December Monthly Round up for the Whisky Drinker (2025)

Sorry this one’s a little late. We’ve been so busy with new clients and adventures that things have naturally been pushed aside. On that note, this will be the last whisky newsletter for the time being. We’re pausing both the whisky and beer newsletters until we find a better way to automate and share this information with you all.

December felt like a continuation of the heavy promotional cycle, rolling from Black Friday into Christmas, New Year, and even early Burns Night offers. But beyond the discounts, it’s also been a time to reflect on a full year of whisky exploration.

From hundreds of drams tasted, a clear trend emerged. Sherry cask influence dominated our favourites this year, with standout bottles from Bunnahabhain, Macallan, and independent bottlers like Claxton’s leading the charge. While peated and bourbon cask whiskies had their moments, fewer left a lasting impression.

A key takeaway is that great whisky isn’t just about flavour. It’s about timing, context, and the memories attached to the dram. Even a modest bottle can outperform an expensive one in the right moment.

We’ve also seen the continued rise of independent bottlers, offering unique and often better-value alternatives to official distillery releases. Alongside this, high-strength young whiskies are becoming more common, using elevated ABV to enhance body and flavour. While exciting, it does raise questions about long-term drinking habits and balance.

Whisky Product of the Month

The Oak and Ember Flight Flask Traveller stood out as a practical and thoughtful piece of kit. A portable set of four 100ml bottles, designed for easy sharing and travel, it’s ideal for whisky lovers who enjoy tasting and exchanging drams with others. Functional, well-designed, and reasonably priced, it makes a great gift.

Whisky Business Highlights

The market continues to show signs of instability. While there are opportunities for buyers to pick up collectible bottles at better prices, it’s still a challenging environment for sellers. Whether the market has bottomed out remains to be seen.

Discounting continues to shape consumer behaviour, with significant price cuts driving purchasing decisions more than ever.

Distilleries are also adapting. Some are releasing new make spirit to bridge the gap before whisky maturation, while others are focusing on blending and cask innovation to maintain momentum.

Meanwhile, investment in infrastructure continues, with new warehouses and distillery developments signalling long-term confidence in whisky demand.

Notable Releases

December brought a strong mix of releases across age ranges and styles. Highlights included:

• A well-received Linkwood from Chorlton Whisky
• An experimental Bruichladdich quadruple-distilled release
• A 30-year-old Glenburgie from Fragrant Drops
• The first Welsh-origin whisky from In the Welsh Wind
• A bold, sherry-led Macduff from Artful Dodger
• New releases from Arran and Bunnahabhain continuing their strong form

Upcoming Whisky Festivals in 2026-27

The first part of this list provides dates for those whisky festivals occurring in 2025-2026 and is updated monthly with every Monthly Round Up (monthly newsletter). 

Those without full dates (at the end of the list), have occurred in 2023/24/25 without releasing 2025/26 dates at present. For full details just type the name into Google. If we’ve missed your festival just drop us a line on Our Contact Page. 

