Diageo has revealed the details of this year’s Special Releases collection, its annual limited-edition lineup of eight cask-strength collectible scotch whiskies. Released under the name Spirited Xchange, this year’s Special Release's expressions were curated for the first time by master blender Dr. Stuart Morrison. One key highlight is a 12 year old single malt from Roseisle—it’s the first-ever bottling from this large distillery built along the Moray coastline (Speyside) back in 2010 to supply malt whisky for Diageo’s blends. There’s also a non-age stated Mortlach finished in whisky casks from Kanosuke Distillery in Japan. The oldest bottling in this year’s collection is a 27 year old from Lowland distillery Glenkinchie, marking its first Special Releases appearance since 2016. The Singleton of Glendullan is included for the first time since 2021, but all the others in the collection—Mortlach, Clynelish, Talisker, Lagavulin, and Oban—were also featured in 2022. Each label is illustrated by a different artist, all of them aiming to create a visualization of the whisky’s tasting notes.
While there is no significant price hike this year, the age statements are the youngest in the history of the series. In 2018, the collection began to shift, leaving out key expressions like Port Ellen and Brora for the first time. Diageo then rebooted the Special Releases in 2019 with new packaging and a smaller eight-bottle range, while the company subsequently launched Prima & Ultima in 2020, a new annual series of collectible rare whiskies usually sold as a set. The fourth release of Prima & UItima was announced recently.
Limited quantities of this year’s Diageo Special Releases will be available from malts.com from September 18th, and will be available beginning October 1st at specialist retailers in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, selected markets in Asia, and airport duty free stores.
Here are the full details of this year’s collection:
Mortlach The Katana’s Edge
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Speyside)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 58%
Price: $280
Release: September 2023 on malts.com, then at specialist retailers from October 2023
Availability: Limited release
Mortlach has been a Special Releases regular since 2019, when Diageo returned it to the series for the first time since 2004. This year’s non-age statement release is finished in pinot noir and Japanese whisky casks from Kanosuke Distillery, a distillery in Kagoshima that has received investment from Distill Ventures, the Diageo-backed accelerator platform for up-and-coming spirit brands.
Talisker The Wild Explorador
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Islands)
Age: Not stated
ABV: 59.7%
Price: $135
Release: September 2023 on malts.com, then at specialist retailers from October 2023
Availability: Limited release
Talisker has been included over 20 times in the Diageo Special Releases, appearing every year since 2001 other than 2011 and 2014–2017. This is the first non-age statement Talisker in the series, and it was finished in a combination of white, tawny, and ruby port casks.
Clynelish 10 year old The Jazz Crescendo
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: 10 year old
ABV: 57.5%
Price: $200
Release: September 2023 on malts.com, then at specialist retailers from October 2023
Availability: Limited release
This is only the fourth appearance of Clynelish in the Diageo Special Releases, and this one was matured in first-fill bourbon barrels.
Oban 11 year old The Soul of Calypso
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Highlands)
Age: 11 year old
ABV: 58%
Price: $140
Release: September 2023 on malts.com, then at specialist retailers from October 2023
Availability: Limited release
The seventh appearance for Oban in Diageo Special Releases, this year’s expression was finished in Caribbean pot distilled rum casks.
Lagavulin 12 year old The Ink of Legends
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Islay)
Age: 12 year old
ABV: 56.4%
Price: $170
Release: September 2023 on malts.com, then at specialist retailers from October 2023
Availability: Limited release
The Diageo Special Releases have included 28 expressions from Lagavulin in the last 23 years, with the cask strength 12 year old making an appearance every year since 2002. This year is the first Lagavulin in the series to be finished in Don Julio añejo tequila casks, though Diageo previously released a Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival 13 year old bottling finished in mezcal casks in 2021.
Roseisle 12 year old The Origami Kite
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Speyside)
Age: 12 year old
ABV: 56.5%
Price: $150
Release: September 2023 on malts.com, then at specialist retailers from October 2023
Availability: Limited release
Matured in first-fill bourbon and refill casks, this is the first public release of Roseisle as a single malt, though whisky made at Roseisle was included in Collectivum XXVIII, the blended malt whisky released as part of the Diageo Special Releases in 2017.
Singleton of Glendullan 14 year old The Silken Gown
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Speyside)
Age: 14 year old
ABV: 55%
Price: $135
Release: September 2023 on malts.com, then at specialist retailers from October 2023
Availability: Limited release
Until now, Singleton of Glendullan was only included in the Diageo Special Releases in 2014 and 2021. This third expression is the youngest Glendullan in the series to date, and it was finished in Chardonnay de Bourgogne French oak casks.
Glenkinchie 27 year old The Floral Treasure
Style: Single malt
Origin: Scotland (Lowlands)
Age: 27 year old
ABV: 58.3%
Price: $400
Release: September 2023 on malts.com, then at specialist retailers from October 2023
Availability: Limited release
Glenkinchie made its Special Releases debut in 2007, and this is only the fourth Glenkinchie in the history of the series and the oldest to date. It was matured in refill American and European oak barrels and butts.
