In the 1980s “dark days” of Scotland’s malt whisky malaise, United Distillers and Vintners (now Diageo) pulled off a brilliant bit of marketing magic by redefining malt whisky as a deluxe offering and classifying the malts into six geographic regions. The Classic Malts of Scotland — Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie, Glenkinchie, Lagavulin, Oban, and Talisker — revitalized a sagging Scotch whisky marketplace. Now, Diageo has expanded the line to include annual double-cask matured versions in their Distiller’s Edition portfolio.
The 2023 series brings Cragganmore in Port Casks, Dalwhinnie in Oloroso, Glenkinchie in Amontillado, Lagavulin in Pedro Ximenez, Oban in Montilla Fino, and Talisker in Amoroso.
Cragganmore — Port Cask Finish | 40% ABV
Nose: Meyer lemon fading into shortbread cookies, melted vanilla ice cream, unflavoured hard candy
Palate: Rich and oily buttercream — Ex-Bourbon influence clear, port cask adds underlying sweetness. Like a chocolate croissant with raspberry reduction.
Dalwhinnie — Oloroso Finish | 15 Year
Nose: Muted strawberries, touch of lemon, sweet malt from the sherry
Palate: Opens softly revealing mellow peat, creamsicle, salted cashew, peppery backbone
Glenkinchie — Amontillado Finish | 43% ABV
Nose: Toasted marshmallows, lemon bars, subtle raisin, dried fruit
Palate: Subtle lemon, cayenne pepper, toasted oak, warm spice
Lagavulin — Pedro Ximenez Finish
Nose: Beautiful ashtray aromas — salty, ashy, iodine, rubber — PX present but mutated into a “peated sherry”
Palate: Aggressive charcoal-grilled burnt steak, burnt rubber, vanilla, sourdough biscuits, spice
Oban — Montilla Fino Finish
Nose: Charred vanilla, raspberry, slight salinity from the Fino casks
Palate: Burnt salted meat, muted vanilla, popcorn butter, raspberry
Talisker — Amoroso Finish
Nose: Nearly undetectable peat — smoked salted caramel
Palate: Oily, very oaky and char-heavy — not a lot of flavor variety
Final Thoughts
My overall favorite, hands down, is the Lagavulin. It’s almost everything I want from an Islay Scotch — I just want it at cask strength.
Originally published on Wine & Whiskey Globe. Samples received from Diageo.