Comments on: Diageo Special Releases 2009 – The Verdict

By: Diageo 2009 Special Releases: Brora 30 year « Scotch Hobbyist’s Blog

Diageo 2009 Special Releases: Brora 30 year « Scotch Hobbyist’s Blog — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:34:59 +0000

[...] The Whisky Exchange Blog – Perhaps a little closer to my butterscotch…here we get condensed milk and tinned pears. Tim prefers this year’s Brora over last year’s 25 year and the 2007 30 year. [...]

By: Diageo Special Releases 2009: Caol Ila Unpeated 10 year « Scotch Hobbyist’s Blog

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:02:39 +0000

[...] The Whisky Exchange Blog [...]

By: Tasting Notes: Diageo's 2009 Special Releases | Whisky Party

Tasting Notes: Diageo's 2009 Special Releases | Whisky Party — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:53:43 +0000

[...] The Whisky Exchange has the official tasting notes, as well as their own thoughts. [...]

By: Diageo 2009 Special Releases: Talisker 25 and 30 (plus the 18 year) « Scotch Hobbyist’s Blog

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:25:36 +0000

[...] The Whisky Exchange Blog [...]

By: Diageo 2009 Special Release: Mannochmore 18 year « Scotch Hobbyist’s Blog

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:54:13 +0000

[...] The Whisky Exchange Blog [...]

By: NeFe

NeFe — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:31:19 +0000

Re Mannochmore: not kingfisher. Woodpecker? Maybe lesser-spotted?
lol

By: Jeff H.

Jeff H. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:38:34 +0000

Not that my opinion is worth much, but I was not invited by Diageo to any tastings, and I paid a pretty penny for my own 30ml samples of these Special Releases. I can say that I have no incentive to purchase full bottles of any of these if I don’t love them.

That being said, I’ve tasted the Laga 12 and Caol Ila Unpeated so far, and would have to concur wiith Tim that these are excellent (I would mention lemon more prominently in my own notes for CI, though)! In fact, I’ve already purchased a full bottle of the CI 10 as soon as the opportunity presented itself, and the Laga 12 is on my wish list.

Say what you will about Diageo and the potential for favoritism by those invited to the tasting, but there is plenty of evidence from independent reviewers, participants in whisky forums, and members of whisky clubs that these annual releases have tended to be very good. I don’t see how any rational person could conclude from Tim’s notes/history that he’s blowing smoke up our butts on this one.

Jeff

By: Tim F

Tim F — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:56:06 +0000

Eurgh, not you again, Will. I thought we’d managed to flush you away after the chorus of condemnation your last outburst of drivel provoked:

http://blog.thewhiskyexchange.com/2009/05/tasting-notes-suntory-hibiki-12-years-old/#more-831

Still, I suppose even moronic pondlife are entitled to their opinions, so I’ve published your comment in its full, er, glory. I won’t dignify your accusations with a response, as I don’t have anything to add to the riposte I gave you last time, and also as you clearly haven’t read the post properly: you missed the bit where I directed the sad pathetic losers to my earlier post on the whole Diageo situation.

Here it is again:

http://blog.thewhiskyexchange.com/2009/07/whisky-blog-pr-frenzy/

By: will

will — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:23:01 +0000

as usual, other than for the Benrinnes 23, in which you started to give an honest opinion, and then did an about face, everything tasted was exceptional. were your positive opinions once again based solely on the fact that you were invited by the group about to make 900 employees redundant because they only made 2 billion pounds profit last year, DIAGIO, or do you really think those specific drams really are as good as you say. And you would probably agree their Glen Ord is a somewhat elegant dram as well. Wow, what some people say for a free tasting. To be honest with you, I for 1 have a hard time supporting the greed of any company that operates the way DIAGIO does. But hey, you also help sell the probuct, right??????

By: Willie JJ

Willie JJ — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:29:11 +0000

Aaargh! Don’t tell me the Mannoch is good. I had decided not to buy it as I think it is way overpriced. Now I will torture myself for weeks before I make a decision.

Also, I can’t seem to fit myself into any of your classifications of the typical reader of your Blog, although the second picture may be closest.

By: Luke - AspiringGentleman

Luke - AspiringGentleman — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:55:16 +0000

Looks like some truly great whiskies being released. That unpeated Caol Ila looks tasty.

By: butephoto

butephoto — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:42:31 +0000

GOod to hear that the Lag is a cracker. I had last year’s down as my favourite bottle that I bought in 2008 and am really looking forward to it this year again!