Talisker Distillers Edition
Talisker is the oldest distillery on the Isle of Skye and for many years was the only one. Looking out over Loch Harport, the distillery was founded in 1830 by the MacAskill brothers and has been producing whisky for almost the entirety of the past two centuries. Now owned by Diageo, the distillery is able to rely on the resources such a corporate conglomerate is able to provide, like access to a host of casks to use in finishing. The Distillers Edition series is a program run by Diageo where standard offerings of a distillery are then further aged in ex-sherry or ex-wine casks. The Talisker Distillers Edition is a Talisker 10 year aged a further 12 months in ex-amoroso sherry casks. Amoroso is a blend out of Jerez, Spain where bodego workers would add a touch of Pedro Ximenez sherry to their bottles of Oloroso sherry, to make it more loveable, or “amoroso,” for their wives. This is similar to a cream sherry.
Craigellachie 17 Year
Craigellachie was founded in 1891 at the confluence of the rivers Spey and Fiddich. Despite being owned by international spirits conglomerate Bacardi, it is operated by scotch giant Dewar & Sons, along with Royal Brackla, Aberfeldy, Aultmore, and Macduff. Craigellachie has predominantly used for blends throughout its life, but the distillery began offering a line of age statements in 2014, albeit not what might be considered industry norm for years. That diverting from the norms is something Craigellachie does not shy away from. The Craighellachie 17 Year offers no flashy story or gimmicks, it is simply a whisky aged a minimum of 17 years from a proudly unapologetic distillery, unafraid to embrace who they are.
GlenAllachie 12 Year
Located in the heart of Speyside, a few thousand feet from the River Spey at the foot of Ben Rinnes, GlenAllachie was founded in 1967 by Mackinlay McPherson. It has changed ownership several times but is now independently owned and managed, one of the last remaining distilleries in Scotland to be so. While having much greater capacity, the current output of the distillery is around 500,000 liters of alcohol per year. They have 16 warehouses on site holding some 50,000 barrels. Despite this history, they have rebranded and are only relatively new on American shelves. Unlike many distilleries today, their line is dominated by a great number of age statement offerings across a few named ranges. The GlenAllachie 12 Year is the keystone of their core range and is a pure introduction, offering no cask finishes or proof hikes.