From all of us at Edinburgh Whisky Academy, we’d like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 🎄✨

From record-breaking course sizes to exciting milestones and new collaborations, it has been a remarkable year for our global network of EWA Approved Course Providers. As we look back on 2024, we’re filled with gratitude for your support and enthusiasm.

Here’s a blog post listing 5 things worth celebrating from 2024 — let’s toast to another fantastic year of learning and achievement ahead!

📖  Read the Post

We’re grateful for your continued support and wish you a festive season full of cheer!

Slàinte,
The Murray McDavid Team

Welcome to our Christmas Bulletin and all that’s new at Glenfarclas. Our distillery manager, Callum, tells us what’s been happening at the distillery recently. We’ll have a closer look at our 15 year old single malt, a preview of our new 1950s Family Cask tour and we’ll tell you about our recent award from Tripadvisor. We hope you enjoy it.

Distillery Manager

Callum A Fraser

As another busy year at the distillery draws to a close, I wanted to take a moment to reflect and update you on the past year at Glenfarclas.

Being a family owned and truly independent distillery our lifeblood is our people. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the men and women of Glenfarclas, who work around the clock to create the whisky that you are able to enjoy today. This year we said goodbye to Stillman Jimmy Nichol, who retired after 17 years of loyal service. Thank you Jimmy for your hard work and we wish you all the best! We also welcomed Colin, Scott and Blair to the production team.

We have been working at full capacity throughout 2024 producing just under 3 million litres of alcohol. Our warehouse team have been hand filling the casks on site and laying them down to rest in one of our 42 dunnage warehouses, where they will lay undisturbed for many years.

During our scheduled summer shutdown or silent season, you will be pleased to know that the team were kept busy painting the famous warehouse doors red and cutting the grass around the distillery whilst we were undertaking a huge upgrade project on our Bio Plant. This will allow us to clean more water per hour before returning it to the River Spey, helping us to continue to do our part for the environment.

On a personal note, 2024 marked my 12th year at Glenfarclas as distillery manager, so I hope that at some point in the future you can raise a glass of our fantastic 12-year-old Glenfarclas to mark the occasion.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!

INTRODUCING THE GLENFARCLAS 15-YEAR-OLD

Matured in Oloroso sherry casks and specially bottled at 46% abv, it is the perfect winter warmer to enjoy with family and friends this festive period.

Tasting notes:

Colour: Rich golden amber.

Nose: Deliciously sherried, light butterscotch aromas, with a hint of dried blossom fruits.

Flavour: Full bodied with a superb balance of sherried sweetness, raisins, almonds and light citrus notes resembling Christmas cake.

Finish: Long lasting, gloriously sherried, sweet and distinguished. Sláinte!

50s Family Cask Experience

We are thrilled to announce the introduction of a new distillery experience at Glenfarclas. This is the very first time a dedicated 1950s Family Cask experience has been offered here at the distillery. Our 1950s tour is a unique opportunity to gain insight into one of the last family owned and run distilleries in Scotland by taking an in-depth tour and meeting our team here on site whilst visiting never seen before areas of the distillery. We invite you to step back in time where you can marvel at our complete Family Cask Collection before enjoying five specially selected drams from the 1950s in our VIP lounge.

This is a one-of-a-kind experience, for true Glenfarclas connoisseurs to enjoy some of the rarest and most special whiskies available anywhere. The tour lasts between 2 ½ – 3 hours and is priced at £511.19 per person (a nod to the purchase price of the distillery back in 1865!). Tours can be booked by appointment only. For more information, please email visitorcentre@glenfarclas.com Over 18s only.

Tripadvisor Award

We are delighted that our Visitor Centre has been awarded the Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award 2024. Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Well done to Sarah and the team!

If you would like to visit us just follow the link below:

ARRANGE A VISIT

VISITING THE WORLD

Over the last 12 months our team based here at Glenfarclas have personally visited 21 countries worldwide to showcase and talk about our family owned and independent distillery. It has been an incredible year with some wonderful experiences meeting Glenfarclas drinkers from across the globe. We cannot wait to see where 2025 will take our Sales team.

