CONTENTS

1. Malt Distillery of the Moment
2. Gift Ideas for Christmas
3. Michael’s Rant
4. Christmas shop hours
5. Christmas social time

1.  MALT DISTILLERY OF THE MOMENT - SPRINGBANK – The Campbeltown classic:
Springbank, founded in 1828 and still independently owned today is one of the few distilleries left remaining in the once burgeoning whisky producing region of Campbletown.
While production at Springbank has at times been sporadic, their product remains one of the truly great examples of Scottish single malt whisky.

Tasting notes for Springbank:

Springbank whisky is typified by notes of fresh and dried fruits (oranges, apricots, and bananas), coconut along with a hint of sea air and peat smoke.

We’ve got two great examples of Springbank we are highlighting this month:

Springbank 10 years old (46% ABV 700ml) – $88 (was $98.50)

A fantastic introduction to the renowned Springbank distillery.

Springbank 15 years old (46% ABV 700ml) – $128 (was $147.80)

A classic Springbank, a big and bold dram.

ANOTHER MALT OF THE MOMENT

Ben Nevis 11 year old – $63

We’ve got a cracking sherry cask finished Ben Nevis from Douglas Laing’s Provenance range in stock, it’s a spicy whisky, with notes of syrupy fruits and a hint of coffee. A great Highland whisky for under the Christmas tree.

2.  CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS (over 500 whiskies in store at WG!)

Are you looking for some gift ideas for your whisky loving friends and family this year? We’ve got a great range of gift sets, glassware, flasks and other whisky accessories available, and anything you buy either online or in the shop can be gift-wrapped. Below is a small selection of what we have available:

Whisky gift sets:

Glenmorangie Original + 2 glasses $95.50 – this attractively boxed set contains a 700ml bottle of Glenmorangie Original, along with two Glenmorangie branded whisky tumblers.

Glenfarclas 15 + two minis $121 – this boxed set contains a 700ml bottle of the superb Glenfarclas 15 year old along with 50ml minis of Glenfarclas 21 and 25 year old. A great way to try some of Glenfarclas’ older expressions at a very reasonable price.

Ardbeg Mini Pack $32 – this duo of 50ml miniatures from Ardbeg showcase the Ardbeg Blasda and Ten year old expressions. A great choice for fans of smoky whisky.

Benriach ‘Classic’ and ‘Classic & peated’ miniature sets $51 / $55 – four smartly packaged miniatures from the Benriach distillery offering a range of ages and styles from 12-21 years old.

A couple of Christmas Crackers:

We’ve got a couple of different combinations of whisky on our webstore, each of them a Christmas Cracker – why not have a look here.

Books and accessories:

Glencairn tasting glasses – a must-have for any whisky drinker, these specially designed nosing glasses enable you to get the most out of your drams. Dishwasher safe and very durable.

Glencairn Isle of Skye crystal – we have a range of traditional cut crystal tumblers and decanters from Glencairn of Scotland. These are absolutely first class glassware for special occasions.

Whiskypedia – from the renowned whisky writer and industry man Charles Maclean, this is one of the most interesting whisky books of recent years. All of our copies of Whiskypedia have been signed by the author.

Bottled History – a superb hardcover coffee-table book filled with stories and photographs of old distilleries and their equipment.

3.  MICHAELS RANT-  CHRISTMAS RETAILING

This is our 8th Christmas in retail which according to old (retail) hands is how you age your business! Personally I love this time of year, not as you might think because the till is running hot (or at least we hope it will be) although that is what we are here for to some degree, it’s more about the folk we meet, and this is the time when we hear from folk virtually all around the world as we purvey whiskies to their kith, kin and friends here in NZ and often from here to wherever. Also we see folk over the summer that have dealt with us by e-mail while on holiday in the south.

This gives rather a nice feeling in the shop and there is something in the air that makes life really good, and its people, that to us is the essence in all aspects of the whisky business, people.

We never feel like we are pressuring or selling at this time of year or for that matter any other time which is what my rant is about, we have actually been told by “experts” we need to “close” the deal, “up sell” or such. However we are here for the long game, every time you come through the door we want your return business because we have what you wish for or need, not because we have been clever “Season of Good Will” marketers.

So excuse us if we don’t have the big Christmas razzle dazzle, we do however have the Christmas Spirit in more ways than one and we do look forward to welcoming you to Whisky Galore – Merry Christmas.

4.  DECEMBER HOURS:

From the 7th of December 09:30 AM to 6PM Mon to Fri

Saturdays and Sundays from the 12th, 13th, 19th and 20th from: 10AM to 4PM

Closed: Christmas and Boxing day

Closed: New Years Day and the 2nd of January.

YES WE ARE OPEN FOR YOUR HOGMANAY NEEDS!!

Normal hours between Christmas and New Year, normal trading from the 3rd of January.

5.   CHRISTMAS SOCIAL

Why not pop in to the shop any time after the 18th of December for a social dram and a Christmas tart or a wee bit of Christmas cake made by Michael’s daughter Tara.

Yours, from the festive and jolly Whisky Galore team – Michael, Siona, Andy & Stephen