Why settle for a limited edition bottle of Scotch when you can buy the cask it came from?
If it is already so deeply satisfying to own something precious that only a handful of others do, imagine being the sole owner of something that can never be reproduced. That’s exactly what Diageo wants to offer the most ardent of whisky connoisseurs. Established in 2017, the Casks of Distinction programme is a curated selection of rare single malt casks taken from a number of Diageo’s distilleries and made available for purchase to its private clients.
“The purest way to appreciate a fine, old single malt Scotch whisky, is directly from the cask, at cask strength,” says Craig Wilson, Diageo’s Master of Malts. So from Diageo’s portfolio of 28 operating distilleries and 11 “ghost” distilleries, in-house experts single out casks that are exceptional enough to stand on their own. “Each cask is entirely unique, a moment of distilling history captured in liquid form. A single malt, from a single distillery, distilled on a single day, that has been nurtured and matured in a single cask for its entire life.”
The 2018 batch, now available to the Singapore market, includes casks from popular distilleries like Talisker, Caol Ila and Lagavulin, lesser-known gems like Knockando and Benrinnes, and closed distilleries like the legendary Port Ellen, Brora and Pittyvaich.
After purchase, the casks will continue to mature in Scotland until the buyer decides – under advisement from a master distiller – when it’s time for bottling. Bottles drawn from these casks will be serialised and hallmarked with the client’s signature of choice. Interested enthusiasts can get in touch with the Johnnie Walker House Private Suite by writing to concierge@johnniewalker.com or visiting www.johnniewalkerhouse.com.
GRAPE EXPECTATIONS
GOLDEN YEAR
CULTURAL MASH-UP
Unlike certain styles of wines and whiskies, gin is relatively free from regulation and stuffy heritage, which is what gives The Kyoto Distillery the freedom to experiment. After the success of its flagship Ki No Bi Dry Gin featuring Japanese botanicals, high-proof Ki No Bi “Sei” and whisky cask-aged Ki Noh Bi, the inventive distillers have recently announced Ki No Bi Edition G, the world’s first gin to be matured in champagne barriques. The casks, made from wood sourced from the Argonne Forest in Champagne, are supplied by champagne house Henri Giraud. The limited quantities first released in Japan were sold out within a day, but we can expect a global release by the third quarter of this year.
