Santa's Swallie Returns!

Here in Perthshire there is now a very special local tradition that is guarenteed to raise a smile on the faces of many a shopped-out man and woman.  Children can sit on Santa's lap, enjoy the daily ritual of opening their advent calendars and spend hours trying to resist the urge to nip their wee brother for fear of Santa's elves watching; but for us there is something far, far more magical to mark the start of Christmas proper. People, it's time once again to rejoice in a pint of Santa's Swallie!

Santa’s Swallie is the wonderful Christmas ale that is gifted to us as a limited edition release each year by Inveralmond Brewery. (I say gifted, you do have to buy it!). It's been part of the Inveralmond family for over fifeteen years now and in some pubs and homes in Perthshire, it is the true marker of the season!

A dark copper coloured Christmas ale, Santa’s Swallie is traditionally hopped with Fuggles and a hint of seasonal nutmeg and cinnamon – a combination of spicy festive flavours ideal for a taste of Christmas.

Nothing says Christmas more than a festive beer…well that’s what we think anyway! The bottled ale is now being served in local pubs around Perthshire and Scotland and we decided to stop by The Cherrybank Inn where the lovely Rachael poured us our first pint of the season. You'll also find it on supermarket shelves across the country and ho-ho-homely beer lovers will be able to purchase 5 litre mini-casks direct from the Brewery shop or on-line.

Bob Hogg from Inveralmond Brewer commented, “It is always exciting to bring back the long-standing Santa’s Swallie in the run up to Christmas. A great seasonal addition to Inveralmond Brewery’s range of beers, Santa’s Swallie offers a splash of spice to warm customers up during the festive season.” 

To get you in the Festive mood, Inveralmond Brewery is holding a special Christmas Open Day this Saturday 12^th December which will celebrate the seasonal launch of Santa’s Swallie.

The event will also mark the introduction of Ooskabeer Batch #1, the brewery’s first ‘whisky beer’ produced in collaboration with The Glenturret Distillery.  

Whisky Beer is an idea that Fergus and Ken (head brewer and previous Big Personality!) have been thinking off for a while and it turns out the team at Glenturret have also been pondering on exactly the same thing. And so, Glenturret contacted Inveralmond and after a long chat, they sent over some of their empty whisky casks.  

The team at the brewery made a batch of beer which was then matured in the whisky casks for four months. With a few variations of flavour, the casks were then emptied into one big tank for another two months and the results will be available to taste on Saturday.

We're booked in for an official story and tasting in January to find out more about this amazing partnership between two of Perthshire's drinks giants! Meanwhile, the video above will give you a wee bit about the philosophy behind this amazing local craft beer.

Visitors are being invited along between 10am and 4pm on Saturday 12th to sample Santa’s Swallie and the new Ooskabeer Batch #no1, take a tour of the brewery and meet the man behind the magic – the brewer that is, not Santa! You'll also be able to stock up on your festive tipple and some pick up some unique Christmas gifts for beer lovers.

As a side note, Saturday 12th is also Perth Santa Run - how much do you want to see hundreds of Santas, in Inveralmond Brewery, drinking their very own tipple?!