This 18 bottle instant whisky collection features a number of limited and commemorative bottlings from Islay’s Ardbeg and Kilchoman distilleries, and Campbeltown’s Springbank distillery. Individual special releases from distilleries including Ben Nevis, Glenfiddich and Talisker, ensure this collection offers the opportunity for any whisky collector to acquire bottlings from a diverse group of renowned distilleries.
The Ardbeg bottlings include the first release following Ardbeg’s revival in 1997 when the distillery was purchased by Glenmorangie for £7 million, a 17-Year-Old bottling. As Ardbeg was refurbished to resume full production, Glenmorangie sought to re-establish the Ardbeg brand creating this 17-Year-Old expression from the existing maturing whisky stock distilled prior to Ardbeg’s closure. Ardbeg Renaissance is a conclusion of the Very Young, Still Young, and Almost There series, a quartet of commemorative limited bottlings following the maturation of Ardbeg’s malt first distilled after the distillery revival. Released in 2008 the Ardbeg Renaissance was the first 10-Year-Old bottling of the distillery’s ‘new’ spirit, and the basis for popular core range Ardbeg 10-Year-Old.
A Committee Release bottling, Ardbeg Rollercoaster commemorates the 10th Anniversary of the Ardbeg Committee, a worldwide group of fans and enthusiasts officially founded on the 1st January 2000. The Committee’s aim is to ensure Ardbeg never closes again, with members promoting knowledge and enjoyment of Ardbeg amongst whisky drinkers. The Committee Releases are highly sought bottlings of Ardbeg’s rare or experimental casks only available to members. First released on 15th February 2010, Ardbeg Rollercoaster was meet with considerable excitement as 50,000 Committee members attempted to purchase the limited release of 15,000 bottles, crashing Ardbeg’s website for hours. Ardbeg Rollercoaster was created using a portion of Ardbeg’s malt distilled every year between 1997 – 2006.
This instant whisky collection features the four earliest bottlings from Kilchoman distillery, which first began production in December 2005. Kilchoman is unique for completing all aspects of the whisky making process, from growing and malting barley to distillation and maturation on Islay. Initially a small-scale artisan distillery with a production capacity of 90,000 – 100,000 litres, the success and demand for Kilchoman’s early bottlings have prompted an expansion to increase capacity. Kilchoman Anticipation was released in 2006 aged 2 years as a new make spirit, as the minimum maturation period for Scotch whisky is 3 years Anticipation cannot legally be termed as whisky. The first Kilchoman single malt bottling is the Inaugural Release, released in 2009 and matured for up to 3 years in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in a sherry cask for 6 months. Kilchoman’s following Autumn 2009 and Spring 2010 releases were both released with 3-Year-Old age statements, and further experimented using ex-bourbon casks for maturation and oloroso sherry casks for finishing.
The Springbank bottlings featured in this collection both date from 1989, the year Springbank resumed full production after being mothballed for much of the 1980s during the ‘Whisky Loch’ period. The Springbank distillery actually produces three contrasting styles of whisky, including the medium-peated Springbank and heavily peated Longrow. An Islay style malt, Longrow was first distilled at Springbank distillery in 1973 and is named after the neighbouring Longrow distillery which closed in 1896. Springbank’s Wood Expressions series experiments with a mix of cask and spirit types on the distillery’s three styles of whisky for maturation to produce a range of limited editions. Springbank 1989 12 Year Rum was matured in a combination of rum hogsheads and barrels, with 5700 bottles filled in April 2002. Longrow 1989 13 Year Sherry Wood was matured in ex-sherry casks, with 2350 bottles filled in November 2002.
The collection features a number of individual limited distillery bottlings, each with distinctive vintages and stories. Ben Nevis 1984 25-Year-Old originates from the Ben Nevis distillery which sits at the base of its namesake, Scotland’s highest mountain. First distilled in December 1984 this limited edition Highland single malt was double matured, firstly in an ex-bourbon barrel for 14 years and re-racked into a sherry cask in October 1998 for a further decade before being bottled in January 2010.
Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix is the commemoration of an extreme weather accident at the Glenfiddich distillery. In 2010, heavy snow caused the partial collapse of Glenfiddich’s warehouse roof exposing maturing casks to the elements, and -19°C temperatures. Glenfiddich staff worked around the clock to save the casks, leading the Malt Master to select and marry oloroso and American oak from amongst the rescued casks to create Snow Phoenix.
A mysterious bottling from Douglas McNiven & Co 80/20 Scotch Whisky is the result of a mistake from Glenmorangie. In 1999, a blending error led to casks of Glenmorangie 21-Year-Old getting accidentally mixed with an undisclosed 3-Year-Old blend at the bottling plant. The proportions were 80% Glenmorangie to 20% mystery whisky.
An annual release from Talisker the oldest distillery on Skye, the Distillers Edition is double matured for up to 6 months in ex-amoroso sherry casks. Diageo’s Distillers Edition range showcase regional whisky styles presenting a new perspective of single malts from popular distilleries through cask finishing, giving a new dimension to well loved drams. As just one batch of each Distillers Edition is produced annually, this Talisker which was distilled in 1988 and bottled in 2001 represents a vintage expression.
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