If you’re buying for a whisky fan this Christmas, or just looking to treat yourself, here are some of the best drams available now.
From peated whiskies to light single malts, and a bargain Speyside bottling that’s made for Christmas, here are some of the best Scotch whiskies to buy this festive season.
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.
The annual Royal Mile Whiskies Stocking Filler whisky is well worth looking at. With two releases - a 21 year old priced at £79 and this £45 13 year old - there’s options for differing budgets.
Distilled in 2012 and matured in two sherry butts, this 13 year old Speyside whisky is good value for money and an ideal festive dram or gift.
The team at Royal Mile Whiskies said of this year’s release: “Unlike last year’s fruity Christmas cake-inspired bottling, this year’s release leans into a more fudgy and slightly savoury sherry style that’s both rich and complex.
“Expect deep, warming flavours that evolve with every sip, luxurious hints of dark chocolate, dried fruits, and subtle spices make this an ideal winter dram, perfect for those who love the bolder side of sherry cask ageing.”
Priced at £44.95 you can buy a bottle here.
The onset of the festive season calls for a dram that embodies the Christmas spirit.
With this in mind, The Whisky Exchange scoured hundreds of distilleries across Scotland in search of something special and were charmed by this 16-year-old Highland Single Malt, a whisky that evokes the warmth, richness, and nostalgia of Christmas past.
Available now in-store and online at The Whisky Exchange, A Good Old- Fashioned Christmas Whisky is a perfect festive gift for a loved one, or an ideal winter warming treat to serve over the festive season.
Sourced from the Highlands and matured in first-fill Oloroso sherry butts, this whisky celebrates the season’s flavours with notes of Christmas pudding, brandy butter, orange, chocolate and candied almonds, perfectly capturing the character and comfort of Christmas in a glass.
Priced at £79.95 you can buy a bottle here.
This whisky was named the world’s best single malt earlier this year and, having tried it, it’s easy to see why.
The whisky took home that coveted title at this year’s World Whiskies Awards
There were 23 Scotch whiskies in total, among other whiskies from around the world. But it was a Scotch whisky that took home the coveted title of “World’s Best Single Malt.”
Judges described it as having: "A nose of rich sultanas, flapjacks, and milk chocolate, alongside acetone notes. On the palate, dried apple, gourmet chutney, orange zest, nutmeg, and cinnamon emerge, complemented by vanilla custard. The finish is medium-long, oily, and slightly warm, making for a very enjoyable dram."
Priced at £54, you can buy a bottle here.
Nothing says Christmas like a full bodied sherry matured whisky (or a sherry for that matter, but we’re here for whiskies), and this limited edition from Morrisons Distillers is a dream dram for the festive season.
The liquid, which was hand-selected from Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers’ extensive collection of mature single malt Scotch Whiskies, has spent its entire life in a combination of Oloroso and PX Sherry hogsheads and butts.
The whisky was originally released in late 2023, so there aren’t many bottles left but you can still buy a limited amount from Hard to Find Whiskies for £99.95 here.
Torabhaig, the newest distillery on the Isle of Skye, recently introduced Sound of Sleat Batch Strength, a new limited-edition expression that builds on the distillery’s celebrated fourth chapter in the Legacy Series, Sound of Sleat.
Bottled at a higher proof, this expression offers whisky lovers a bolder take on the signature character of Torabhaig.
Matured exclusively in American oak, a combination of ex-bourbon and new oak casks, this expression intensifies the elegant smokiness, maritime salinity and citrus brightness that made the original Sound of Sleat such a compelling dram.
At 60.2% ABV, it delivers a more concentrated expression of the distillery’s “Smoke with Taste” philosophy – waxy, elegant and evocative of Skye’s rugged coastline.
You can buy a bottle here, priced at £82.
A 10-year-long project by Isle of Arran Distillers has finally come to life culminating in the launch of a whisky that is deeply rooted in its home - Arran Barley Single Malt Batch 001.
Arran Barley Single Malt Batch 001 is a whisky that celebrates the land, the people, and the craft and is a partnership between nearby Bellevue Farm who have provided the barley for the whisky.
This whisky has been matured in a carefully selected mix of first-fill bourbon barrels and second-fill sherry hogsheads, in proportions similar to the multi-awarded Arran 10 Year Old.
Like the Arran 10 Year Old, it is bottled unfiltered and uncoloured. It has been bottled at 50% ABV, and is a limited annual release of just 18,000 bottles worldwide.
Ardnamurchan Distillery recently announced the release of a core 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
This 10 Year Old represents the first of a regular release, as it will be released annually with volumes building over time, following a similar path to that of the original Single Malt released in 2020.
While last year’s 10 Year Anniversary release was a one-off to celebrate 10 years of distillation at the distillery, the new Ardnamurchan 10 Year Old marks the start of a regular release.
The whisky is vatted from 54 ex-Bourbon barrels (95%) and two ex-Sherry hogsheads (5%) that were originally filled with 52% unpeated spirit and 48% peated spirit.
It is bottled at 46.8% ABV, non-chill filtered, and of natural colour. A total of 16,380 bottles will be released worldwide, with a UK recommended retail price of £60.
Ardnahoe Distillery on Islay recently launched its third core release, a Cask Strength Edition.
