Today, Diageo has announced the fourth instalment in its The Twelve by Casks of Distinction program: 12 ultra-premium and ultra-rare casks, handpicked by its master blender team and never to be repeated, available to buy and bottle as you wish.
The problem is, if that announcement – or indeed this article – is the first time you’re hearing about the latest The Twelve, you’re likely already too late. The contents of those dozen casks were already revealed just shy of two weeks ago at an invite-only get-together at Royal Lochnagar Distillery in the shadow of King Charles III’s Scottish estate, Balmoral. In attendance was a convivial assembly of Diageo’s private clients (aka some of the world’s most prolific whisky collectors) and, for the first time in the program’s history, a select few members of the media – of which Elite Traveler was one.
We should start with the whisky, though, out of respect for the 4,200 hours that Diageo’s specialists spend tasting spirits from a stockpile of over 11 million barrels. Each of the master whisky makers involved must agree before a cask is selected, and the chosen few aren’t necessarily the ‘best’ – rather they’re the truest representation of the diverse Diageo arsenal.
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“Myself and my team are constantly looking, analysing, and monitoring,” explains master blender Dr Craig Wilson, standing amid rows of barrels at Royal Lochnagar, the air filled with their pungent, musty smell. “With The Twelve, we’re really trying to show the depth of flavor across [the portfolio], from light and sweet to rich and heavy.”
Among this year’s 12 are two Taliskers, a Caol Ila with a distinctive whiff of maple syrup and smoky bacon, and a spicy Blair Athol. The highlight, though, is the Lagavulin 1991 Cask #1069, of which drams are handed out amid a theatrical and fittingly smoke-filled unveiling. The whisky itself is all classic Islay peat, with layers of rich dark fruit. The drama of the reveal clearly had its desired effect: “How much?” asks one enthusiastic collector the minute the name was shared. “We’ll all be sharing my Lagavulin next year,” quips another.
That promise of sharing is what really brought most of these collectors here, pulling them away from busy lives and jobs and demands. Yes, they want to be the new owner of this rare one-of-one cask, but ownership doesn’t require attendance – a trusted advisor could have come in their place, or samples could have been shipped to more accessible London for a tasting at a time of their choosing. They could have even purchased blind, without even smelling the liquid.
Instead, they’ve allowed Diageo to tempt them with a trip to remote Scotland in September. They’ve come from the US, Taiwan, Lebanon, the UK, and Singapore. Some are staying for a few days in Scandi-luxe accommodation across the Glenshiel estate, with activities such as shooting grouse or an off-road Defender tour on offer, while others fly in last-minute for the tasting and leave as soon as a celebratory dinner at the nearby Fife Arms wraps up.
“I was in Doha this morning, I’m here tonight, and I go to Tel Aviv tomorrow,” one anonymous American attendee, who has been to every The Twelve release in person and tries to bring a different one of his sons each year, tells me. “I wouldn’t do that for anybody, but I know this experience is going to be melded into my brain.”
Collectors want to be the first to try this whisky – and ideally the one to call it theirs – but they also want to meet the other people vying to buy it and become part of the community that has grown around the program. “The liquid obviously makes me curious but … I always come because I know people who are coming, and enjoying life is about people. Some of my greatest friends I’ve met through the Casks of Distinction program,” says the American collector.
“It’s important to meet kindred spirits, who all really like spirits,” says another anonymous attendee, who has traveled from Singapore with his wife for their first The Twelve launch. “Back [home], we have several very close friends that we met through the Diageo cask program … we’ve got to know each other so well that we do yearly trips together.”
Attendance aside, possession comes with its own variation of social cachet. Diageo will look after the purchased cask for five years, and owners can bottle whenever they like, with personalized labels, no less. (The assumption is that the new Lagavulin owner will make the full use of their five-year window to bring the whisky up to a 40-year-old at bottling.) Gifting to business associates is common for collectors, but others relish the chance to celebrate.
“When our casks are bottled, the first thing we do is throw a big party,” says the Singaporean collector. “We invited everyone down, and we gave a few bottles to our friends who really appreciate whisky – but do keep a few for ourselves.”
‘Swapsies’ has become standard practice, too; among collectors, agreements to trade bottles can begin long before the casks are bottled. “There’s a guy [here today] who has invited me to [see him],” the American collector tells me. “I’m going to bring samples from all my six casks. He has four or five casks he’s going to bring. And he’s going to bring 10 friends, and they’ll bring their [whiskies] and we’re going to have a night that you can write about for the next 50 years.”
Ten days after the showcase, I ask the Diageo representatives if the crowning Lagavulin has got a new owner. “Diageo doesn’t share details of their private sales,” is the responding party line. Lips might be sealed, but based on the enthusiasm in the room, we can draw our own conclusions. For everyone else, the best bet at trying it for yourself may be to befriend one of those lucky enough to have been invited – and come armed with a decent trade.
