Everything You Need to Know About the 2021 Diageo Special Releases

Fall is a time for whisky lovers, and among the highlights of the season are the Diageo Special Releases—the company's annual collection of limited, highly sought-after single malt whiskies. This year's edition was unveiled this morning.Curated by Diageo master blender Craig Wilson once again, the collection includes the usual number of whiskies—eight in total. This year's picks are a 13 year old Mortlach, 19 year old Singleton of Glendullan, 16 year old Royal Lochanagar, 8 year old Talisker, 14 year old Cardhu, 12 year old Oban, and two expressions from Lagavulin—a 26 year old and a 12 year old, the Lagavulin 12 being a perennial member of the group.In keeping with a trend of recent years, the releases include fewer ultra-aged (and thus ultra-priced) whiskies. This year's oldest and most expensive expression—and only real bank-breaker—is Lagavulin 26 year old at $2,400. The pricing then drops to $250 for Royal Lochnagar 16 year old, and the remaining six are pegged at below $200. Compare that to the 2017 collection, when five of the eight whiskies were older than 20 years—including a 52 year old Port Dundas ($900), 37 year old Port Ellen ($3,500), 34 year old Brora ($1,700), 32 year old Convalmore ($1,400), and 24 year old Blair Athol ($460). Only three Special Releases in 2017 were priced below $200.This year's edition is named Legends Untold, and each bottle carries a QR code linking to what Diageo calls a “multi-sensory experience” of legends and tales from the distilleries in the collection. The whiskies will be available this fall at specialist retailers in Europe, the U.S. Canada, Australia, selected Asian markets, and airport Travel Retail.

2021 Diageo Special Releases

Cardhu 14 year oldStyle: Single malt scotchOrigin: Scotland (Speyside)Age: 14 year oldABV: 55.5%Price: $150Release: Autumn 2021Availability: LimitedCask type: Refill American oak casks, finished in red wine casks
Lagavulin 26 year oldStyle: Single malt scotchOrigin: Scotland (Islay)Age: 26 year oldABV: 44.2%Price: $2,400Release: Autumn 2021Availability: Limited (7,542 bottles)Cask type: PX/Oloroso seasoned first-fill casksLagavulin 12 year old
Style: Single malt scotchOrigin: Scotland (Islay)Age: 12 year oldABV: 56.5%Price: $150Release: Autumn 2021Availability: LimitedCask type: Refill American oak casks
Mortlach 13 year old Style: Single malt scotchOrigin: Scotland (Speyside)Age: 13 year oldABV: 55.9%Price: $125Release: Autumn 2021Availability: LimitedCask type: Virgin and refill American oak casks
Oban 12 year oldStyle: Single malt scotchOrigin: Scotland (Highlands)Age: 12 year oldABV: 56.2%Price: $115Release: Autumn 2021Availability: LimitedCask type: Freshly charred American oak casks
Royal Lochnagar 16 year old Style: Single malt scotchOrigin: Scotland (Highlands)Age: 16 year oldABV: 57.5%Price: $250Release: Autumn 2021Availability: LimitedCask type: American oak and European oak refill casks
Singleton of Glendullan 19 year oldStyle: Single malt scotchOrigin: Scotland (Speyside)Age: 19 year oldABV: 54.6%Price: $175Release: Autumn 2021Availability: LimitedCask type: Refill American oak casks, finished in cognac casks
Talisker 8 year oldStyle: Single malt scotchOrigin: Scotland (Skye)Age: 8 year oldABV: 59.7%Price: $115Release: Autumn 2021Availability: LimitedCask type: Heavily peated refill casks