Special Releases 2013 Exquisitely Rare
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SPECIAL RELEASES 2013 EXQUISITELY RARE A LIMITED COLLECTION OF NATURAL CASK STRENGTH SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKIES FROM THE ORIGINAL DISTILLERS 2013 2013 - SPECIAL RELEASES SPECIAL RELEASES - 2013 SPECIAL … WON DER FU L MEANS SPECIAL TO RECEIVE How could these whiskies be What makes each Special Release All this year’s Special Releases offer Know someone celebrating a anything other than special? Our so special? Invariably hand-crafted an intriguing experience for the whisky 34th anniversary? This year’s release of Special Releases are small annual in a traditional distillery and usually enthusiast. Many will make a great gift a perfect PORT ELLEN 34 year old, releases of limited edition, usually bottled at natural cask strength, for someone special, for example on the oldest we have released and surely natural cask strength single malts. they give the purest evidence of that birthdays or anniversaries; for a 35th destined to be among the rarest, would Many are very old and unusual distillery’s craft. All are very rare. there’s our equal oldest ever Special make a very special treat. While for a bottlings from famous and closed At most there are a few thousand Release of majestic BRORA 35 year Christmas whisky gift to end them all, distilleries. They are highly sought bottles worldwide; on occasion, just old, this one distilled in 1977, while if you’re very quick and frankly, rather after and collectable, often increasing a few hundred. All are from casks our oldest ever CONVALMORE wealthy, there’ll be a fabulously rare in value after release. hand-selected for the highest quality. is a 36 year old. LAGAV U LI N 37 year old casked That said, they are above all Many feature individually designed, Looking for something to lay down in 1976. magnificent and unusual whiskies for hand-finished packaging. on a twenty-first? If you’re quick you Fans of Islay malt can also choose enthusiasts to drink and enjoy. As you Hard to find and reassuringly may catch an unusually luscious, spicy the unusual and rare unpeated cask buy one for yourself remember too that expensive, Special Releases are 21 year old from CARDHU aged in strength CAOL ILA, this year coming the gift of a Special Release whisky available only at specialist retailers, ex-bourbon American Oak casks or a from a special reserve aged in three says the recipient is special. Drinking at prices to suit many, if not very rare 21 year old from OBAN. different types of cask to honour a Single Malt Scotch Whisky made all pockets. Meanwhile this year’s release of distillery manager Billy Stitchell’s in the year of your birth is a unique a quite wonderful 27 year old from long family tradition, or the pungent, pleasure. Special days can be marked TALISKER would make a real treat perfect 12 year old cask strength by a suitable 21 year old, say, for Father’s Day, as would our first LAGAV U LI N. Both are excellent. and there’s always Father’s Day release of a 28 year old SINGLETON Each is quite different from its sister or Christmas … OF DUFFTOWN. Both are from CLASSIC MALTS regular bottling. casks filled in 1985 (at different times No matter which you choose, of year, to explain the differing ages). or why, the result is sure to be Special. 2 3 2013 - SPECIAL RELEASES SPECIAL RELEASES - 2013 NATU RAL CASK STRENGTH All bar one of our Special Releases Independent cask strength bottlings, have been bottled at the natural which often come from a single cask strength. cask, inevitably vary. Collectors and Why is this important? Well, any connoisseurs can buy Special Releases malt not bottled at ‘natural’ cask in safety, knowing that the original strength must, by definition, have distillers have cared for and bottled been bottled at a lower ‘cask strength’, them and that the casks chosen are via the addition of water... the very finest available. When the earliest of these Special Special Releases can go cloudy Releases were laid down distillers often or opaque when water is added. filled their casks at high strengths – The cloudiness is because the malt even 75% ABV was not uncommon. has been hand-filtered; to preserve its Even now, after the angels have taken special qualities no Special Release their share, natural cask strength for is chill-filtered. the older whiskies can be 55–60% ABV. It would be easy to bottle them at a reduced strength and produce more bottles. We don’t. 4 SPECIAL RELEASES - 2013 RARITY BEYOND PRICE BRORA 35 YEAR OLD Special Releases will never be Just 1,868 bottles will exist of CAOL ILA STITCHELL RESERVE common and many are