their secondary casks for a few years, usually longer than their preliminary casks. A few of them end result from experimental work carried out into varied cask interventions, such because the Mannochmore and Royal Lochnagar from the third launch.
JM: Whiskies from misplaced distilleries have a particular place within the Prima and Ultima releases. Do you apply the identical standards as these whiskies from working distilleries, or are there different elements that you simply think about?
CW: The standard of the liquid is the one criterion in selecting whiskies for this assortment. The important distinction could be that we frequently choose casks from a a lot smaller pool of remaining inventory with closed distilleries, so we should be much more discerning. This reality is mirrored within the a lot smaller volumes we are able to bottle for this assortment.
JM: Traditionally, these one-off casks have been bought to unbiased bottlers. Over the past a number of a long time, Diageo has begun bottling them on the market to collectors and whisky fanatics or promoting them as total casks underneath the Casks of Distinction program. What caused this alteration to the way you deal with these uncommon casks? How do you resolve whether or not to bottle them as a part of the Prima & Ultima program or promote them as Casks of Distinction?
James Mackay, Head of Uncommon & Distinctive Spirits at Diageo
JMc: Diageo has bottled high-quality casks as collectible single malts for nearly three a long time, beginning with the Uncommon Malts collection within the mid-90s. Prima & Ultima is, in some methods, the non secular successor of Uncommon Malts.
The Casks of Distinction program is more moderen, launching within the final 5 years, and affords non-public people a unique approach to purchase uncommon, top-quality whisky. By its nature, it appeals, in one other method, to a choose neighborhood of people.
JM: How do the whiskies featured in every year’s Prima & Ultima releases impression the advertising and shopper demand for different expressions from these distilleries? Do they have an effect?
JMc: In comparison with the core vary of our single malt distilleries, Prima & Ultima appeals to a a lot smaller viewers and is produced in even tinier volumes. Nonetheless, there isn’t a doubt the curiosity and significant approval for a distillery’s Prima & Ultima bottling are encouraging folks to discover and reacquaint themselves with different expressions from the identical distillery.
JM: What was the genesis of the Prima & Ultima program?
JMc: At Diageo, we’ve got a major breadth of distilleries and shares. Beforehand we’ve celebrated this with releases such because the Uncommon Malts collection from 1995 to 2005. On the time, few appreciated the whiskies’ worth. Now most of the Uncommon Malts expressions have change into iconic treasures, and the demand and curiosity in uncommon and collectible Single Malt Scotch Whisky have dramatically elevated. Due to this fact we felt the time was proper to launch Prima & Ultima.
JM: How does the Prima & Ultima program examine to Diageo’s annual Scotch Whisky Particular Releases? Are the Prima & Ultima expressions rarer, costlier whiskies than what will get featured within the annual Particular Releases?
JMc: Diageo’s Particular Releases collection is an annual program of cask-strength limited-edition Scotch whiskies, out there globally at most specialist whisky retailers. Every year it affords a brand new theme to carry the true distillery character and distinctive whisky to life by means of evocative storytelling and superbly designed packaging.
Prima & Ultima affords connoisseurs the chance to construct a coherent assortment of ultra-rare classic Single Malts, each a First and Final of its variety. Curated to this point on my own, Dr. Jim Beveridge OBE and Maureen Robinson, Prima & Ultima is aimed on the neighborhood of personal collectors seeking to construct an beautiful liquid library of excellent high quality, character and provenance.
Beneath are descriptions and tasting notes on the eight whisky expressions featured on this yr’s Prima & Ultima releases from samples generously offered by Diageo.
Prima and Ultima, Lagavulin, 1993, 28 YO, 50.1% ABV, 700 ml
Lagavulin, 1993, 28 YO, 50.1% ABV, 700 ml, $3,000
Lagavulin is among the many best-known of Islay’s iconic distilleries. This bottling is a mix of the final two 1993 casks of Lagavulin. One cask was matured in a PX/Oloroso Sherry seasoned butt and the opposite in a refill American oak hogshead. A complete of 642 bottles have been stuffed.
On the nostril, the whisky affords a basic aged Lagavulin nostril of wealthy chilly smoke, pink and black fruits of cherry, raspberry and cassis/elderberry, and the savory maritime notes of salty air, seaweed and iodine. The attribute medicinal notes are there however are much less overt. The phenolic notes in Lagavulin change into much less pronounced, rounder, earthier, and higher built-in because the whisky ages.
On the palate, there may be the load and oily viscosity typical of Lagavulin. It’s candy and spicy. The Sherry cask affect is clear within the raisin, cherry and fig notes. There are further notes of caramel, a bit of sunshine molasses, some wooden spice notes of cinnamon, and a contact of pepper, with a lingering savory notice.
The end is lengthy and clean, with a candied sweetness and the dried fruit, chilly smoke and medicinal notes typical of Lagavulin.
