Darkness Whisky have announced the second batch of their limited edition whiskies since the re-imagining of the brand and the launch of their continuous 8 Year Old expression in 2019. The brand, originally known for small batched releases of highly sought after whiskies finished in octave sherry casks, is paying homage to its origins but in a more focused release format.
This latest batch includes a wealth of aged expressions from some well-known distilleries including a 20 Year Old Deanston, 23 Year Old Aultmore, a 14 Year Old Dalmore and an unnamed Islay , each exploring specific sherry finishes chosen for their ability to enhance the individual distillery characteristics. The entire Darkness range is characterised by this bold intensity, heavily influenced by the small bespoke casks which allow for more interaction with the liquid, leading to a much richer, intensely sherried and deeply coloured whisky.
Sam Simmons, Head of Whisky at Atom Brands, said:
“We are delighted by the response to our Darkness Limited Editions and have looked at ways to make more to meet the demand. Unfortunately, the production of this series makes it limited by nature and impossible to scale up because each small 64l cask can only yield so many bottles. It’s a time consuming process to assign casks to particular liquids, and then to choose wisely and only bottle the ones that slap us in the face. We’re pretty sure that’s what keeps it exciting.”
Darkness 8 Year Old, the brand’s core continuous product, has won various accolades since launching in 2019, including Double Gold at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Gold Medals at the 2020 and 2021 World Whiskies Awards. The limited edition range, however, hones in on the unrepeatable releases that have each undertaken the signature liquid transformation that makes the Darkness range beloved by whisky fans all over the world. The first batch of the new Darkness limited editions in summer 2020 sold out almost instantly and included whiskies from distilleries such as Ardbeg, Linkwood, Dailuaine and Lochindaal.
Alongside the full range, the brand will also be releasing four exclusive bottlings with retailers. Master of Malt will be releasing an exclusive bottling of a 12 Year Old Islay from an unnamed distillery for £54.95 RRP with an outturn of just 118 bottles. Japanese retailer Whisk-E will be releasing an 18 Year Old Moscatel Cask Finish Bowmore with an outturn of 128 bottles. Meanwhile Whisky Shop will be exclusively retailing a 12 Year Old Craigellachie finished in Oloroso Cask, with an outturn of just 90 bottles. Finally, German retailer Kirsch will be selling an exclusive bottling of a 15 Year Old Pedro Ximenez finished Strathisla, also with an outturn of just 90 bottles.
The full lineup will be available globally from the 28th April 2021 through Atom Brands, Maverick Drinks as well as online via Master of Malt, The Whisky Shop, Hard to Find Whisky and various spirits retailers.