As we approach the end of another remarkable year, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support of Glenfarclas.

We hope this festive season brings you warmth, joy, and cherished moments with loved ones. May your glasses be full and your spirits high as we raise a toast to memories made and those yet to come.

Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Here’s to another year of exceptional whisky and shared experiences.

With warmest wishes,

The Glenfarclas Team

Old Pulteney “Huddart” Ex-Peated AnCnoc Cask Finished Single Malt Whisky (750ml) (Previously $60) $19.99 View

Wine Enthusiast | Review Date: 12/2021

Sea air, toasted almond and subtle peat smoke mark the nose of this single malt. The palate opens assertively smoky and savory, mixing bacon and mesquite with almond, honey and spice. This was aged in ex-bourbon casks and finished in casks that previously held peated whisky. (KN).

Old Pulteney, the brilliant distillery situated on Scotland’s Northern coast, only makes unpeated malt. For this unusual bottling, they’ve finished their malt in casks that previously held heavily peated anCnoc single malt from their sister distillery Knockdhu. You get all the salty brine of Pulteney combined with the intense peat of anCnoc for a special take on the peaty, salty style of whisky more familiar to fans of Islay.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Buyer | Review Date: 12/2024

This is one of those deals where our price is so ridiculously low it gives people pause. You may remember the Old Pulteney Clipper or the Balblair 2005 that we secured earlier this year. Each one of those flew off our shelves once the word got out and I received hundreds of emails asking me if we were going to get more. It’s astonishing that we were able to work this deal, mostly because this this is still available all over the place at the much higher price. That was not the case either of the other two. But here we are. A beautiful highland malt ace’d in a heavily peated highland cask, gives us just the tiny kiss of smoke that I often crave when tasting modern Old Pulteney. I’m sad to say that this is every bit worth the $60 they want to charge for it, and I’d have been happy to continue to sell it at that price, but right we’re in a valuation creation mode and we cannot resist the opportunity to share the value that this type of deal creates for our customers. Let’s have a taste. The color is lovely restrained deep gold (0.8), likely no coloring added here although it’s not stated on the bottle. The nose offers no strong smoke or peat aromas, instead the cask finish serves to heighten the classical salty maritime character of the Pulteney malt in an extremely appealing way. With a bit of air, the sweet sea air envelopes a basket of fresh orchard fruit pear, yellow plum, lemon rind and apricot skins. Beyond that a deep base note of malt offers some savory earthy, rich nutty and sweet biscuit notes. The palate is extremely pleasurable in a very overt sort of way -the savory notes described in the critical review maybe have tamed slightly in bottle over the last several years, but a pure and linear twinge of peat slices right thru the gorgeous salty fruit on the front palate. Very subtle wood smoke, roasted heather, oily nuts, and lingering salt sits on the back palate and build toward a beautiful spice driven finish. It’s not giant bruiser or powerhouse, instead offering a complexity often lost in NAS malts and while it might put off those who absolutely HATE peat (albeit the Highland style rather than the brackish iodine of Islay), I highly doubt that anyone else will find this overly smoky or peaty in anyway. This is first-rate malt, which truly shouldn’t be available for the price we’re charging. You’ve been warned that this is not to be missed, so don’t come crying to me when it’s all gone!

Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

Scallywag

Signature Series – 13 Years Old

This extraordinary expression has been expertly crafted and matured for 13 years in the finest Spanish Sherry Oak Casks, delivering a rich and indulgent flavour profile that embodies the true spirit of Scallywag.

Timorous Beastie

Signature Series – 18 years Old

This special release has been crafted with meticulous care and aged to perfection in the finest Spanish Sherry Casks. Limited to just 650 bottles globally, you can expect a richer, sweeter profile of vanilla, juicy barley and dark chocolate…

Big Peat

Hameldaeme Edition

We have finished this rare marriage of Islay Single Malt in specially selected White Port Casks. The resulting Big Peat Blended Malt delivers a defined Islay peat smoke combined with spiced fruit, toffee, and honey, fused with waves of almond and vanilla. Sip, savour and enjoy this unique taste of Islay.

