Let’s talk about Diageo. This publicly traded company (DEO) operates over 130 global sites, owns 28 Scotch whisky distilleries, and many other alcoholic beverages, including Guinness, Smirnoff, and Baileys, with its leading and most widely distributed brand of blended Scotch whisky, the infamous Johnnie Walker. In 2022 it reported a net income of 3.3B GBP, showing no signs of slowing down. It is the Rolex and the Apple of the whisky world. Maybe even more than those brands because it truly dominates the landscape. If you’re a fan (as I am) of Caol Ila, Oban, Lagavulin, Talisker, Clynelish, Mortlach, Linkwood, Dailuaine, Cardu […] – the list goes on – then you will know that their product is good. It’s very good. So even if I turn my nose at Johnnie Walker, I will still stock at least a fifth of my collection with Diageo brands. So what’s there to complain about? Let’s put some music on! Now Playing: Jason van Wyk – Descendants.

In 2001, Diageo launched its Special Releases series, presenting the world with a set of very old, rare, and unusual whiskies from their stocks, which would keep collectors and whisky enthusiasts giddy each October. In the past, these would include some seriously high age statements, like Mortlach 21-year-old (£575) or Dalwhinnie 30-year-old (also £575), as well as releases from no longer open distilleries, including Port Ellen and Brora. Last year, for its 20th anniversary, the company remastered the series, releasing all bottles under a single theme (packaging, labels, and “story”) called Legends Untold. I couldn’t resist this time around and jumped on the bandwagon, obtaining them all (and some double), including the coveted Lagavulin 26-year-old, which you can still grab for only £1,650. I don’t regret it at all, and even if I never open this bottle, I doubt it will ever go down in price. But then again, I can’t see the future.

This year the series is back, now called Elusive Expressions, consisting of 8 cask-strength bottlings of finished whiskies, including a grain whisky, with only the Cameron Bridge 26-year-old being the oldest in the batch. The packaging is rounded off with label artwork by artists Ken Taylor (who worked on 2021 art) and Kevin Tong. The company says that they moved the higher-end bottlings to the Prima and Ultima range, with the Special Releases having more affordable whiskies. But something doesn’t seem to be right. A 10-year-old Oban is now £105! A 12-year-old Lagavulin is £135 per bottle, and the £250 serving of Mortlach does not even state its age! Are all these really “more affordable”? I suppose that last year it wasn’t all that much cheaper, but still. I suppose whereas the entire 2021 collection (which you can still find online for something like £2500+) offset the balance with that Lagavulin 26-year-old, you can be a proud owner of the entire 2022 set for only £1,330.

So are they worth your money? It is hard to tell. I’m on my second bottle of the Lagavulin 12-year-old from 2021, I was not that much impressed by the Oban 12-year-old, but the Talisker 8-year-old really grew on me (in fact, it has brought me back around to Talisker again). I still didn’t pop the cork on Cardhu and enjoyed the Mortlach and the Singleton as well. The art is cool, and all, but I am less of a collector. I like to drink my whisky, and, okay, I’ll stash a few of it away. Will it go up in price? Will it go down? I certainly don’t think that it will lose its value from the investment point of view – as long as you will find a sucker buyer many years later, right? But is £250 Mortlach truly worth it? Diageo has recently released the 30-year-old for only £3,700 – so you will be the judge. The most important thing here is to remember what you’re paying for. You’re paying for the brand – and that’s the end of the story. There is a reason Johnnie Walker is the most recognizable blended whisky. There is a reason why I called Diageo the Rolex and the Apple of the whisky world. And if you don’t give them all your hard-earned money, don’t you worry – they’ll be just fine without you this year and the next.