Mannochmore, 1990, 31 YO, 45.1% ABV, 700 ml, £870/$1,000
Mannochmore is a Speyside distillery situated close to Elgin. With an output of three.2 million liters, it’s among the many area’s largest. Its malt is a significant factor of many Diageo blended whiskies, together with its flagship, Johnnie Walker.
This bottling of Mannochmore is drawn from a single experimental batch, which was matured in refill ex-bourbon casks for just a few years after which transferred to a really energetic virgin barrel of European oak. The result’s a darkly coloured, intensely flavored whisky. A complete of 317 bottles have been produced.
On the nostril, there are pronounced citrus notes of dried and candied orange zest, bordering on English fashion, barely bitter marmalade. There are further aromas of golden raisin and only a trace of dried apricot, together with pronounced notes of well-seasoned oak, previous leather-based, cinnamon spice and a contact of furnishings wax.
On the palate, it’s barely candy and a bit drying. It’s fruity and spicy, with pronounced dried orange zest/marmalade flavors and spice notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. There’s a very slight however lingering bitterness.
The end is lengthy, creamy and barely drying, with lingering citrus and cinnamon notes and a gentle however noticeable, bitter notice on the top.
Prima & Ultima Talisker, 1984, 37 YO, 51.9% ABV, 700 ml
Talisker, 1984, 37 YO, 51.9% ABV, 700 ml, $3,500
The Talisker distillery is the oldest working whisky producer on the island of Skye. Till the opening of the Torabhaig distillery in 2017, it was the one producer. Traditionally, Talisker has been a peated whisky with a outstanding maritime character and a trademark notice of freshly floor black pepper on each the nostril and the palate.
The whisky was matured in a mixture of re-fill hogsheads created from ex-bourbon casks and one ex-Sherry European oak butt. A complete of 968 bottles have been stuffed.
On the nostril, there may be gentle smoke, adopted by Talisker’s attribute savory/maritime notes paying homage to a seashore at low tide. There are some fruity notes and the trademark Talisker black pepper.
On the palate, the whisky is clean, oily and viscous, with a noticeable weight. It’s wealthy and fruity, with pronounced orchard fruit notes of apple and Asian pear, together with chilly smoke, a savory/saline character, a little bit of earthiness and a pronounced pepperiness that options each black pepper and chilis.
The end is lengthy, candy and smoky, with a lingering pepperiness and a savory maritime notice.
The Singleton of Glen Ord, 1987, 34 YO, 49.1% ABV, 700 ml, $1,200
Glen Ord is a Highland distillery situated within the coronary heart of Black Isle, north of Inverness. With a capability of 5 million liters, it’s amongst Diageo’s largest distilleries. It produces a 12 YO, 15 YO and 18 YO single malt bottling.
The one malt expressions of the Singleton of Glen Ord are reserved for export to Asia. The malt can also be a part of many Diageo blended whiskies, together with Bells and Johnnie Walker. This bottling is drawn from the final casks of 1987 Glen Ord. A complete of 1,047 bottles have been stuffed.
The Singleton of Glen Ord is a lightweight, complicated, layered whisky. It’s exceptionally floral and fragrant. It undergoes a protracted fermentation from a transparent wort. The distillation is gradual, maximizing the copper contact. Moreover, the water within the shell and tube condensers is run sizzling to decelerate the condensation and additional maximize the copper contact. Many of the condensation happens within the after-coolers hooked up to the condensers. A excessive lower level additionally favors pronounced floral and fruity aromas.
It has pronounced notes of orchard fruit and newly lower hay on the nostril, together with gentle peat notes of chilly smoke and earth. There are further aromas of caramel, cinnamon spice, vanilla and a little bit of candied ginger.
The whisky is creamy and clean on the palate, with a particular fruity sweetness of orchard fruit and a contact of tropical fruit notes. There are further spice notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and a few ginger.
The end is lengthy, clean, candy and fruity, with a light however lingering ginger pepperiness.
Prima & Ultima Brora, 1981, 40 YO, 44.1% ABV, 700 ml
Brora, 1981, 40 YO, 44.1% ABV, 700 ml, £9,000/$10,400
Brora is considered one of solely a handful of distilleries which were resurrected. Largely disassembled, it has been rebuilt and lately put again into manufacturing after being closed for nearly 4 a long time. Its historic whiskies are eagerly sought by collectors and command ultra-premium costs at auctions.
Traditionally, Brora made closely peated whiskies, however in keeping with Diageo, these bottlings are from whiskies produced shortly earlier than the distillery was closed and have been much less peated. The lighter peating permits different flavors in Brora, notably the contemporary and candied fruit that generally reveals up in Brora bottlings, to change into extra obvious — revealing a unique facet of the whisky. This bottling represents the final out there 1981 Brora whisky and is drawn from a mixture of American oak hogsheads and a Sherry butt. A complete of 354 bottles have been stuffed.
The whisky may be very fragrant on the nostril, with pronounced floral aromas of dried heather and a faint, lingering smokiness. There are additionally distinctive candle wax notes. These waxy aromas stem partly from the rancio character of the ultra-aged whisky. Waxiness, nonetheless, has at all times been a attribute of Brora whiskies no matter their age. It’s a characteristic that it shares with its next-door neighbor, Clynelish.
