The 93rd Auction

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good dram! It’s that time of year again - Santa has been making his rounds and we have been making ours, and have a healthy abundance of tasty malt delights to offer you and yours this holiday. Whether you’re buying for yourself, buying for loved ones, or simply re-stocking in anticipation of the New Year’s Eve blow-out, we’re sure you’ll find the perfect bottle to see you through this festive season.

To begin the seasonal feast, we'd like to draw your attention to a Dalmore 40 Year Old. In keeping with their recent fondness for astrological nomenclature, Dalmore has christened this release Astrum, which is the Ancient Greek for Star. And what a star it is: finished in a Gonzales Byass sherry cask, this is a particularly unique bottling worth snatching up.

If you’re looking to treat yourself to a little piece of history this Christmas, you can’t miss out on our Karuizawa 35 year old: The Cities of Japan. Highly sought after, these beautifully designed bottles were created to honour some of Japan’s iconic cities, and are some of the rarest whiskys to have been released out of the lost Karuizawa distillery.

For those seeking to indulge in a luxurious holiday treat, we have not one but two Glen Grant 60 Year Olds form Gordon & MacPhail. At a hefty 51.6%, these old boys are gorgeous examples of the cask care coming from Gordon & MacPhail, and have both been maturing in a first fill sherry hogshead for just over 60 years. Tis’ the season to be jolly!

If you’ve perhaps had a touch too much of the scotch this season, you can always ring in the new year with a rare and exciting bourbon: Twisted Spoke. Named for a famous biker bar in Chicago, this is a private label from the Van Winkle distillery created to celebrate the popularity of the Harley Davidson Motorcycle. The bar is known far and wide for its special bourbons, but this bottle is particularly rare, having only been released in a few choice states across America.

Finally, to return to Japan, we have in - for the very first time - a Karuizawa 1993 The Crowning Cask. Another premium spirit from the famous lost distillery, this bottle really is a Christmas miracle: it was the final cask out of Karuizawa to be bottled for the Japanese market, and only 48 were released by Mitsukoshi Isetan Department Store.

Enough with the talk, and on to the bidding! A very happy merry from all of us here at SWA, and we sincerely hope you spend this most festive of seasons with friends by your side and a dram in your hand.