Our top 6 Christmas present ideas  Stuck for present ideas this year? Then why not trust our selection! more below.....
3 New Whiskies and a fresh Olive Oil  Read our Product News section to see what will be on tap very soon. more below.....

We have a winner! Miss Susan Millar from Solihull is the proud winner of our latest competition for a Strauss 500ml bottle of Seville Orange Gin 26%. Congratulations Susan! Our next competition will be announced by Facebook and Twitter so join up now if you would like to take part.

Demijohn News - December 2010
Our News:  
You may remember a dreadful grammatical error appearing in the title of our last Newsletter? I apologise now whole heartedly for this and can only say thankyou to all those who were quick to correct me in my ways. We do honestly try and get our spelling correct, but sometimes even 4 eyes checking our text is never enough! Since my last letter it feels slightly as though we have survived a ten year storm! The snow and freezing conditions in Scotland not only forced us to cancel our Kibble Palace Christmas fair, but have challenged our supply system greatly. Despite the problems, we are intact and still fighting and stock is now back on the shelves! After digging out the Demijohn van twice, I actually managed to run a private tasting evening for the exclusive Edinburgh New Club members on Tuesday. As they bravely quaffed my oil and vinegar cocktails, I thought to myself that we had all done rather well just to make this date. Thankyou to them all for their enthusiasm. The other great success of our week was in reaching Glasgow, after 10 days of trying. When I arrived, I found a dangerous pavement in front of the shop covered in sheet ice. So Paul, one of our secret mail order packers, and I tooled up with shovels to break up the ice and create a small oasis for happy shoppers to look in our window without risking a broken limb! Luckily the thaw continues as we head for one of our busiest weekends of the year. To help you, we are now open late in all shops, click for details, and you can also use our website to place an order online to book a free pick up in store. This will hopefully save you some valuable time in the days ahead. Ultimately if you get stuck ordering and need help, then please contact us as soon as possible and we will do everything we can to try and help!

Our Top 6 Christmas Present Ideas
It is always difficult to come up with new present ideas year after year for family and friends, but here are our ideas which combined with a free personalised message on your bottle might just provide the uniquely individual present you need:





1. For your Grand Parents: Oil & Vinegar Ball - £15.60
2. For Parents: The Sporting Box - £495 (6 remaining for pre-Christmas delivery)
3. For your siblings: The Liqueur Tower - £35.90
4. For your best friend: Winter Liqueur Selection - £37.95
5. For your boss: A ball of Sloe Gin 25% - £22.60
6. Emergency Stocking Filler: Gooseberry Gin Liqueur 17% - £7.60

Good luck in making your choices! Please note that orders placed on or after 18th December 2010 are unlikely to be delivered prior to Christmas day. While we cannot guarantee orders being delivered prior to Christmas even before this date, we will try our absolute hardest to ensure that they are as our record of success still stands at 100% over the last 6 years!

Product News
The new harvest of Villa Montalbano has finally arrived and is delightful. Fresh, excitingly concentrated to taste and vivid green in colour. If you consider yourself a foodie and have never tried a days old fresh olive oil then this is your chance to notch up a new taste! Poor weather in Tuscany over the last month seriously hampered picking and delayed the harvest to 27th November, as we normally would have received the first pressing for the year in mid November. Please be warned however, stocks are very limited of the early harvest. The new harvest Villa Montalbano Extra Virgin Olive Oil is now available to pre-order online and will be on tap in all our shops by the end of next week. We have also been having some success finally in buying more whisky. After witnessing a run on our single malts the like of which we have never seen, our casks were left witheringly empty. We have chosen a new 18 year old Bunnahabhain Single Islay Malt Whisky 46% which has a delighful toffee aroma and is as smooth as a peach to drink. It is very different from our old favourite Islay malt, Caol Ila, with barely a trace of the classic Islay peat smoke. This will however appeal to both Islay Malt drinkers and Speyside Malt drinkers. Our new 18 Year Old Bunnahabhain Single Islay Malt Whisky is available to pre-order online now and will be on tap in our shops by the end of next week. In addition we have aquired a new 12 Year Old cask of Linkwood and a 10 Year Old cask of Caol Ila to replenish our dwindling stocks. All being well, our heavenly whiskies will be available to bring in the New Year!

Staff News
Our mad recruitment drive has finally reached its peak thankfully! We welcome Yazzmin Wild and Chris Bundock to the York team, as well as Chris Jubb to our team in Glasgow. Numbering 24 staff, we are now bigger than ever before, so the Christmas party in January should be a good one!  Our new system of processing orders with packing controlled in Glasgow under Carrie Hay's direction and Customers Services in Edinburgh led by Alastair Simpson has been working well and has allowed us to be more efficient with dealing with orders and enquiries. 

We always welcome your feedback, good or bad, as it will help us to continue to improve our service in the future. However, back now to work as the Christmas clock is ticking. So if you are yet to order, please do so as soon as possible to help us get your order safely delivered to you in time for your big day.

          

        Angus Ferguson
        Managing Director