One distillery stopped making whisky in 1985. The other sits higher and colder than almost any in Scotland and has never stopped. The second chapter of the Diageo Rare Series puts them side by side: a 41-year-old Convalmore 1984 from a lost Speyside distillery, and a 36-year-old Dalwhinnie 1989 that is the first Dalwhinnie ever matured in Amoroso-seasoned casks.
In short: Diageo has added two single malts to its Rare Series. Convalmore 1984 Rare Series is 41 years old, drawn from four refill American oak hogsheads, bottled at 45.6% ABV and limited to 310 bottles at £2,900. Dalwhinnie 1989 Rare Series is 36 years old, shaped by an extended finish of more than four years in Amoroso-seasoned American oak hogsheads, bottled at 49.9% ABV and limited to 305 bottles at £1,100. Neither goes to retail shelves. Bottles are allocated worldwide through Diageo’s Private Client teams, including Justerini & Brooks, with registration open since 3 November 2026.
The key facts
Convalmore 1984 Rare Series
- Age: 41 years old (distilled 1984, bottled 2026)
- Region: Speyside (Dufftown), closed distillery
- Cask: four refill American oak hogsheads
- ABV: 45.6%
- Bottles: 310 worldwide
- Price: £2,900 (70cl)
Dalwhinnie 1989 Rare Series
- Age: 36 years old (distilled 1989, bottled 2026)
- Region: Highland
- Cask: American oak, extended finish of 4+ years in Amoroso-seasoned American oak hogsheads
- ABV: 49.9%
- Bottles: 305 worldwide
- Price: £1,100 (70cl)
What is the Diageo Rare Series?
The Diageo Rare Series is a collection of very old, very limited single malts selected from Diageo’s reserves of more than 10 million maturing casks across over 30 distilleries. It launched on 30 April 2026 with five bottles: Glenury Royal 1970 (55 years old, the oldest single malt Diageo has ever released), Caol Ila 1983, Clynelish 1983, Talisker 1992 and Blair Athol 1991.
The series has no fixed calendar. Diageo says each new chapter appears only when its master blenders judge the whiskies ready, and this second chapter has been built around a theme: Scotland’s remote places and the long, hard Scottish winter. Master blender Dr Craig Wilson went looking for casks that had sat through decades of exactly that, and came back with a ghost distillery and a mountain one.
It follows a line of prestige programmes from Diageo and its predecessors, from the Rare Malts series of the 1990s through the annual Special Releases to Prima & Ultima. What sets the Rare Series apart is the format: individual bottles, tiny outturns and access by registration rather than a shop shelf.
Convalmore 1984: what is left of a lost Speyside distillery
Convalmore was founded in 1894 on the edge of Dufftown, the town at the heart of Speyside that still holds more working distilleries than anywhere else in Scotland. Rebuilt after a fire in 1909, it spent almost its whole life making malt for blending, most famously as a key component of Black & White. It closed in 1985. The buildings passed to William Grant & Sons in 1990, but the remaining casks stayed with Diageo’s forerunner, and those casks are now the only way to taste Convalmore at all.
That makes every official Convalmore release a small event. Diageo says this is only the sixth time it has bottled the distillery’s whisky as a single malt. The 1984 vintage has a short but well-documented history: a 32-year-old in the 2017 Special Releases at 48.2%, and a 36-year-old from three refill hogsheads filled on 22 November 1984 in the second Prima & Ultima collection. The new 41-year-old comes from four refill American oak hogsheads, filled in the final year before the stills went quiet for good.
Refill American oak is the right home for spirit of this age. It gives structure and sweetness without burying the distillery character, and Convalmore’s house style at its best has always been fruit-led, sweet and gently spiced. At 45.6% ABV, this has drifted down naturally after four decades in wood.
Convalmore 1984 Rare Series: official profile (Diageo) Tropical fruit and lush orchard fruit, spun honey, beeswax and delicate spice. ABV: 45.6% | Cask: four refill American oak hogsheads | Bottles: 310 | Price: £2,900
Note: we have not tasted this whisky. The profile above is Diageo’s own description.
Dalwhinnie 1989: the first Amoroso-cask Dalwhinnie
Dalwhinnie sits at around 350 metres above sea level by the Drumochter Pass, in the Cairngorms National Park, which makes it one of the highest and coldest distilleries in Scotland. Founded in 1898, it still condenses its spirit in outdoor worm tubs, a traditional method that helps give the whisky its rounded, honeyed weight. In the late 1980s, United Distillers chose it as one of six benchmark single malts to represent the styles of Scotland’s whisky regions, and Dalwhinnie has been a cornerstone Highland malt ever since.
The 1989 vintage has appeared before, notably as a 25-year-old Special Release. What is new here is the wood. This is the first Dalwhinnie to spend time in Amoroso-seasoned American oak hogsheads, and the finish ran for more than four years, far longer than the few months most finishes get. Amoroso is a sweeter, oloroso-based style of sherry, and seasoning American oak with it is a way of adding dried fruit depth and richness while keeping the lift of American oak.
Bottled at 49.9% ABV, it is the stronger of the two by some margin. The label calls it “Lifted Heights”, a nod to the distillery’s altitude.
