Registration for purchasing has opened for Diagoe’s third iteration of Prima & Ultima, a series of rare Single Malt Scotch whiskies.
The bottlings have been drawn from either the first or last of their kind casks, with each one carefully curated by Diageo’s Master Blender Dr. Craig Wilson, who follows in the footsteps of previous curators Maureen Robinson and Dr. Jim Beveridge OBE. The eight unique bottles selected by Dr. Wilson takes the total number of the Prima & Ultima collection across the now-three releases to 24.
The list of liquids available in the third release include:
• Royal Lochnagar 1981 52.5% ABV, Refill casks, refill American Oak Hogsheads
• Cragganmore 1973 44.8% ABV, 3 refill American Oak Hogsheads
• Mannochmore 1990 45.1% ABV, Refill cask, untreated virgin European Oak
• Brora 1981 44.1% ABV, 1 refill American Oak Hogshead, 1 European Oak Sherry Butt
• The Singleton of Glen Ord 1987 49.4% ABV, 5 refill American Oak Hogsheads
• Lagavulin 1993 50.1% ABV, 1 Pedro Ximénez/oloroso seasoned butt, 1 refill American Oak Hogsheads
• Talisiker 1984 51.9% ABV, 3 refill Americana Oak Hogsheads, 1 ex-Sherry European Oak Butt
• Port Ellen 1980 59.6% ABV, 1 refill American Oak Hogshead, 1 ex-Sherry European Oak Butt
Dr. Wilson, Diageo’s Master Blender, said: “It is my honour to present the third release of Prima & Ultima, a collection of our rarest, most precious Single Malt Scotch Whiskies. I have personally selected each whisky with great care, each an exceptional spirit marking a special time in the distilleries’ history and whiskies that I’ve had the privilege to watch mature. I have also selected whiskies from Brora and Port Ellen. In the year we celebrate the Queen’s Platinum jubilee, I have selected the last ever Port Ellen 1980 cask, filled in the year Her Majesty visited the distillery’s maltings. The Brora bottling is equally as precious, taken from our last ever 1981 cask, making it one of our rarest Brora whiskies of all time.”
The RRSP of this third release comes in at £36,500, which includes a 20ml tasting sample alongside the full vintage bottlings. There are only 317 sets available to purchase, and interest must be registered through Diageo’s website. A selection of individual bottles are also available to purchase, which is music to the ears of collectors, especially since these whiskies will never be made again. Global registration closes on June 30th.