The Singleton of Glen Ord 40 Year Old is the third and final bottling in Diageo's Epicurean Odyssey Series. Malt Master Maureen Robinson took a 12-year-old Glen Ord and gave it a further 28 years in casks that had held Ron Zacapa XO and Zacapa Royal rum, then bottled it at a natural 45.9% ABV.
About This Whisky
In the Epicurean Odyssey Series, Maureen Robinson set out to push secondary maturation in experimental casks to the extremes. The 38 and 39 year olds came first; this 40 year old closes the set. After 12 years in its first casks, the spirit spent 28 years in solera casks from Zacapa, the Guatemalan rum that also belongs to Diageo. That second stage is unusually long, and it gives dark chocolate, plum and toffee rather than an obvious rum note. The release ran to 1,716 bottles, at natural strength, without chill filtration or added colour.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Dried apple and sage at first, then plums wrapped in dark chocolate, hard toffee and oak shavings over a sweetly spiced base.
- Palate: Pears dipped in dark chocolate, caramelised banana and pineapple, rich fruit held in check by slowly building black pepper and a cocoa-like dryness.
- Finish: Quite long and lightly drying, with pepper and a last hint of waxy smoke.
Serving & Food
Serve it unchilled in a copita and taste it undiluted; at 45.9% it rarely needs water. Diageo matched it with a pecan financier at launch, and nutty pastries, a dark chocolate and orange tart, or a plate of dates and walnuts follow the same idea.
How to Enjoy
A landmark birthday or retirement, or a slow after-dinner glass for someone who enjoys very old Highland malt with a dessert-like side.
Product Details
Distillery: Glen Ord, Muir of Ord, Highlands, Scotland
Brand: The Singleton of Glen Ord
Series: The Epicurean Odyssey Series (third and final release)
Age: 40 years old
Maturation: 12 years in initial casks, then 28 years in ex-Zacapa XO and Zacapa Royal rum solera casks
Outturn: 1,716 bottles
ABV: 45.9%
Volume: 700mL
Country: Scotland
About the Distillery
Glen Ord sits at Muir of Ord, on the edge of the Black Isle north-west of Inverness. It opened in 1838 as the Ord Distillery Company, drawing power from two water wheels fed by Loch nam Bonnach and Loch nan Eun. In 1968 large maltings were built next door, and they still supply Glen Ord and several other distilleries. Its owners, the Distillers Company, were absorbed into Guinness in the 1980s, and the distillery has belonged to Diageo since that company was formed in 1997. Its whisky goes into Johnnie Walker blends and, as a single malt, into The Singleton of Glen Ord, long sold mainly in Asian markets.