The 5-year-old Ardnahoe Islay Single Malt - Cask Strength Edition, bottled at 60.9% ABV, is composed exclusively of spirit matured in first-fill bourbon barrels. It goes on sale on Thursday 30th October.
The new limited release (RRP £65) from the Islay distillery owned by the Glasgow-based Laing family, has notes of coastal brine, earthy peat and rich cocoa on the nose.
On the palate, it shows orchard fruits, herbal tea and salted caramel, leading into a smoky finish with citrus undertones.
The Cask Strength Edition, which is batch one of a continuous series, follows on from Ardnahoe’s two previous core range releases, the fruity and peppery Oloroso sherry cask-matured Bholsa and the smoky and zesty Infinite Loch, matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks.
You can buy a bottle here for £64.95 from Royal Mile Whiskies.
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky recently announced the launch of its latest ‘Teapot Dram’ expression.
The newest in the series is Teapot Dram Batch No. 011 (59.7% ABV / 70cl / £125).
The limited edition release of just 3,000 bottles in this much acclaimed series of collectable whiskies is exclusively available from the Glengoyne Distillery Shop and from the Glengoyne website.
The Glengoyne Teapot Dram is based on an old distillery tradition where workers received three fingers of whisky three times a day.
Unlike many other distilleries, the casks chosen at Glengoyne for these drams were always first fill sherry casks.
Some of the younger distillery workers chose not to drink so much whilst working and took to pouring their share into a copper teapot.
Over time, a mixture of sherry-matured whiskies combined in the teapot which was left in view on the canteen windowsill for their older, more seasoned colleagues to enjoy during what were known as ‘the dramming days’.
The Glengoyne Teapot Dram limited edition bottling was created in tribute to this practice. The tradition of whisky workers drinking on site – except for necessary tastings – ceased in the 1970s but the story lingers, and what a tale it is.
Glengoyne Teapot Dram Batch No. 011 is bottled at natural colour and natural strength, and now, just as then, is crafted from young Glengoyne whisky matured exclusively in first-fill sherry casks, delivering a rich and delicious taste.
The whisky is matured in European oak sherry butts, European sherry hogsheads and other hogshead casks.
Priced at £125, you can buy a bottle here.
An ideal gift and something a bit different is this luxury tour of Scotland’s great distilleries, from The Dram Team.
The set contains 15 50ml premium and super premium Scotch whiskies including a ‘stunning’ 30 year old Grain Barn whisky; a ‘decadent’ 21 year old Speyside and two ‘world class’ 18 year old single malts.
As well as the whiskies there’s also a pair of Glencairn tasting glasses, a distillery guide book featuring more than 30 stunning pictures and a beautiful ready to frame distillery map of Scotland.
Limited to 165 sets, there are fewer than 60 left so buy now if you’d love to own or gift this. Find out more via The Dram Team website.
In 2019, after years of travel and adventure, husband and wife Simon and Sarah Hewitt moved to one of Scotland’s most remote peninsulas to settle down and begin working for the pioneering organic distillery, Nc’nean.
Now the time has come for them both to release their own spirits as part of Nc’nean’s Quiet Rebels series, which celebrates a different member of the team each year.
This is the first year that Nc’nean will be launching two releases in tandem, and the first time something other than a whisky will be released under the Quiet Rebels series.
Distiller Simon is a self-proclaimed beer fanatic, and so for this Quiet Rebels release, he has chosen to incorporate stout casks from iconic Scottish Brewery, Innis & Gunn.
The result is a buttery, chocolatey whisky with notes of baking spices, boasting rich flavours of chocolate brioche, coffee fudge cake, and cherry jam.
The whisky began its life in shaved, toasted, and re‑charred (STR) red wine casks before maturing further in stout casks sourced from Scottish brewing legends Innis & Gunn.
In a full‑circle twist, those stout casks had also previously held Nc’nean whisky. This unique journey has produced a decadent, well‑rounded expression that perfectly reflects Simon’s taste.
Priced at £85, you can buy a bottle here.
Returning by popular demand following previous sell-out editions, the third iteration in the Velvet Fig series has been crafted by Wemyss Malts Blender, Isabella Wemyss, for a limited 2025 release.
Launching on 26th November 2025 in the UK, this 12-year-old edition marks an elegant evolution of the Velvet Fig series, enriched by over a decade of sherry cask maturation and careful cask marriage.
Following on from the launch in the UK, the release will be available across the EU and the rest of the world from January 2026.
Isabella said: “This release is continuing the legacy of the Velvet Fig series and will be true to previous releases with it being a fruit-forward, sherry-led profile with small-batch quality.
“We have carefully selected six first-fill sherry casks, three hogsheads and three butts, which we filled between June and November 2012.
“This is a whisky that is packed with flavour with a velvety mouthfeel. On the nose you will find red and blackberry, fig, milk chocolate with notes of marzipan and walnut.
“On the palate, ripe figs, dates, apricots, with the spice of nutmeg, ginger and chestnut which then finishes with cinnamon, pipe tobacco and sweet oak.
“Velvet Fig has always been known for its rich, fruit-forward character and smooth sherry influence. This new release stays true to that style, but the added age and extra time in cask have really taken the flavour up a notch.”
Priced at £49.95, you can buy a bottle here.
