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September clearly had no interest in keeping things modest, as far as the whisky world was concerned. The month brought whisky aged for decades, bottles made in tiny numbers and enough exotic cask finishes to make any serious collector pause before reaching for the usual dram. Among the standout releases were the extraordinary Balvenie 88-year-old single malt, Glenmorangie’s oldest whisky yet, alongside younger but equally intriguing expressions from Glen Scotia, Filliers and The Glenlivet. Here are 5 whisky launches in September 2026, including the Balvenie 88 Years Old, Glenmorangie 50 Years Old, Glen Scotia Icons of Campbeltown Release No. 4, Filliers Master Distiller Mizunara Oak Finish and The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Provence Edition.
If whisky could have a birth certificate, this one would be framed. Distilled in 1931, The Balvenie 88 Years Old whisky spent 88 years maturing in a European oak Sherry butt from Jerez before being bottled in 2019. Only 17 bottles exist, making this less of a whisky you casually pick up and more of a liquid piece of history. The profile brings warm biscuit and creamy toffee, followed by barley sugar, crystallised ginger, raisin and spice.
ABV: 43.2%.
Price: Not publicly disclosed.
Glenmorangie went big on the number 50, and then made only 149 whisky bottles. Its oldest single malt whisky was distilled in the mid-1970s, matured initially in Bourbon hogsheads and first-fill Oloroso Sherry butts, and ultimately overseen by Dr Bill Lumsden. The final presentation is almost as collectible as the whisky itself, with each Glenmorangie 50 Years Old whisky bottle housed in a bespoke porcelain vessel created by ceramicist Peter Pincus.
ABV: 45.7%.
Glenmorangie 50 Years Old is priced at approximately $34,700 to $36,000.
Not every interesting September whisky required half a century in a warehouse. Glen Scotia Icons of Campbeltown Release No. 4 whisky is a 12-year-old single malt finished in Vin Santo wine casks, bringing dried apricot, sultana, cinnamon and toasted nuts to its coastal Campbeltown character. Inspired by the mythical griffin said to have guarded the town’s harbour, it is bottled at batch strength, so this one arrives with plenty of muscle.
ABV: 53.8%.
Glen Scotia Icons of Campbeltown Release No. 4 is priced at £80.
Belgium meets Japan in this particularly intriguing limited edition from Filliers. The single malt was distilled in 2019 from 100% Belgian malted barley, matured for five years in a first-fill ex-Bourbon cask and then finished for two years in Japanese Mizunara oak. Only 393 bottles of the Filliers Master Distiller Mizunara Oak Finish whisky were produced, with coconut, sandalwood, vanilla and tropical fruit among the flavours highlighted by the distillery.
ABV: 45.1%.
Filliers Master Distiller Mizunara Oak Finish is listed at approximately £165.
The Glenlivet decided to take a little trip to France, without leaving Speyside. The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Provence Edition whisky was finished in three French cask types: Château Sainte Marguerite white wine, Rivesaltes and Sauternes. Expect floral notes, marmalade, creme brulee and citrus, with the lavender-toned packaging giving the bottle a suitably Provencal makeover.
ABV: 40%.
The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Provence Edition is priced at $54.80 in select global markets.
From a whisky that spent 88 years in oak to one finished in Japanese Mizunara, September’s releases prove that age is only one way to make a bottle interesting. The real fun is in seeing where distillers take their whisky next.
