And what a year…thank you for everything, we hope you have enjoyed some fun and frolics with us and your fellow members. It has been great to have you along for the ride. With our 40^th birthday next year you can expect quite a party in 2023 but for now, let’s pour a dram together as we welcome a HAPPY NEW YEAR. Cheers!

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

Welcome to the Late Christmas Edition of the show. This festive season I’ll be staying at home and reviewing a selection of English whisky releases from Derbyshire, Oxford and Yorkshire.

https://youtu.be/apLjqJYsPlg

A lot has happened this year, including the marvellous Barry MacAffer becoming our new Distillery Manager. To see 2022 off in style this Hogmanay, we asked Barry to share a few words with us about his journey so far. And as always, our Barry went above and beyond the ask.

“This has been one of the best years of my life, and a huge part of that is thanks to the incredible team who have supported me. Caroline (aka the site mum) has been a constant rock in the centre of everything. There’s Colin, our new Warehouse Leader, keeping casks filled and team spirits high. Greig, our new Engineer, has kept the equipment running and people laughing. Our on-site handy man Donny has kept the place looking good. Kimble has been a solid Team Leader as always, and his experience and support has been vital. My mentor Al has been inspiring. Then there’s Pam, who filled my old Assistant Manager shoes. Last but not least, there’s our Housekeeper Jennifer, whose morning smile is the first thing I see every day. I want to send the entire site my best wishes and thanks for all their invaluable support this year. I’d also like to call out the Mashing and Stilling teams, who’s experience has been invaluable. The wave of fresh faces in the Maltings Team, all thirsty to learn our traditions in the new year. And finally, our Visitor Centre team, I know they are excited to welcome you all with their new plans in 2023. As we bid farewell to 2022, I want to send the entire site my best wishes and thanks for all their invaluable support this year.”

We couldn’t have said it any better ourselves, Barry.

Sláinte to all of our Laphroaig family and, of course, to you, our Friends of Laphroaig. We look forward to seeing you in 2023!

VISIT US AT LAPHROAIG DISTILLERY

A HUGE thank you to everyone that visited us in 2022. We welcomed well over 15,000 guests, served over 60,000 drams and loved every minute of it. From myself, Sarah, Venue Manager & all the team at Queen Street, a very happy 2023, & see you on your next visit

Scotland’s world-famous New Year’s Eve celebration, Hogmanay, marks the change of year. It is a time to gather with loved ones to reflect on the year that has passed and look forward to the year ahead.

We would like to join you in raising a toast to friends and family as we raise a glass to celebrate new beginnings.

EXPLORE

The 139th auction is now live with thousands of quality bottles to choose from.  We know how busy the festive period can be (those mince pies won’t eat themselves) so we thought we’d save you some scrolling time and highlight a few special expressions to get you started.

Bowmore Sherriff’s 18 Year Old 26 2/3 Fl Oz

This is a very rare old Bowmore Sherriff’s 18 Year Old 26 2/3 Fl Oz.  Bowmore has had a long and storied history and is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable names in Scotch whisky.  Given that the distillery was bought over by Stanley P. Morrison Ltd in 1963 we can assume this bottling pre-dates that purchase, making this an incredibly old bottling from a bygone era.  This is the first time we have had this expression in the auction, so we expect this one to be highly coveted.

Karuizawa 1984 30 Year Old Cask #5410

Next we have a tremendous Karuizawa 1984 30 Year Old.  A fantastically rare expression from the now silent Karuizawa distillery, this special whisky was drawn from a single sherry cask after ageing patiently for three decades.  Bottled by Number One Drinks this one was specially selected by famed French retailer, La Maison Du Whisky and features label artwork by celebrated Singaporean artist Warren Khong.  We’ve only sold this on three occasions in one hundred and thirty-eight auctions so we can safely say this one is a rarity of the highest quality.

Macallan 1937 Gordon & MacPhail 26 2/3 Fl Oz

This Macallan 1937 Gordon & MacPhail 26 2/3 Fl Oz was distilled over 8 decades ago, and has survived trials and tribulations for the better part of a century before landing in our auction this month.  Bottled by one the largest and well-respected indie bottlers, Elgin’s own Gordon & MacPhail, this is a very rare and much sought-after bottling. As with our last highlight this bottle has only been through our auctions three times in more than ten years, so if it is one you’ve had your eye on this is your chance to own it.

GlenDronach 1971 50 Year Old

Finally, we have a marvellous GlenDronach 1971 50 Year Old to end things on a high note.  GlenDronach is a particular favourite of the staff here at Scotch Whisky Auctions, so you can be sure this expression elicited many an admiring glance when it arrived here.  As dark as treacle from five decades worth of ageing in both Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry casks this is one of only 198 bottles released and is undoubtedly a thing of beauty.  This is the oldest GlenDronach ever bottled and was only released in 2022, so make sure you get your bid in early as we expect there to be a queue forming to bid on this one.Remarkable drams one and all, but don’t depsair if these are a little out of your league because we have literally thousands of other bottles to choose from.  With this many bottles in the auction there really is something for everyone so dive in to this month’s auction, best of luck everbody and here’s to a successful 2023!