DramMaster Daily Whisky News — 24 August 2026

By Murray

Highland Park Master Whisky Maker Gordon Motion Retires with Sherry Skies Farewell

Gordon Motion has retired after 27 years as Highland Park's master whisky maker, leaving behind the Orkney distillery's signature smoke-and-sherry style and a portfolio that includes 21-, 30-, and 40-year-old expressions plus the house's oldest-ever bottling, a 56-year-old. For his farewell, Motion selected Sherry Skies — a 19-year-old single malt bottled at 48.8% ABV from three American oak bourbon casks and six sherry-seasoned European oak quarter casks. The smaller quarter cask format intensifies sherry influence while the bourbon casks temper tannins. Only 1,200 bottles exist, each with a hand-signed note from Motion. The palate delivers dried fruits, caramelised citrus peel, anise, and cinnamon before settling into heathered peat smoke.

Murray's take: Twenty-seven years at one distillery is a career length that barely exists anymore. Motion didn't just maintain Highland Park's style — he built the luxury tier that made the brand credible at £500-plus. A 19-year-old farewell bottling from quarter casks is a fitting signature: sherry-forward, concentrated, and personal. The 1,200-bottle outturn means it'll vanish fast.

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Bowmore Captivo Collection: Two 20-Year-Old Single Malts in Design Collaboration

The Captivo Collection is Bowmore's latest release: two 20-year-old Islay single malts created with New York design studio Snarkitecture. Oak Voyage (50.8% ABV, £312) spent two decades in American oak ex-Bourbon casks before a finish in American oak Oloroso sherry butts. The result is dark cherry, candied orange, Manuka honey, and a whisper of campfire smoke. Sherry Cask Pursuit (51.8% ABV, £320) matured in Spanish oak Oloroso sherry and American oak ex-Bourbon casks with an Oloroso hogshead finish. It gives tropical fruit, cracked black pepper, smoked toffee, and charred mango. Dr Calum Fraser, master blender at Suntory Global Spirits, oversaw both expressions. Oak Voyage lands at Harrods on 1 September before rolling out to the US, Asia, Northern Europe, and Canada. Sherry Cask Pursuit is a global travel retail exclusive.

Murray's take: A design studio collaboration on a 20-year-old Islay single malt could easily be packaging over substance. But the liquid specs hold up — the Sherry Cask Pursuit in particular sounds like a genuine flavour journey, and 51.8% cask strength gives it backbone. The travel retail exclusive route for one expression is smart: it creates scarcity without locking the whole release behind an airport counter.

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Diageo's Whisky-Backed Pension Scheme Reaches Surplus

In 2010, Diageo transferred up to 2.5 million barrels of maturing Scotch whisky from distilleries including Talisker and Lagavulin to its pension fund to cover an £862 million deficit. The 15-year deal, extended to 2030, let the pension scheme earn income from selling maturing stock while holding tangible assets. Sixteen years on, the scheme is in surplus — £246 million at the April 2024 actuarial valuation, a 106% funding level. Diageo hasn't needed to make cash contributions in the past two years. The Pension Funding Partnership, which holds the whisky assets, was valued at £60 million at March 2025. If the scheme had remained in deficit, Diageo would have owed up to £430 million to buy back the remaining barrels.

Murray's take: Pledged maturing whisky as pension collateral was an extraordinary piece of financial engineering when Diageo did it in 2010. It worked because whisky appreciates with age and interest rates eventually rose, cutting the present cost of future obligations. The scheme now holds £60 million of whisky assets and pays no deficit contributions. Whether the model is replicable is another question — it required a company with millions of barrels and a pension trustee willing to hold spirit as an asset.

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Paul John Makes Chinese Single-Cask Debut at Whisky L! Shanghai

Paul John whisky staged its most significant Chinese push to date at Whisky L! 2026 in Shanghai (14–16 August), launching its first-ever single cask, cask-strength, limited-edition single malt in the Chinese market. The Indian distillery's booth was inaugurated by Consul General of India Shri Pratik Mathur as part of the largest-ever India Pavilion at the exhibition. Paul John is represented in travel retail by SAI RP Enterprises, founded by Rajesh Panda, and distributed in China by Shenzhen Longman Import & Export Company. The brand claims over 380 international awards and presence in more than 45 countries. The event coincided with the 80th anniversary of Indian independence.

Murray's take: Indian single malt in China is a category story, not just a brand story. Paul John is doing what Scottish distilleries did decades ago — building distribution in markets where whisky culture is still forming. A single cask launch signals confidence: you don't send your rarest format to a market you're testing. Whether Chinese consumers embrace Indian whisky with the same enthusiasm they've shown for Japanese and Scotch remains the open question.

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Hibiki 12 Returns After 11-Year Absence — Travel Retail Exclusive

Suntory has brought back Hibiki 12, the blended Japanese whisky discontinued in 2015, when age-statement bottlings vanished as demand outstripped supply. The new version blends malt from Yamazaki and Hakushu with grain from Chita, bottled at 43% ABV for $188. Unlike the original, which included whisky aged in umeshu (Japanese plum liqueur) casks, the new release uses Chita grain aged in American oak plus malt whiskies matured in Spanish oak and Japanese mizunara. Suntory considers 15 years the minimum for mizunara maturation, suggesting some older component may be present despite the 12-year age statement. The palate offers orange, chocolate, blueberry, baking spice, vanilla, and warm biscuit. For now, it's available only at select global travel retail locations.

Murray's take: The return of age statements across Japanese whisky tells you the supply crunch has eased — or that brands have decided the NAS era damaged their premium positioning more than shortages ever did. Dropping the umeshu cask component changes the whisky's character, so this isn't a resurrection so much as a new expression with an old name. Travel retail exclusivity is a launch strategy, not a permanent restriction. Expect wider release if the airport demand holds.

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