I think it’s fair to say that no whisky maker has yet worked out the perfect balance of frequency, price, and quality when it comes to new and limited-edition releases. The sheer volume of products appearing on shelves in recent years is unprecedented and, frankly, has made it tough to keep abreast of them all.
With this in mind, readers will no doubt be relieved to hear I’ve already had off-the-record confirmation from a few of the worst ‘offenders’ that the present industry slowdown means there will be fewer limited-edition whiskies on the cards in 2025, and those releases that do happen will be smaller batches. Perhaps less welcome news is that those same sources are committed to their ambitiously high pricing, though whether this is borne out in practice remains to be seen.
In short, this sounds like limited editions may indeed return to being limited, which I think is great news for enthusiasts, collectors, and the industry as a whole. Fewer releases mean marketing teams can spend more time and energy focusing on supporting educational content and storytelling with real value, while decreased batch volumes will allow the whisky makers to prioritise the spirit’s quality rather than its quantity.
This will hopefully compound with an abundance of higher-aged stock for blenders to choose from (the result of slowing sales, high production levels, and full warehouses) and hopefully translate into better-quality, less rushed limited releases overall. Too often, past releases that could’ve been great if the batch had been a few hundred or a few thousand bottles have been hamstrung by over-dilution (either with water or mediocre casks) or under-ageing to hit pre-determined volumes and shipping dates. All being well, we’ll have less of that this year, and the present commercial reality will result in a refocus on liquid quality and value across the board from entry-level to super-premium releases.
The current commercial reality means distillers will have to work harder and smarter on new products. My hope is that most will eschew celebrities (though a few are inevitable) and pseudo-folklore-themed labels, instead looking to the untapped wellspring of real stories at their fingertips: tales of the people, places, nature, and communities from which the whiskies hail.
I’ve been particularly pleased by Lagavulin’s recent approach to its release celebrating Iain ‘Pinky’ McArthur’s retirement, which ticked several important boxes for me: a sensibly limited run, well-aged liquid, punchy ABV, full-term maturation in an unusual cask, purchase by ballot, pick-up only from the distillery (dissuading flippers and encouraging tourism), and, most importantly, putting Iain’s story front and centre through the creation of a charming short documentary film. (A medium I’m a vocal proponent of — but more on that later.)
I see this approach as the natural evolution of the ‘manager’s dram’ or ‘team member’s choice’ concept (see: Tamdhu and Bruichladdich), and it’s a blueprint that’s already worked well for Diageo in the form of Oban Distillery’s under-the-radar series celebrating the MacLean family. I firmly believe that this authentic and people-centric approach to limited editions is where distillers can make the most impact in the years ahead, leaving the core ranges to do the heavy lifting.
As for the supporting storytelling, the positive responses we’ve received to our documentary films about a master distiller’s incredible six-decade career in whisky, the evolution of blended Scotch, a family’s dream of making Texas whiskey, and Islay’s oldest distillery have demonstrated that whisky fans revel in thoroughly researched, authentic, deep-dive content that’s free from marketing speak, ‘M&S advert’ narration, and heavy-handed sales narratives.
This year, I hope more distillers come to see their special releases as an opportunity to tell real stories like these in an authentic way and create content that contributes meaningfully to the historical record of the whisky industry and its people. With any luck, the present slowdown might just give distillers the breathing space they need to give this approach a shot.