Here is the fourth of my reviews of the 2023 Special Release from Diageo. I’ve previously reviewed the Talisker, which bears the name “The Wild Explorador”; the Lagavulin, which bears the name “The Ink of Legends”; and the Roseisle, which bears the name “The Origami Kite”. Here now is a Glendullan that is older than all three of those; I believe this one’s special name is “The Macramé Turtle”. Strange are the ways of Diageo. So strange, in fact, that this Glendullan was finished in French Oak casks that had previously held chardonnay. Will that be enough to make Glendullan special? Let’s see.

Glendullan 14, Special Release 2023 (55%; Chardonnay de Bourgogne French Oak Finish; from a bottle split)

Nose: A very nice opening with honey, lemon, peach and cream; just a bit of toasted oak in the background and on the second sniff, some grass. As it sits there’s some overripe pear in there as well. A few drops of water push the oak back and make the fruit a little muskier still.

Palate: Comes in as indicated by the nose. The oak expands as I swallow but it’s in very good balance with the fruit. Approachable at full strength; oily texture. As it sits the oak expands just a bit even as the whole gets sweeter. Let’s see if water makes the wine finish more apparent. It does and, alas, it causes the wine to separate.

Finish: Medium-long. No wine separation at all, not at the start and not with time. In fact, there’s not much sign of the wine cask. More oak here with water and, yes, the wine separation continues.

Comments: Well, neat, this just noses and tastes like a regulation fruity and grassy Speyside malt. A pleasant malt but nothing about it suggests anything special. And I’d be careful with water. If you have a full bottle, I’d be interested to hear how the wine separation plays out over time.

Rating: 85 points.