Last week the focus was on barrel-aged beers, beautiful brews conditioned in whisky casks for months until perfect. This week, it's whisky.
With Christmas Day mere hours away, and Hogmanay fast approaching, most of us will be needing a bottle or two of the Good Stuff in the house, for entertaining and sharing, though a bottle does make a handsome Christmas present too.
Scotland is blessed with the world's greatest distilleries and independent bottlers, the latter challenging preconceptions about blends and bringing out some exquisite drams. So for those stuck for a last minute gift, or hosting seasonal soirees, or who simply after a treat, here are some grand drams for you to seek out this Christmas.
Kilchoman Madeira Cask four year old (50%) About £80
A rich peppery dram, this burnished gold-coloured limited release doesn't taste its age. Heated and fiery, it's warming rather than rough, think brooding embers rather than a naked flame. You get the smokey Islay peat in the aroma, along with some citrus and sherry, too. A sip brought out sugary sweet flavours, like tinned peaches and golden syrup, which complemented the wet peat notes, some savoury, as well as wood ash and a nutty dryness.
Compass Box Flaming Heart 15 (48.9%) about £100
An exquisite blend, and so it should be for the price tag. This is an exceptionally smooth and complex whisky; a beautiful blend of sweet, spice and smokey flavours – the two Caol Ila expressions (30yo and 14yo) play a blinder. The nose caresses you with subtle spices and the aroma of tablet and Granny Smith (though none of the tartness). Bolder on the tongue than you first expected, its smooth peatiness gives way to some radiant pepperiness before leaving you in a coastal woodland of pine trees and berry bushes.
Ardmore Port Wood Finish (46%) about £50
Newly launched, Ardmore's latest expression was aged in bourbon barrels and finished in port pipes, giving it a solid tawny and auburn hue. It begins with a rich plummy and burgundy aroma. Then, neat, honey and apple sweetness pour through as a smokey heat builds up. This one has the big flavours to the fore and the subtle flavours creeping in after, even more so with a splash of water to open it up. Lemons drops, cloves, marmalade and cinnamon among a little peat smoke.
Big Peat Christmas 2015 (53.8%) about £48
With a name like Big Peat you could be forgiven for thinking that this Islay blend is a one-trick dram. Don't be fooled. It is surprisingly fruity aroma, with sultanas, apples, oranges, your granny's Christmas cake, and, yes, that phenolic Band Aid flavour, too all making themselves known. These follow through, with additional flavours of smoked bark, heaps of toffee, vanilla, sea salt and, yes, plenty of peat, but this Big Peat is a finely balanced, friendly yet complex whisky that pours the colour of a winter's dawn and is well suited for the season's long, dark evenings.
Benromach 15 year old (43%) about £50
A belter of a new release from the brilliant Benromach. This is a big, intense expression; with both bourbon and sherry casks used for the maturing. Among a farmyard barn of flavours there's peat, campfire smoke and sweet leather, vanilla and warm spices. Some juicy fruits and citrus are there too, along with a sweet, beautiful creamy fudge.
GlenDronach Peated (46%) About £40
An exciting addition to GlenDronach's superb line-up. The aroma is young spirits, peat and autumn fruits, with toffee apples and honey on the nose too. Rich sherry flavours work magic with the soft peated flavours creating an expression that's big hearted and gentle, mildly peppery at first, then fruity, some smoke, a little peat and heaps of character.
Edinburgh Whisky Advocate's Batch (43%) About £35
A blend of Speyside malts, this is a light, fragrant whisky that opens with fresh berries before finishing with an easy warm smoothness. There's a burst of fieriness at the opening, then layers of caramel, vanilla and condensed milk. Maybe even a little honey and chocolate too.
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