• 5^th – 6^th December 2025 – Kendal Whisky Festival
• 9^th – 10^th January 2026 Harrow Whisky Festival
• 16^th – 17^th January 2026 – Southport Whisky Festival (Winter)
• 24^th January 2026 – Scottish National Whisky Festival, Glasgow
• 31^st January 2026 – Inverclyde Whisky Festival, Greenock
• 7^th February 2026 – Exploring Whisky: Bristol
• 27^th – 28^th February 2026 – Welcome to Whisky Show, London
• 27^th February – 1^st March 2026 – Fife Whisky Festival, various locations in Fife.
• 7^th March 2026 – Whisky Birmingham, Birmingham
• 14^th March 2026 – Croydon Whisky Festival 
• 21^st March 2026 – Independent Spirits Whisky Festival, Leith, Edinburgh
• 27^th March 2026 – Whisky Fair – Cambridge
• 27^th – 28^th March 2026 – Whisky Live London
• 28^th March 2026 – The Whisky Lounge: Newcastle Whisky Festival
• 11^th April 2026 – The Whisky Lounge: South Wales, Newport
• 25^th April 2026 – Stirling Whisky Festival
• 29th April-4th May 2026 – Spirit of Speyside
• 1^st – 3^rd May 2026 – The Whisky Lounge: Lancaster, Lancaster Spirits co
• 9^th May 2026 – Clackmannanshire’s Whisky Festival, Alloa
• 10^th May 2026 – The Whisky Event, London
• 16^th May 2026 – Summerton Whisky Festival, St Albans
• 18^th – 23^rd May 2026 – Campbeltown Whisky Festival
• 22^nd-31^st May 2026 – Fèis Ìle, Islay
• 5^th – 6^th June 2026 – Whiskey Live Dublin
• 6^th June 2026 – A Dram Good Whisky Festival 2026, Arbikie Distillery, Lunan
• 13^th June 2026  – Dundee Whisky Festival
• 13^th June 2026 – Stoke Whisky Festival, Stoke on Trent 
• 26^th – 28^th June 2026 – Arran Whisky Festival, Arran 
• 11^th July 2026 – National Whisky Festival, Inverness
• 7^th – 9^th August 2026 – Whisky Fringe, Edinburgh
• 4th September 2026 – Cadenhead’s in the Courtyard, Campbeltown
• 5th September 2026 – The Whisky Lounge: Liverpool Whisky Festival
• 5^th September 2026 – Lomond & Clyde Whisky Festival, Helensburgh
• 5^th – 12^th September 2026 – Hebridean Whisky Festival 
• 12^th September 2026 – National Whisky Festival, Aberdeen
• 12^th – 13^th September 2026 – Midland Whisky Festival, Birmingham
• 18^th – 19^th September 2026 – Whisky Indy Love Fest, Newcastle upon Tyne
• 19th September 2026 – Seven Hills Whisky Festival, Sheffield
• 2^nd – 4^th October 2026 – The Whisky Show, London
• 10^th October 2026 – Edinburgh’s Whisky Festival
• 16^th – 17^th October 2026 – The Whisky Lounge: Manchester
• 23rd – 25th  October 2026 – Dornoch Whisky Festival
• 16^th October 2026 – The Whisky Lounge: Manchester Whisky Festival
• 30^th October – 1^st November 2026  Wales Whisky Festival, Llandudno
• 31^st October 2026 – Aberdeen Whisky Shop Festival
• 7^th November – Glasgow’s Whisky Festival
• 21^st November 2026 – The Whisky Lounge, York Whisky Festival
• 21^st November 2026 – English Whisky Festival, Birmingham
• 21st November 2026 – T B Watson Whisky Festival, Dumfries

No new dates released for these whisky events

January

• N/A

February

• N/A

March

• N/A

April

• Whisky Social Belfast, Belfast (2025)

May

• N/A

June

• Bladnoch Wave Weekend (2025)
• The Whisky Lounge: Bristol Whisky Festival (2025)
• The Whisky Lounge: Edinburgh Whisky Festival (2024)

July

• Southport Summer Whisky Festival, Churchtown & Southport
• Belfast Whisky Week, Belfast 2025

August

• The Dram Good Whisky Festival, Edinburgh (2024)
• Spirit of Alba Festival, Kirkintilloch (possibly discontinued as shop ceased trading)
• Linlithgow Whisky Festival  (Falkirk Whisky Club) 2025

September

• Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival

October

• Wee Dram Whisky Festival, Dram Fest, Bakewell 
• Scottish National Whisky Festival, The Biscuit Factory, Edinburgh
• National Whisky Festival, Edinburgh
• Borderlands Whisky Festival, Lockerbie (2024)

November

• Leeds Whisky Festival (2024)
• Northern Whisky Festival, Carlisle
• The World Whisky Experience, Spitalfields, London
• T B Watson (Drambusters) Whisky Festival, Dumfries

Final Thoughts

Each month we sift through hundreds of emails, releases, and updates to bring together what matters most. While this format has worked, it’s clear there’s a better, more efficient way to share these insights going forward.

So for now, we’re pressing pause while we figure out what that looks like next.