The march of new Diageo whisky releases from its portfolio of Scottish distilleries continued recently with word the Dufftown distillery in the Speyside region was releasing two new non-age statement offerings. Both will be available starting this month across a number of markets in Western Europe.
Tailfire
TailfireThe first one, known as the Singleton of Dufftown Tailfire single malt Scotch whisky, is said by Diageo to have a “vibrant and enticing character, which comes from maturation in a higher proportion of European oak casks specially selected to enhance the juicy red berry freshness and sweet aromas of vanilla and fresh cut grass.” It will price for around $55 and tasting notes for this 40% ABV whisky are as follows:
Nose: instant sweetness, ripe red berry fruit – strawberries, stewed plums and raspberry jam, vibrant cut grass emerges with rounded maltiness, giving way to vanilla and toasted oak
Palate: notes of malt and green grass soften quickly with the richness of the fruit with a hint of spice amongst the sweet oak notes
Finish: sweet with slightly drying oak and a creamy hint of coconut
Sunray
SunrayJoining Tailfire is Sunray, another single malt. This one sports “maturation in a higher proportion of toasted Bourbon casks specially selected to deliver a honeyed, vanilla sweetness with aromas of blackcurrant and baked apple.” Pricing at around $60 a bottle and sitting at 40% ABV, tasting notes are below:
Nose: incredibly soft, starting deep with demerara sugar and baked apple heather honey rises with floral top notes, blackcurrant and bramble striking the balance with soft malt
Palate: sweet and rounded, soft spice builds amongst the fruit
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Finish: sweet, with black currants and vanilla
A Younger Crowd
With Sunray and Tailfire, Diageo is going after a younger generation of whisky drinker, it said, “by putting flavour at the heart of everything we do and continuing our quest to create amazing tasting whiskies.” While it is hard to say how it will play out with these two new offerings, the spirits giant has nonetheless targeted those newer to Scotch with nuances in these bottlings such as colorful packaging that clearly indicates the taste profile as well as “clear flavor descriptors” chosen to “facilitate the demystification of single malt whisky.”
The names of the two whiskies, by the way, are derived from the names of salmon flies, which is inspired by the world of Singleton’s icon, the leaping salmon and fly fishing near the distillery’s home on the River Spey. Both new Scotches join 12, 15 and 18 year old expressions.
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