Diageo’s 4th Edition of Rare and Celebrated Prima and Ultima Collection Features Whiskies From Resurrected Ghost Distilleries, the Oldest Talisker Scotch Ever and More
Diageo’s Prima and Ultima Collection hosts offerings from rare distilleries like Talisker, Brora and Port Ellen to name a few. (Photo: Diageo)
On Wednesday, Diageo unveiled the latest expressions of single malt scotch whiskies featured in its prestigious Prima and Ultima collection, and the offerings are impressive, to say the least. The collection hosts a price tag of $44,000, with just 413 full sets available. The spirits supplier will also offer individual bottlings for purchase to individuals looking to expand their spirits collections without wanting to commit to the full set.
The whisky collection “presents the chance to build one of the rarest and most exceptional liquid libraries,” Diageo said in a news release.
Prima and Ultima’s fourth annual collection features eight rare, vintage, cask-strength single malts hand-selected by Johnnie Walker Master Blender Dr. Emma Walker.
“It is a privilege to introduce the fourth release of Prima and Ultima which I have personally selected from Scotland’s reserves of exceptionally aged Single Malt Scotch Whisky,” Walker said in the news release. “Each of these whiskies has been watched, influenced and marked as outstanding. As well as being exceptional, these rare whiskies were each distilled during a specific, unrepeatable moment of note or change at each of the eight iconic distilleries.”
Walker also explained that she chose whiskies that had personal significance to her. One of the single malts, a 1977 Brora, has been a dream of hers to work with. With the fourth edition of Prima and Ultima, the dream was realized.
Interested parties can purchase the Prima & Ultima sets through appointed agents, and an online registration page is open from September 13 to October 11 for collectors to register.
The Whiskies in Diageo’s Fourth Prima and Ultima Collection
Brora 1977 45 Year Old
The Brora 1977 hosts a 48.2% ABV and was bottled on Nov. 3 from an American Oak Hogshead. Only 794 bottles exist. The whisky was filled from the very last hogsheads in the last distillation of the year and marks the end of the “Age of Peat.” The 45-year-old whisky is described as complex on the nose with a “sweet peat” character. Brora closed in the 1980s and was a “ghost distillery” until it was resurrected by Diageo in 2021
Clynelish 1996 26 Year Old
Clynelish 1996 was bottled on Nov. 29. The single malt is considered a “first and last of its kind” and was an experimental release from the brand. Clocking in at 52% ABV, 889 bottles are available from the producer. It was aged in a mixture of Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso Casks with seasoned European Oak butts. The choice of oak adds what is described as a “sweetness and darkness” to the typically crisp expressions of Clynelish.
Lagavulin 1997 25 Year Old
This scotch was bottled on Feb. 25, 2022, at a percentage of 50.7% ABV from refilled American oak casks. Just 625 bottles of this expression are available, and the 1997 liquid was considered the final expression of a “golden year,” at the distillery. This was bottled when Mike Nicolson was the distillery manager and is considered a rich, opulent expression of Islay malt.
Pittyvaich 1992 30 Year Old
Pittyvaich is one of the lesser-known distillers whose work is featured in the collection. This 30-year-old whisky was bottled on Feb. 20, 2022. The expression was aged in one of the last Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso-seasoned European Oak casks from 1992. It clocks in at 55.5% ABV and is the distillery’s last-ever 30-year-old whisky, and is described as having fruity and spicy aromas according to Diageo.
Oban 1996 26 Year Old
Bottled at 55.2% ABV, Oban 1996 was bottled on July 19, 2022, after being aged in a refill European Oak cask that Diageo says is a rarity for Oban and brings a dry, oceanic quality to this scotch whisky. This offering was bottled when the distillery won the competitive Managers Dram competition three times — a record. Diageo describes the single malt is described as peppery and spicy.
Port Ellen 1978 43 Year Old
This “vanishingly rare,” expression from Port Ellen — a formerly mothballed distillery — was bottled on Oct. 17 from an American Oak Hogshead. Four hundred and thirteen bottles are available of this 53.4%-ABV expression, which was nurtured under Iain MacArthur’s stewardship. MacArthur filled the last cask at Port Ellen in 1983, and the expression showcases the character of the distillery.
The Singleton of Dufftown 1985 37 Year Old
This expression clocks in at 47.7% ABV and was bottled on Jan. 21, 2022, from an American Oak hogshead. Only 511 bottles of this expression from The Singleton of Dufftown exist. The expression was sourced from rediscovered casks during the acquisition of a new warehouse. The Singleton specializes in slow crafting, and the single malt is described as having a fruity nose with a lightly oily and smooth texture.
Talisker 1976 46 Year Old
This is the oldest-ever release from the Talisker, based out of the Isle of Skye. The 50.9%-ABV expression was bottled on Dec. 17, and just 771 bottles are available. The year 1976 in Scotland was a unique one due to an unprecedented heatwave. The heat increased copper contact during the distillation process, as the stills ran hot at the time, and the whisky rested in one single puncheon, which Diageo says increased this offering’s complexity.
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