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4th September 2009 |
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The Managers Choice Release Details
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This is the first 6 of 27 single cask
malt whiskies released in the new The Managers’ Choice
Series, these were released
September 2009. |
|
Single
Malt |
Distilled |
Bottled |
No. of
Bottles |
UK RRP |
| Cardhu |
1997 |
2009 |
252 |
£250 |
| Glen Elgin |
1998 |
2009 |
534 |
£250 |
| Linkwood |
1996 |
2009 |
480 |
£200 |
| Mortlach |
1997 |
2009 |
240 |
£250 |
| Oban |
2000 |
2009 |
534 |
£300 |
| Teaninich |
1996 |
2009 |
246 |
£200 |
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About The Managers Choice
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September 2009
Diageo launched the first batch of its first ever complete
collection of single-cask malt whiskies.
This first batch includes Teaninich,
Glen Elgin, Linkwood, Oban, Mortlach and
Cardhu single-cask malt whiskies.
This is the first
time that Scotland's biggest estate of
single malt distilleries has issued a
comprehensive series of single-cask bottlings.
 Labelled The Managers' Choice, the
rare limited-edition series is aimed at
collectors and connoisseurs who will
enjoy owning and exploring an unusual
expression of their favourite single
malt or even a whole anthology of highly
individual single malts, chosen to
represent each of Diageo's 27 distilleries’
distinctive but authentic whisky
signature.
The releases are being staged in batches
over the next year. September 2009 sees
the first release of six malts.
Each one of Diageo's 27
distilleries’ is represented in
The Managers’ Choice by a bottling of
its single malt whisky drawn from one
single cask, selected after a careful
examination of distillery stocks. The
cask was nosed, tasted, discussed and
finally chosen as the most distinctive
expression of that distillery’s single
malts by a judging panel of acknowledged
experts, including leading maturation
experts and the distillery managers
themselves.
In many cases,
unusual cask woods will have had their
influence on the final result. Perfect
maturation and spirit quality have been
the criteria, resulting in a bottling
that delights with original and
sometimes unexpected flavours whilst
allowing the distillery character to
still shine through.
Depending on the size of the cask
and the rate of evaporation over the
years since it was filled, the volume of
bottles obtained can vary between
approximately 600 and as little as
200.These are, consequently, extremely
rare and distinctive whiskies.
Once picked, each cask is bottled at
its natural cask strength, without chill
filtering. Nothing is allowed to affect
the natural taste and aromas of the
whisky.
This means that the liquid the
connoisseur pours into his or her glass
is exactly as it emerged directly from
the cask when it was hand-picked a few
months earlier by the experts - it's as
good as a dram drawn from the cask in
the warehouse itself.
Diageo whisky specialist Craig
Wallace explained the challenge of
selecting a single cask for a bottling
that will be made available to a
discerning and knowledgeable consumer
audience:
“When you’re selecting casks
for a bigger bottling, you can work with
a wider variation of maturity,
distillery character and wood influence
because you can even it out and aim for
consistency”
“But when you are bottling a single
cask, you can't do that: you have to get
the balance totally right when selecting
the cask. And it's highly unlikely,
whatever single cask you choose this
time, that you'd ever be able to
replicate that precise flavour profile
the next time you look for one. ”
“So finding a single cask with just the
right balance is actually very
challenging.”
Classic Malts Selection spokesperson
Nick Morgan said: “We have occasionally
issued single-cask bottlings of
individual single malt whiskies before,
for instance for visitors to the annual
Islay Festival. And single-cask
bottlings of our malts can sometimes be
obtained from independent bottlers.
“But this is a much more ambitious
venture - the most extensive
collection we’ve ever released of single
cask malt whisky bottlings, from 27 of
our operational malt distilleries,
involving both the well-known and those
whose product isn’t widely available.
“Each individual distillery cask
selected by the experts after an
extensive examination has doubly earned
its place in The Managers’ Choice,
regardless of its age: because it
faithfully illuminates that distillery's
individual DNA, and also because it will
offer the connoisseur a different,
interesting and perhaps unexpected
experience of that whisky.”
Watch this space for news of the next
batch of releases in this rare
limited-edition series which should be
in November 2009 or simply subscribe to
our free
Whisky
Newsletter and we will let you know
by email.
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More About The Managers Choice
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Want to know more about
The Managers Choice Series then why not
read an
Interview With Craig Wallace
a Diageo Malt Whisky Specialist, about
his contribution to The Managers’ Choice
project.
Read the
Tasting notes Managers Choice 1st
Release
Read the
Details
of The Managers Choice 2nd Release
Read the
Tasting notes Managers Choice 2nd
Release
Read the
Details
of The Managers Choice 3rd Release
Read the
Tasting notes Managers Choice 3rd
Release
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The Managers Choice Availability
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The Managers Choice bottlings are
available from specialist retailers in
the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland
and the Netherlands only.
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Where To Buy The Managers Choice
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Select a country for a list
of specialist Whisky shops who delivers
to you:
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Whisky Focus:
<<<Back to
Whisky Focus for more Whisky News
|
Note: Diageo has 28 operational single
malt whisky distilleries, but spirit
distilled at Diageo’s new distillery at
Roseisle is not available yet.
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