Credits: Article and images by Ken Gargett @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/04/21/singleton-40-year-old-malt-whisky-a-truely-majestic-malt/
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Since 1966, they have operated with six pot stills, three wash stills and three spirit stills (prior to 1966, there were just two stills). Each of the three wash stills have a capacity of 17,000 liters, while the spirit stills are a little smaller – 16,000 liters.
The new still house, completed in 2015, provides a further eight stills, four wash (16,000 liters) and four spirit (14,000 liters) stills.
The Black Isle is famous for first-class barley, hence the reason that the Glen Ord distillery still possesses on-site maltings, while also producing malt for some of the other Diageo distilleries, such as Talisker, Clynelish and Brora. The malt used here is unpeated.
Singleton offers 12-Year-Old, 15-Year-Old and 18-Year-Old malts, but also very limited bottlings of much older whiskies. The latest is the 40-Year-Old (A$5,940/US$3,755 excluding duty and taxes/£3,300). From their original 12-Year-Old malts, it had an extensive ‘secondary maturation’ of 28 years in a combination of former rum, bourbon, Pedro Ximénez and oloroso sherry casks before the final finish in ex-solera casks that previously housed Zacapa XO and Zacapa Royal rums.
It is part of what Singleton term the Epicurean Odyssey Series – Malt Master for Singleton, Maureen Robinson, has said, about the series, “I am in a privileged position to be able to use the skills I’ve acquired over my more than forty years at Diageo and apply them to experiment with flavor; something The Singleton gives me the freedom to do.”
The aim of the team with this 40-Year-Old was to make the most indulgent whisky they could.
There are just 1,716 bottles available worldwide. This is a cask strength whisky at 45.9% ABV (something I know will please some readers), although notwithstanding the advice quoting that figure regularly, my bottle actually noted the alcohol at 55.4%. In recent years, they have also released a 38-Year-Old and a 39-Year-Old malt. This 40-Year-Old is the third and final release in the series.
Tasting notes – The color is glorious bronze gold. The nose is wonderfully decadent, rich and complex. There are flavors weaving through dark chocolate, stewed peaches, honeycomb, spices, black cherries and ripe tropical notes. A very gentle whiff of smoke and toffee entwined. Finishes with caramel, glacéd pineapple and a hint of chocolate biscuits. Alluringly mellow but with undoubted power, there is amazing length. If a hedonistic malt is your thing, then you will find this a majestic malt.
For more information, please visit https://www.thesingleton.com/about
* This article was first published 21 May 2023 at Singleton 40-Year-Old Malt Whisky: a Majestic Malt
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Credits: Article and images by Ken Gargett @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/04/21/singleton-40-year-old-malt-whisky-a-truely-majestic-malt/