vanishingly our rare 37 year old LAGAV U LI N. rare. Unsurprisingly, they have often Around 40,000 examples of one of CARDHU 21 YEAR OLD increased in value after release, though the most sought after hand-made to hoard them would be to deny the watches, a Patek Philippe, are said great pleasure for which they are always to be produced each year. CONVALMORE 36 YEAR OLD made; that of enjoying and appreciating Around 20,000 examples of the their unique character. rare and expensive Leica M9 can The entire production of all ten be produced in a year. There will LAGAVULIN 12 YEAR OLD Special Releases for 2013 is just over be just 2,944 bottles of BRORA 85,000 bottles. That may sound quite 35 year old. a number, but even so it’s fewer than LAGAVULIN 37 YEAR OLD we could bottle five or six years ago. To put this in context, 2,958 bottles will OBAN 21 YEAR OLD be available of this year’s 34 year old PORT ELLEN. One of the world’s rarest and most iconic red wines, PORT ELLEN 34 YEAR OLD Romanée-Conti AOC, produces 3,500 bottles or more each year. SINGLETON OF DUFFTOWN 28 YEAR OLD TALISKER 27 YEAR OLD 2013 - SPECIAL RELEASES SPECIAL RELEASES - 2013 A REMARKABLE COLLECTION When you come to own one, a Special Release should feel as special as it is. Some exceptional hand-crafted packaging is used. This year’s original designs continue a proud tradition, coming from several award-winning master designers. To be able to enjoy them all would be a remarkable experience. Be warned though; it isn’t easy; there have now been well over a hundred Special Releases, many of them now exceedingly rare and highly prized. 8 2013 - SPECIAL RELEASES SPECIAL RELEASES - 2013 THE SPECIAL RELEASES STORY During the late 1980s, benchmark sale on a well-known website at £3,500). expressions of single malt whiskies A PORT ELLEN 22 year old and a from six single malt distilleries were TALISKER 25 year old followed and released as the CLASSIC MALTS. as quickly sold out. Both malts would In 1995, with interest rising in single see regular releases in the series. malt whiskies, came the R A R E A year later bottlings came at prices MALTS, an acclaimed and still from £40 to £300 and the pattern of collected ten year series of rare old annual releases as we now know it was releases, often from closed distilleries, established. TALISKER and PORT which ended as stocks declined. ELLEN were joined by a 30 year There was a continuing demand old BRORA, a 32 year old OBAN, for unusual, distinctive, unrepeatable a 36 year old DALWHINNIE and cask strength bottlings, including some two special releases of LAGAV U LI N, from the CLASSIC MALTS (which a 12 and a 25 year old. BRORA and were never available in the R A R E LAGAV U LI N 12 releases would also MALTS series). To satisfy it, Special feature annually from now on. Releases began in 2001. The first, a mere 100 bottle release of TALISKER 28 year old at 43.3%, sold out at once even though priced at £495 (as this is written a bottle is for 12 2013 - SPECIAL RELEASES SPECIAL RELEASES - 2013 2003 saw a further nine releases, In 2005 came ten more astonishing 2007 saw ten more stories unfold. BRORA added depth while a 16 year including an irreplaceable 50 year gems, including 28 year olds from A sublime 21 year old LAGAV U LI N old GLEN ELGIN from European old GLENURY ROYAL (then CONVALMORE and BRECHIN, soon sold out, while a glorious 30 year Oak rounded off the year. the most expensive Special a trio of 25 year olds from PORT old TALISKER and a 36 year old In 2009 nine more stars sparkled in Release, at £950). TALISKER, ELLEN, TALISKER and CAOL GLENURY ROYAL shone brightly. the firmament. A trio of Speyside malts LAGAV U LI N, PORT ELLEN, ILA, and a 36 year old GL EN U RY A PORT ELLEN 28 year old and were bright newcomers; a well-muscled BRORA and DALWHINNIE ROYAL. The 30 year olds from a rare ROSEBANK 25 year old BENRINNES 23 year old, a rare again featured, joined by a 29 year GLEN ORD, and especially from complemented them, whilst a MANNOCHMORE 18 year old and old CRAGGANMORE, a 28 year BRORA, continued to impress with LAGAV U LI N 12 year old and an a PITTYVAICH 20 year old. Another old GLEN ORD and a particularly their vivacity. Twelve months on a unpeated CAOL ILA 8 year old also star trio comprised 30 year old releases fine 32 year old GLEN ELGIN. further nine malts included a trio featured, along with a robust 25 year of TALISKER, PORT ELLEN and The following year saw another of exceptional 30 year olds from old TALISKER and a smooth BRORA, while a classic 12 year old nine releases from TALISKER, LAGAV U LI N, TALISKER and ROYAL LOCHNAGAR Selected LAGAV U LI N and the now 10 year LAGAV U LI N, PORT ELLEN BRORA.