Although shortly absent from US markets from 1995 to 1998, the Glen Garioch distillery has made a strong comeback in the US due to a series of excellent expressions. Among them is this most coveted 1978 Vintage single malt bottled in 2009. Although now making only unpeated scotches, this expression of the easternmost distillery in the Highland region marks the reintroduction of peat to this Highland malt. Seeing as the price for a 70cl bottle hovers around $460 (£290), and only 1,320 numbered bottles of the 1978 Vintage are in existence, getting your hands on one will be a bit tricky. If you do manage, expect a nose “filled by the fresh and fragrant aroma of pear drops, orange fruit loaf, dark chocolate and toasted oak. Poached pears and sweet red apple fill the mouth before nuances of smoked oak begin to emerge. The aftertaste is of Seville orange zest with a pleasant wood spiciness.” Mmmm… all the more reason to be nice, kids, so maybe Saint Nick will make a drop-off…