Dalwhinnie 1989 Rare Series: official profile (Diageo) Highland heather, honeycomb and floral sweetness, with rich fruit, subtle peppery warmth and a scent of wild moorland. ABV: 49.9% | Cask: American oak, 4+ year finish in Amoroso-seasoned American oak hogsheads | Bottles: 305 | Price: £1,100
Note: we have not tasted this whisky. The profile above is Diageo’s own description.
Convalmore 1984 vs Dalwhinnie 1989 at a glance
| Convalmore 1984 Rare Series | Dalwhinnie 1989 Rare Series | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 41 years | 36 years |
| Region | Speyside (Dufftown) | Highland (Drumochter) |
| Distillery status | Closed 1985 (ghost distillery) | Working |
| Cask | Four refill American oak hogsheads | American oak, 4+ year Amoroso-seasoned hogshead finish |
| ABV | 45.6% | 49.9% |
| Bottles | 310 | 305 |
| Profile (Diageo) | Tropical and orchard fruit, spun honey, beeswax, spice | Heather, honeycomb, floral sweetness, rich fruit, pepper |
| Price | £2,900 | £1,100 |
| For | Ghost distillery collectors, Speyside completists | Dalwhinnie devotees, drinkers who like old malt with sherry depth |
Price and availability: registration only, worldwide
You will not find either bottle on a shop shelf. As with the first chapter, the Diageo Rare Series is allocated through Diageo’s Private Client network. Justerini & Brooks, which handles private clients from London, Edinburgh and Hong Kong, is one of the routes in. Registration opened on 3 November 2026 via the global portal at rare-series.com and through Diageo Rare & Exceptional.
The official prices are £2,900 for the Convalmore and £1,100 for the Dalwhinnie. Diageo has not yet published US dollar or euro pricing for this chapter. For the first chapter, US prices were set separately (Glenury Royal was $6,350 against £5,700), so expect your local price to be confirmed when you register.
With 310 and 305 bottles available globally, allocation will be tight. If either is on your list, register now rather than waiting for secondary market listings.
Is it worth it?
For a Convalmore collector, the answer is close to yes by default. Distillation stopped 41 years ago, the stock is finite and shrinking, and a 41-year-old official bottling from four refill hogsheads is about as direct a look at the distillery as anyone is going to get. £2,900 is serious money, but it sits in a sensible place for an official ghost distillery release of this age, and the chance to put it next to the 2017 Special Release or the Prima & Ultima bottling from the same vintage is part of the appeal.
The Dalwhinnie is the more interesting buy for a drinker. At £1,100 for a 36-year-old it is one of the more approachable price points in the Rare Series so far, alongside the Blair Athol 1991 at £800. It also does something genuinely new for the distillery: a long Amoroso finish on a spirit already known for honey and heather. If you love Dalwhinnie and want to see how far its character can go with age and a richer cask, this is the bottle.
Neither is for someone who wants a whisky to open casually on a Tuesday. Both are for people who want to own, and ideally drink, a piece of distillery history.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Diageo Rare Series? The Diageo Rare Series is a collection of extremely old, limited single malts drawn from Diageo’s reserves of over 10 million casks. It launched in April 2026 with five whiskies led by a 55-year-old Glenury Royal. Chapter two, released in November 2026, adds Convalmore 1984 and Dalwhinnie 1989, both allocated through Private Client registration.
How much does Convalmore 1984 Rare Series cost? Convalmore 1984 Rare Series costs £2,900 for a 70cl bottle. It is a 41-year-old single malt from a Speyside distillery that closed in 1985, bottled at 45.6% ABV from four refill American oak hogsheads. Only 310 bottles exist worldwide, and US and euro pricing is confirmed on registration.
How much does Dalwhinnie 1989 Rare Series cost? Dalwhinnie 1989 Rare Series costs £1,100 for a 70cl bottle. The 36-year-old single malt is bottled at 49.9% ABV and limited to 305 bottles worldwide. It is the first Dalwhinnie matured in Amoroso-seasoned American oak hogsheads, with a finishing period of more than four years.
Where can I buy the Diageo Rare Series? The Diageo Rare Series is not sold in shops. Bottles are allocated worldwide through Diageo’s Private Client teams, including Justerini & Brooks in London, Edinburgh and Hong Kong. Collectors register interest via rare-series.com or Diageo Rare & Exceptional. Registration for the Convalmore and Dalwhinnie opened on 3 November 2026.
Why is Convalmore called a ghost distillery? Convalmore is a ghost distillery because it closed in 1985 and will never produce whisky again. Founded in 1894 in Dufftown, Speyside, it made malt mainly for blends such as Black & White. Its buildings were sold in 1990, so the remaining casks are the only Convalmore whisky that will ever exist.
What does Dalwhinnie 1989 Rare Series taste like? According to Diageo, Dalwhinnie 1989 Rare Series combines the distillery’s signature heather, honeycomb and floral sweetness with rich fruit and a subtle peppery warmth, plus notes of wild moorland. The long Amoroso-seasoned cask finish adds depth to the honeyed Highland style. The Daily Whisky has not tasted it.
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