Roseisle 12 year old, Diageo Special Releases 2023

In what may be a shoutout to us whisky geeks, Diageo has brought an official Roseisle single malt into the world. I'm a bit curious which Roseisle we're getting. Much like Yamazaki and Loch Lomond (how about that duo!), Roseisle Distillery was designed to produce different whiskies for different products. And though it was a Death Star-sized monstrosity when it opened in 2009, Roseisle's annual production is no longer shocking. Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, and Macallan each produces more spirit. Meanwhile Alisa Bay and Diageo's own Glen Ord have almost the same annual output as Roseisle, as of this year.

In any case, this actual special release was matured with minimal cask tinkering, so hopefully it will highlight the spirit (whatever type it may be) produced at this big baby production facility.

Distillery: Roseisle

Owner: Diageo

Region: Speyside (Moray)

Age: minimum 12 years

Bottling year: 2023

Maturation: first-fill bourbon casks and "refill" casks
Outturn: ?????

Alcohol by Volume: 56.5%

Chillfiltered? ???
e150a? ???

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

It starts off mild and grassy on the nose, with small notes of lemons, apricots, and wet stones. Anise, cardamom, and vanilla sugar wafers arrive next. The fresh apricot note grows with time, while a few digestive biscuits join in. Dried apricot is the loudest note in the very sweet palate, with orange candy, lemon candy, a bit of barley in the background. May I repeat, this is very sweet. It finishes with orange liqueur and hints of milk chocolate and lemon juice.

DILUTED to 46%abv, or 1⅓ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The fresh apricot note remains in the nose's foreground, with orange blossoms, and apple peels filling in the rest. Meanwhile, the palate and finish feel oakier, saltier, harsher, and hotter, as the tannins start to rumble.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Diageo was successful, this does indeed taste like a decent Speyside-ish malt that could brighten up many a blend. I like all the apricots, though the palate gets too sugary for this curmudgeon. With some good blending, this could easily take on Glens Fiddich's and Livet's 12 year olds without a problem, though that's no longer much of a feat. It's a casual drink, in fact I need my written notes because I've mostly forgotten the palate, less than an hour later, though I remember it doesn't swim well. Yet the apricots...

Availability - Still available in North America and Europe
Pricing - $125-$175
Rating - 82 (neat only)