The whisky is clean, with a noticeable palate weight. It’s candy and fruity, on the palate, with a discernible waxiness and a delicate smokiness. There may be additionally a slight savory notice. The end is lengthy and candy, with lingering notes of nutmeg, gentle smoke and a gentle pepperiness.
Royal Lochnagar 1981, 40 YO, 52.5% ABV, 700 ml, $6,000
Royal Lochnagar is the smallest of Diageo’s distilleries and considered one of its most photogenic. Situated within the highlands, only a mile from Balmoral Fortress, it obtained Queen Victoria’s first Royal Warrant for a whisky.
The whisky was matured in refill hogsheads of American oak. A complete of 1,047 bottles have been produced.
Royal Lochnagar is a really floral whisky, with distinctive aromas of honeysuckle, heather, lavender, jasmine and rose petal, together with notes of pink and black fruits and rancio notes of wax and leather-based.
It’s clean, creamy, honey candy, with a noticeable palate weight that includes flavors of orchid and tropical fruits, lemon and orange citrus zest, and a few malty/cereal notes. There are further notes of caramel, some oak wooden and spice flavors of cinnamon and ginger.
The end is lengthy, candy and fruity, though barely drying, with a pronounced and lingering spicy end.
Prima & Ultima Port Ellen, 1980, 41 YO, 59.6% ABV, 700 ml
Port Ellen, 1980, 41 YO, 59.6% ABV, 700 ml, £9,550/$11,500
Port Ellen is one other legendary distillery, which was dismantled and solely lately rebuilt and returned to manufacturing. Collectors eagerly search its iconic whiskies and pay premium costs for them. The 1980 Port Ellen is the oldest Port Ellen launched by Diageo and represents the final of the 1980 inventory. A complete of 555 bottles have been stuffed.
Though the nonetheless designs at Port Ellen and Lagavulin have been totally different – Port Ellen’s stills have been onion-shaped with tall necks whereas Lagavulin’s stills have been squat and short-necked – the 2 distilleries shared the same fashion. Not like Lagavulin, nonetheless, Port Ellen tended to be somewhat smokier and extra peppery and briny however barely much less medicinal and oily.
Though each distilleries used a equally peated malt, the lower factors at Port Ellen differed from these at Lagavulin. Port Ellen additionally tended to make use of much less energetic, re-fill barrels, so the whiskies obtained much less cask wooden influences. That’s additionally why Port Ellen whiskies have been in a position to age for such a very long time with out getting overly woody.
There may be smoke, dried seaweed and hints of brine on the nostril. There may be additionally an earthy, barely natural notice and a contact of candy tropical fruit.
The whisky is wealthy and clean, with a particular candied sweetness on the palate. It’s savory and smoky, virtually meaty, with notes of butterscotch, hints of dried tropical fruit, and a noticeable pepperiness. The end is lengthy, that includes candy and salty caramel notes, chilly smoke and a lingering, earthy peatiness.
Cragganmore, 1973, 48YO, 44.8% ABV, 700 ml, £5,950/$7,000
Cragganmore is among the many smallest of Diageo’s Speyside distilleries. Its manufacturing is round 1.2 million liters. Traditionally, most of its manufacturing was earmarked for the Outdated Parr and White Horse blends, nevertheless it has been more and more bottled as a single malt.
Cragganmore is a very complicated and layered whisky that’s vastly underappreciated. This 48-YO expression of Cragganmore is the oldest ever launched. A complete of 351 bottles have been stuffed.
The whisky may be very fragrant on the nostril, that includes aromas of contemporary grapes/wine should, almond/marzipan and stone and tropical fruits.
On the palate, it is candy and really creamy. There are notes of candied orange zest, some caramel, dried tropical fruits, particularly mango, stone fruit notes of peach and nectarine, cassis and a few slight milk chocolate notes. The end is lengthy, candy, nutty and fruity, with a slight lingering tartness.
This yr’s Prima & Ultima releases dwell as much as their title. The bottlings symbolize among the many final casks out there of every of those expressions. In lots of instances, they’re additionally the oldest expression of the whisky that Diageo has ever launched.
They’re definitely not low cost. The complete assortment of eight bottles will run you about $45,000. Particular person bottles are priced between $1,000 and $12,000. The indicated pricing is Diageo’s instructed retail value. Precise pricing could differ.
The Mannochmore, Brora, Port Ellen, and Cragganmore expressions won’t be out there within the US however can presumably be bought by way of UK mail order distributors.
American whisky fanatics enthusiastic about buying the US releases can register their curiosity with Diageo. Further info and European registration could be discovered on Diageo’s devoted Prima & Ultima website.
These are one-of-a-kind whiskies, a part of Scotland’s whisky heritage. In the event you can afford it, seize one. You’re unlikely ever to have one other probability.
