Diageo Special Releases 2024: Spirited Xchange Second Editio…

As the world’s largest producer of scotch, UK-based Diageo holds an unrivaled array of whisky in its warehouses. Although the company is best known for Johnnie Walker — a blended offering — it actually maintains 31 single malt sites up and down Scotland, accounting for an estimated 40% of the industry’s total annual output. That’s a lot of liquid for even the most ardent enthusiast to consider. So, back in 2001, it introduced the Special Releases Collection as a concise cross-section of some of its most notable stock from any given year. 

Just in time for the gift-giving season, the 2024 Special Releases edition is now ready for shelves, and Food & Wine landed an advance taste. Here’s everything you need to know about these eight bottles, collected from some of Diageo’s most celebrated distilleries.

The 2024 Special Releases is actually a sequel of sorts. Dubbed “Spirited Xchange Second Edition,” it’s a continuation of last year’s theme, in which each expression explores innovative cask combinations.  

“It’s about curiosity and what happens when you challenge yourself to think ‘what if,’” according to Diageo master blender Dr. Stuart Morrison. “This has led us to explore a variety of exciting maturation techniques, from selecting a novel combination of casks for The Singleton [Autumn Walk] to taking both Ramandolo white wine and Sangiovese red wine casks to finish Mortlach [Midnight Dusk] and bringing a totally new dimension of flavor to its unmistakable umami identity.”

The former, which clocks in at 54.7% ABV, is a malt melding a waxy mouthfeel with a zesty, candied orange palate. It spent four of its 14 years worth of aging in experimental European oak casks and will retail for $155 per bottle. The latter holds more heat at 57.5% ABV but brings bolder tannins and tongue-tickling peppery notes into the fold. It’s set to sell for $300. Given its pedigree and depth of finish, it might take the crown for this year’s most sought-after selection by connoisseurs. 

But it’s not the priciest of the bunch. That title belongs to a 21-year-old tipple from Benrinnes, which was partially matured in a combination of wine-seasoned American Oak, European Oak, and rejuvenated casks with charred ends. A peachy sweet Speyside malt with a pinch of salt in its lengthy finish, this 55.4% elixir will fetch $480 per unit. 

If you prefer something softer and more accessible, Roseisle 12 is the most straightforward sipper of this year’s class. Although still flaunting a firm ABV of 55.6%, the $150 whisky, with its whispers of vanilla notes, opens up to reveal ripened berries when a drop or two of water is added to the dram. 

Those in search of smokier and meatier malts have plenty to ponder here. A full half of this year’s Special Releases are sourced from Diageo’s peat-inflected producers perched along Scotland’s rugged westerly coast and isles. 

The most fearless of smoke seekers will undoubtedly turn towards a 12-year-old Lagavulin shaped by both American and European cooperages. It assertively brandishes wood ash, campfir, and tar at 114.8 proof. But it’s also $180 a bottle. For slightly less, you can explore a nuttier sort of smoke, more reminiscent of barbecue in the unpeated Caol Ila 11. It aged partially in ex-wine casks and carries a lightly tannic tang in its protracted finish. 

This year’s Talisker 8 is equally invigorating at 117.4 proof and will retail for just $105 a bottle. The signature maritime waxiness of the house style is tempered by the sweetness of stewed apples and pears, a flourish owed to an unusual finish in toasted American oak. 

For more heavy-handed barrel notes, however, opt for the 10-year-old release out of Oban. It was finished in new charred American oak casks, seasoned with Oloroso sherry. It’s a vivacious mingling of maritime brine and grilled plums. It’s probably the biggest bang for your back out of the entire set; scores of depth and complexity packaged in a $120 bottle.

And speaking of packaging, each expression in the Spirited Xchange 2.0 collection showcases original photography from award-winning artists, including Ben Thouard and Till Janz. Bright and colorful across the board, the motif of their imagery evokes its respective liquid enclosed within. The eight releases are available now in limited quantities from scotch whisky retailers as well as malts.com. They sell individually — though Diageo probably won’t be mad at you for purchasing them together in one fell swoop. And for more than 20 years now, single malt collectors have been all too happy to oblige.