By Richard Thomas

Hard on the heels of their launch of the Orphan Barrel line of aged bourbons, Diageo is preparing to release a pair of new whiskies, including an ultra premium.

First is the new Cardhu Amber Rock, a No Aging Statement single malt, double matured in toasted American oak barrels. This new release continues with the effort to expand the Cardhu line out of its classic and popular 12 Year Old, which heretofore saw the release of the Cardhu 15, 18, and 21 Year Olds. The new Cardhu Amber Rock will initially roll out in France and Belgium this spring, before expanding to the rest of Western Europe. It is bottled at 40% abv, and will retail for approximately €50.

In the ultra premium category, Diageo will release 160 bottles of a 40 Year Old Brora. The Brora Distillery closed in 1983, but has lived on through periodic releases of its stock ever since. The new Brora 40 Year Old is based on whisky distilled in 1972, and is bottled at its cask strength of 59.1% abv. This is the oldest and rarest Brora release ever, and is presently available for exclusive pre-order through worldofwhiskies.com for a whopping £6,995.