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The Diageo Flora & Fauna range is a well-known brand to some but unknown to others. This series was initially introduced in the early 1990s by United Distillers Vintners and later became known as Diageo in 1997.
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Initially, the collection did not have a name and was recognised as a series that featured the lesser-known distilleries and their whiskies mainly meant to be a part of blends. Later, the series got its name from the famous whisky writer Michael Jackson, who named it 'Flora & Fauna' because of the animals and plants depicted on the bottles. Although most of the whisky produced by these distilleries is still mainly used for blends, the collection allowed people to try them alone, sometimes for the first time.
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The Flora & Fauna range has released 26 different single malts from various Scottish distilleries over the years. In 1997, nine cask strength expressions were added, and the first 22 were released in the early 90s, mostly in 1991. Following that, four releases were made in 2001. In 2019, the latest Flora & Fauna release was introduced to the Chinese market, with 11 new cask strength versions of the 'still in production ' range being released as the first-ever Reserve Cask Private Collection.
We wanted to take a look back at the range, as many of the expressions are no longer in production. Some distilleries have been sold to other spirit producers or have been upgraded to a stand-alone brand by their owners. For years now, Diageo has instructed their representatives not to provide any more training on the series and has 'announced' the discontinuation of the range on several occasions. However, 11 of these single malts are still in production and are considered to be rare.
We have chosen not to include the cask types when providing information on the normal range, as the series is known to use colouring, which can be misleading. We are willing to acknowledge that at least Benrinnes, Blair Athol, Dailuaine, and Mortlach have a strong sherry-cask influence.
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Despite its limited production, the Flora & Fauna label has a rich history with a total of 46 unique bottlings.
The Flora & Fauna Core Range - Bottled at 43%
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Cask Strength Releases
In 1997, an additional nine bottlings of cask strength releases were introduced. These expressions were created by distilling between 1980 and 1983, and bottled in 1997. Each bottle was individually numbered, although it is unclear how many bottles were released for each expression.
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Reserve Cask Private Collection
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In 2019, Diageo's single cask master, Dr Craig Wilson, worked with a private Chinese collector and Triwin Wine & Spirits to reveal and release an 11-bottle Reserve Cask Private Collection. This followed a 29-month exploration of the rare casks in Diageo's warehouses. However, before you start searching for a bottle, there are a couple of important things to note.
This set, which contains whiskies distilled between 1988 and 1997, was released exclusively for the Chinese market. As a result, it might be difficult to obtain. Additionally, only one cask of each of the 11 whiskies was bottled, making it a single-cask limited series release. Each whisky was bottled at cask strength and with some interesting cask selections.
As each cask produced a different number of bottles, ranging from 158 to 425, there are only 158 complete sets available in theory. These bottlings have been highly sought-after by Chinese whisky collectors and enthusiasts, with most of them selling out quickly after their release. It is unclear whether any of these bottles have made it to other markets. This additional Flora & Fauna gem collection is largely unknown to whisky lovers outside of China.
The Collection includes the following 11 expressions:
Auchroisk 1990 - 28 Year Old
Benrinnes 1992 - 26 Year Old
Blair Athol 1993 - 26 Year Old
Dailuaine 1990 - 29 Year Old
Glenlossie 1996 - 22 Year Old
Glen Spey 1990 - 28 Year Old
Inchgower 1990 - 28 Year Old
Linkwood 1996 - 22 Year Old
Mannochmore 1992 - 27 Year Old
Strathmill 1988 - 30 Year Old
Teaninich 1997 - 21 Year Old
Happy hunting!
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