South African spirits company Distell has revealed this year’s collection of limited edition single malts from its Bunnahabhain, Deanston and Tobermory distilleries.
The 2019 collection is comprised of eight whiskies, all of which have been finished in a variety of ex-Sherry, Port and brandy casks.
Derek Scott, brand director for malt whisky at Distell, said: ‘The team surprise us every year with the creation of new and exciting expressions, continuing to achieve incredible results with their choice of finishing casks.
‘One of my particular favourites this year has to be the Bunnahabhain Vintage Marsala Finish; it has sweet hints of chocolate and caramel that develop into a lingering smoky pepperiness, which is extremely memorable.’
The eight limited edition expressions featured in the collection are as follows:
- Bunnahabhain 1988 Vintage Marsala Finish, bottled at 47.4% abv and priced at £450 per bottle. Approximately 420 bottles have been created.
- Bunnahabhain 2007 Port Finish, bottled at 55.3% abv, priced at £90 per bottle. Around 275 bottles have been produced.
- Bunnahabhain 2007 French Brandy Finish, bottled at 52.5% abv, priced at £90 per bottle. An estimated 570 bottles have been created.
- Deanston 1997 Palo Cortado Finish, bottled at 51.8% abv, priced around £150 per bottle. Around 280 bottles have been produced.
- Deanston 2002 Organic Oloroso, bottled at 50.6% abv, priced at £100 per bottle. The organic oloroso casks used to finish the malt were supplied by Robles, said to be the only fully organic Sherry producer in Spain. An estimated 528 bottles have been created.
- Deanston 2006 Fino Finish, bottled at 55% abv, priced at £65 per bottle. An estimated 268 bottles have been produced.
- Tobermory 1999 Marsala Finish, bottled at 55.7% abv and priced at £130 per bottle. Around 211 bottles have been created.
- Ledaig 1997 Manzanilla Finish, bottled at 52.9% abv, priced at £160 per bottle. An estimated 258 bottles have been produced.
The collection will be available in international markets and global travel retail from July, although the Bunnahabhain Port Finish and Deanston Fino Finish will be unavailable in Canada and the US.
To announce the release of the collection, Distell has produced a video in which master blender Dr Kirstie McCallum, blender Julianne Fernandez and distilleries manager Stephen Woodcock lead tastings of all eight whiskies.
July also marks the reopening of Tobermory, following a two-year closure to renovate and improve the distillery’s facilities.
