The Manager's Dram series was first unveiled in the late 1980s as a morale-boosting initiative to employees, following the creation of United Distillers (UD). The concept was simple; each of UD's numerous distillery managers would submit a sample of their finest cask for an annual blind tasting. The whisky that scored the highest was then bottled and made available exclusively to company staff.
While the competitive element eventually faded, the tradition of selecting and bottling a staff-exclusive whisky continued. The series evolved into an annual opportunity to showcase the finest expressions from UD's (later, Diageo) vast portfolio of distilleries. For employees, it was a coveted perk. For the gen-pop, it became a desirable collectible.
Between the first release in 1988, the Glen Elgin 15yo, and 1992 there were two bottles released annually by UD, after which it became a single annual release. When UD was merged to form part of Diageo in 1997, they continued the trend of releasing The Manager’s Dram annually and have since released bottles from almost every one of their impressive 31 distilleries.
The exclusivity of The Manager's Dram only fuelled its fascination among whisky enthusiasts. For decades, bottles would only appear on the secondary market when former employees decide to sell, often at auction. Realised prices can be substantial, with certain legendary bottlings, such as the Caol Ila 15yo, commanding astronomical figures.
We have listed below a handful of some of the most notable expressions released from the Manager’s Dram back catalogue: -
- Glen Elgin 15yo, The Manager’s Dram 1988 Bottling: The very first release, aged in a single sherry cask and bottled at a robust 60.2% ABV (94pts on WhiskyFun).
The Whisky Vault Price: net £4,166.67. Buy Here.
- Glendullan 18yo, The Manager’s Dram 1989 Bottling: A now scarcely seen Speysider that was filled from sherry cask at 64% ABV.
- Caol Ila 15yo, The Manager’s Dram 1990 Bottling: A heavily-sherried Islay malt that is now considered a holy grail among collectors and possibly one of the best whiskies ever released by the distillery (96pts on WF).
The Whisky Vault Price: net £6,250. Buy Here.
- Aberfeldy 19yo, The Manager’s Dram 1991 Bottling: A stunning sherry-matured Highland single malt, bottled at 61.3% ABV (92pts WF).
- Glen Elgin 16yo, The Manager’s Dram 1993 Bottling: A vintage sherry casked Speysider, bottled at a spicy 60% ABV (90pts on WhiskyFun).
The Whisky Vault Price: net £1,666.67. Buy Here.
- Oban 16yo, The Manager’s Dram 1994 Bottling: A sherry-matured single malt bottled at a powerful 64% ABV for the distillery's 200th anniversary (92pts WF).
- Clynelish 17yo, The Manager’s Dram 1998 Bottling: A fascinating Highland single malt, drawn from sherrywood at a natural strength 61.8% ABV (92pts WF).
The rare and mystical nature of The Manager's Dram, combined with its limited availability and high quality, creates a perfect storm for collectors. View all of our Manager’s Dram selection here.