A Gift Fit For Royalty

We have proudly partnered with Highgrove to create our limited-edition Royal Gardens Single Malt Whisky, the perfect gift for any whisky lover this Christmas! This special edition whisky has been crafted using heritage Plumage Archer barley grown exclusively at Highgrove Estate and aged in a combination of ex-red wine and first fill bourbon casks. Only 400 bottles were produced, each presented in a gift box which features a watercolour of Highgrove House painted by His Majesty King Charles III.

This whisky is now exclusively available to purchase on Highgrove’s website. Purchase yours below while stocks last!

SHOP HIGHGROVE HERE

There’s still time to pick up Ben Nevis 1996 25 Year Old – the perfect pour this Christmas.

Ben Nevis 25 Year Old 1996 Milroy’s Vintage Reserve #20

£375.00

Still in the market for a top Christmas bottle? The great news: if you’re in the UK you can order with us up until 20 December for delivery ahead of the big day.

And if you’re looking for a delectably indulgent recommendation, may we suggest Ben Nevis 25 Year Old 1996. Part of an early iteration of our celebrated Vintage Reserve collection, it offers an array of sumptuous fruity notes backed by a deep leather complexity. Ben Nevis is one of our all-time favourite Scotch distilleries. And this bottle shows why.

Rock Island

The Sherry Edition

Bring a touch of festive charm to your gifts this season with the Rock Island Sherry Edition. A harmonious marriage of Single Cask Single Malts from Islay, Arran, Jura, and Orkney, this island-inspired Whisky has been matured exclusively in Spanish Sherry casks. Bottled at 46.8% and offered without colouring or chill-filtration, it’s as pure and natural as Whisky gets – a perfect gift for those who appreciate a maritime twist to their dram.

Anticipate a smoky, earthy nose, a spiced palate with buttered toast and cured meats, and a finish of mocha, brown sugar, and allspice.

SHOP NOW

TOP 20 WHISKY IN THE WORLD LIMITED EDITION  |  AVAILABLE WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

What a great way to kick off the holiday season! We’re thrilled to announce that our Limited-Edition Brewer’s Coalition Hardywood Gingerbread Stout Cask Finish Whisky, with a score of 93 points, has earned a spot among Whisky Advocate’s Top 20 Whiskies of 2024.

This Gingerbread Stout Cask Finish was finished in just 30 barrels that previously held Hardywood Craft Brewery’s famed Gingerbread Stout. The result is a whisky that is both festive and rich in flavor, with aromas of candied lemon peel, apricot, and ginger giving way to a palate filled with walnuts, freshly baked gingerbread cookies, vanilla icing, and lingering baking spices. Bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV), this whisky offers a unique and flavorful experience for both whisky connoisseurs and craft beer lovers alike.

Holiday Shipping: Orders shipping outside of VA should be placed by 12/9 (Today!)  VA orders should be placed by 12/13. Available while supplies last.

BUY NOW

Virginia Distillery Company works with the preeminent breweries from across the country, working diligently to source exceptional beer barrels to enhance our world class American Single Malt whisky. This limited edition offering highlights a remarkably decadent American Single Malt, enhanced by the nostalgic holiday characteristics of Hardywood Gingerbread Stout. Just twenty barrels were sourced for this release.

Made fr­om 100% Malted Barley. Aged in premium ex-bourbon barrels for over five years and then finished in Hardywood Gingerbread Stout barrels. Enjoy the scents of candied lemon peel, apricot and bright ginger as they gently melt into the taste of walnuts, ­freshly baked gingerbread cookies, vanilla icing and lingering baking spice.

Douglas Laing’s Gift Guide

Scallywag Winter 2024

Indulge in the Scallywag Winter 2024 Limited Edition – the ultimate gift for Whisky enthusiasts. Finished in Spanish Orange Wine casks, this exceptional Malt combines Scallywag’s rich Speyside character with vibrant, zesty citrus notes. Whether it’s for a loved one or a treat for yourself, it’s the perfect way to toast cosy winter evenings.

For more gifting inspiration, look no further than our Remarkable Regional Malts. These limited-edition Whiskies celebrate Scotland’s finest regions and offer a unique, thoughtful way to share the warmth of the season with loved ones.

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