Independent bottler Douglas Laing & Co. has relaunched its Premier Barrel range of single cask ceramic decanters, releasing four new limited edition expressions bearing a new look.
The four whiskies – a 10-year-old Craigellachie, an eight-year-old Glen Garioch, a 10-year-old Dailuaine and a 10-year-old Bunnahabhain – are each bottled at 46% abv and presented in a 700ml ceramic decanter.
The Dailuaine bottling has been fully matured in an ex-Sherry cask, while the other three whiskies have been matured in ex-Bourbon hogsheads.
The packaging ‘modernises Premier Barrel whilst honouring its traditional and artisanal charm’, with each decanter featuring a hand-drawn label, ‘eccentric yet romantic’ rhyming tasting notes and colour differentiation based on the whisky’s region.
The decanter is also housed in a wooden gift box designed to be ‘reminiscent of an ancient book’.
Originally launched in 2008, the Premier Barrel range now falls under Douglas Laing & Co.’s Exceptional Single Casks umbrella, featuring a collection of single cask malt and grain bottlings under the Provenance, Old Particular and Xtra Old Particular labels.
Premier Barrel will now sit as the fourth Exceptional Single Cask brand.
The full details of the new Premier Barrel bottlings are:
- Craigellachie 10-year-old, 46% abv, matured in an ex-Bourbon hogshead. Priced around £65, the whisky is described as ‘fragrant and fabulous’ on the nose with ‘a sugary-sweet swirl of syrup’. Only 320 bottles produced.
- Glen Garioch eight-year-old, 46% abv, matured in an ex-Bourbon hogshead. Priced around £60, the whisky is said to contain notes of ‘salivating spice’ and grist. Only 313 bottles produced.
- Dailuaine 10-year-old, 46% abv, matured in an unspecified Sherry cask. Priced around £62, the bottling is described as being ‘seductively scented’ with Sherry, sugar and spice notes. Only 361 bottles produced.
- Bunnahabhain 10-year-old, 46% abv, matured in an ex-Bourbon hogshead. Priced around £70, the whisky is said to be ‘salubriously spiced’ with a ‘backslap of barley’. Only 313 bottles produced.
The relaunch of the Premier Barrel range comes on the heels of a flurry of releases celebrating Douglas Laing & Co.’s 70th anniversary, such as a series of limited edition Xtra Old Particular bottlings and a new Private Stock range of web-exclusive whiskies.
