Every autumn, whisky connoisseurs welcome a familiar ritual in the whisky calendar: the launch of Diageo’s annual Special Releases series. Since 2001, the collection has offered a chance to explore more unusual and sometimes surprising single malts sourced from Diageo’s vast stock.
Over the years, it has become a touchstone for enthusiasts, so much so that the selections, how they’re made and their prices are closely scrutinized. There’s no denying that the series often contains fun surprises and overall the collections can both showcase distillery character in its purest form and present whiskies in new, unexpected guises. This year is no exception.
The Special Releases were originally born from Diageo’s earlier Rare Malts programme, which debuted in the 1990s. Rare Malts offered high-strength bottlings from lesser-known distilleries but according to Diageo’s former head archivist and senior whisky executive Dr. Nick Morgan, who helped create the Special Releases concept, it struggled to find the right pricing and format.
In a 2022 interview with Morgan on the site whisky.auction, he reveals that the Special Releases first was conceived to showcase stock of old and unusual whiskies: “We had pretty good sight of the Diageo inventory by this stage so we knew that we had some really interesting old and rare whiskies to play with which were all in remarkably good condition. Some of which were being sold to independent bottlers, which just seemed ridiculous, so we thought we would try take control of the keys to the sweetshop.”
Though Morgan’s vision was at first dismissed by his Diageo colleagues as a ‘hobbyist’ project, it soon became a cornerstone of Diageo’s release calendar. Early bottlings of Port Ellen, Brora, and Convalmore from the series are now deeply valued by collectors.
As for where the name came from, it’s a pretty simple story according to Morgan:
“In Diageo every bottling campaign had to have a name, and this one got ‘Special Releases’, I suppose because they were special whiskies and it was a special campaign. It was never dreamt up as a trade or consumer facing name, that just happened by accident.”
The series has since evolved over time. Though there’s no releases from closed distilleries anymore, unusual approaches on familiar distilleries are still highly valued. In recent years, the Special Releases are launched under a different theme. Under the 2025 name Horizons Unbound, eight bottlings explore distinctive twists on the more typical styles of the distilleries they’re from, taking familiar (and more unfamiliar) names to unusual directions. From volcanic rock-toasted casks to a mezcal finish, this is an exotic crop curated by Diageo Master Blender Dr. Stuart Morrison. Most of the whiskies are built around unusual maturation or showcasing something in production done by the distillery for the first time. In the official press release from Diageo, Morrison describes the series as “a taste of what happens when we challenge the concept of what whisky can be.”
Here’s a closer look at the eight whiskies in the lineup:
Normally boasting a very soft profile, this Singleton mixes together whiskies finished in ex-mezcal and ex-sherry casks. The idea here is that the additional fruity and smoky notes add new depths to what is typically expected from Singleton.
Official tasting notes summary:
Nose: Mild, dry and aromatic. Oriental spices, fruity top notes, and vegetal notes evoking the mezcal but balanced out by raisins.
Palate: Medium to full body but smooth in texture. Sweet, salty and some gingery spice with a savory finish that brings out a little white pepper.
This Talisker has been matured in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished finished in new American oak ‘toasted by the heat of volcanic rocks from Skye’. Diageo claims “the toasting adds a mineral edge and layers of charred sweetness to Talisker’s peppery profile.”
Official tasting notes summary:
Nose: Dry and mellow, maritime and mineral. Grape and parsnips widen the aromatic profile and so does the distillery’s characteristic peat.
Palate: Medium to full body. A creamy profile that blends together sweet notes, salt and peat but also plenty of Talisker’s characteristic pepper.
A 12 year old Lagavulin is one of the staples of the Special Releases collection, this one blends together ex-refill bourbon casks and ex-Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry butts. This means your typical Lagavulin is given a fruity kick.
Official tasting notes summary:
Nose: Phenolic and ashy, and additional medicinal notes are propped up by maritime seafoody aromas including lobsters, fresh scallops and dry oyster shells. Gets drier overall over time.
Palate: Medium bodied with that typical Lagavulin oiliness. Dried fruit is balanced out by savory and spicy notes, and the peat is everpresent throughout.
This rare example of an older Dailuiaine has been matured entirely in ex-Sherry casks. Probably the Ron Burgundy choice of this bunch to go with the rich mahogany and leatherbound books.
Official tasting notes summary:
Nose: Deep and rich. Plenty of typical sherry notes including sultanas, roasted chestnuts, and cherries dipped in a generous helping of dark chocolate.
Palate: A medium to full body is creamy and also dry. An espresso with a helping of brown sugar morphs into dried fruits and drier peppery notes. The finish is long and combines ginger and with a hint of flint.
Entirely matured in ex-Bourbon barrels, this is one of the more orthodox selections of the set. Oban’s amazing spirit character shines wonderfully in ex-Bourbon though, so if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
Official tasting notes summary:
Nose: Spices and seaweed, dry and mild. A hint of honeyed spice and citrus also comes through.
Palate: Medium bodied. Immediately gets fruity like canned peaches in syrup. Diageo strongly recommends adding some water to this one, which adds salty notes, spice, and Sichuan pepper.
Originally built in 2009, this is the oldest ever Roseisle released to date. Official Diageo notes are describing it as ‘a fine all-rounder’.
Official tasting notes summary:
Nose: Lots of pastry. Vanilla sponge, caramelized apple tart and vanilla ice cream is balanced by green, fragrant notes. Rose petals come through with a drop of water.
Palate: Medium body, and very buttery and creamy. Peppery spiciness complements layers of green, grassy, fruity, and nutty flavors. The finish gets peppery.
Always in demand by connoisseurs for its characteristic waxy notes, this Clynelish is matured in refill casks in order to showcase the unusual experiments in distillation cuts done to better showcase tropical notes, which Diageo are calling the ‘Pineapple Cut’.
Official tasting notes summary:
Nose: Mild and fresh. A tropical fruit salad mixes up lychees, mangosteens, pineapple, and melon. A chalky mineral note adds complexity.
Palate: Medium bodied and creamy but Clynelish’s typical waxiness also comes through. The tropical fruit party continues with additional warming spice.
Ok this is super cool. A single malt whisky distillery has released an experimental rye whisky. Malted rye and malted barley have been brought together to make a truly groundbreaking whisky matured in ex-bourbon casks, my guess is that this way the rye component can really be brought out and highlighted.
Official tasting notes summary:
Nose: Green, herbal and spicy. However, there’s also plenty of candied sweetness, backed up by something more aromatic like a woody cologne.
Palate: Surprisingly light to medium body. Vanilla notes and herbal elements are blended together, with whispers of coconut on the finish.
This year’s lineup speaks mixes both new and familiar approaches. Both the Lagavulin and the Oban take more familiar, reassuring approaches through their maturation in sherry and ex-bourbon respectively. Other releases, like the Dailuaine (pronounced ‘Dahl-yoo-ann’) represent a chance to try something special from an underrated distillery not showcased much by Diageo. Meanwhile the rye whisky produced at Teaninich and the Singleton Mezcal finish are genuinely unusual and really fun and innovative in the case of the former.
Two decades on, Diageo’s Special Releases remain a barometer of where Scotch whisky is heading. This year’s collection balances well more traditional fare and truly unexpected angles.
The Diageo Special Releases 2025 collection is available in limited quantities from specialist Scotch Whisky retailers and malts.com .