There are always special Christmas bottlings to pick from during the festive season, with many distilleries and bottlers offering up yuletide treats. The likes of Big Peat, Scallywag, Douglas Laing and The Scotch Malt Whisky Societyhave all been known to delve into the Christmas bottling market with great success. But, what about the super rare Christmas bottles from years gone by? We’ve compiled a short list of some very special seasonal bottlings here: -
Glenfarclas 1959 42yo, Christmas Day 2002 Bottling
In 1959, Glenfarclas distilled spirit on the 25th December - the last time the distillery operated on Christmas Day. Aged for 42 years, it was bottled in June 2002 and only 96 bottles were released.
The Whisky Vault Price: Not currently in stock. View Here.
Glengoyne 1967 Christmas Day, Vintage Reserve 1992 Bottling
This limited edition Highland single malt was laid to rest on Christmas Day 1967 at the Glengoyne distillery, where it was left undisturbed until it was bottled over 24 years later in August 1992.
Released as a Vintage Reserve Stock bottling and one of just 2,500 on the market.
The Whisky Vault Price: net 1,000 GBP. Buy Here.
Glenmorangie Last Christmas at Leith
This is one, of a very few, examples of the remaining of 250 bottles presented to workers at the Glenmorangie offices commemorating their last Christmas at the Leith Headquarters in 1995, which had been the companies base since 1893.
The Whisky Vault Price: net 1,458.33 GBP. Buy Here.
Springbank 12yo, 100 Proof Christmas 2002 Private Bottling
This fascinating 12 year old from Springbank was matured in Madeira wood and bottled at 100 proof (57% ABV) exclusively for the Shareholders, Directors and staff of J&A Mitchell Co. Ltd, the Springbank distillery proprietors.
Exceptionally rare, it is believed that only 66 bottles of this precious liquid were ever produced. The rear of the bottle and the carton are both hand-signed by the then General Manager, Frank McHardy.
The Whisky Vault Price: net 2,500 GBP. Buy Here.
Glenfarclas 1959 Historic Reserve “Christmas Malt”
This mesmerising well-Sherried 42 year old Speyside single malt was laid down at the Glenfarclas distillery on Christmas Day 1959 and bottled on the 24th June 2002.
Charged from Sherry hogshead numbers 3232, 3233, 3234 & 3235 this is one of just 240 limited bottles that were bottled for The Historic Reserve series and scored a huge 92 points on WhiskyFun.
This is the 1st entry (John Grant edition) of four in the Historic Reserve series. The year of 1959 was to be the last time that the distillery would be operational on Christmas Day.
The Whisky Vault Price: Not currently in stock. View Here.
What Makes a “Rare Christmas Whisky”?
- Scarcity of bottles — many limited Christmas or seasonal bottles are released in small batches (hundreds or low thousands) and sell fast.
- Uncommon cask finishes or cask strength bottling — e.g. sherry butts, port-finishes, high ABV, non-chill-filtered. These give distinctive flavour profiles that align well with winter/Christmas: rich, warm, spiced, smoky, fruity.
- Legacy / discontinued distilleries or high-end prestige — older distilleries, closed distilleries or ultra-premium labels tend to age well and become rarer with time, increasing collectible value.
- Strong collector demand around the festive season — Christmas and winter evoke the kind of whisky that matches cosy environments and gift-giving - pushing demand for limited and rare releases.
Slàinte Mhath - and a very Merry Christmas to one and all.