Christmas time is upon us and what better to celebrate the season with than a Christmas Malt from The Whisky Exchange. This year’s Christmas Malt is a 17 year old, undisclosed Speyside – which if I had to guess, I think the distillery sort of rhymes with Santa Claus.
BOTTLE INFO
Distiller: Undisclosed
Region: Speyside
ABV: 58.7%
Outturn: 1800 Bottles
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask Type: Oloroso Sherry Butts
Age: 17 Years
Chill Filtered: No
Color Added: No
Color: Russet Muscat
TASTING NOTES
Glass for Review: Glencairn (rested for 10 minutes)
Nose: Give it some time to open up and slowly, toasted gingerbread drizzled with treacle and maple syrup come to sit lightly on the nose. Fresh caramelized sugar and creme anglaise accompany notes of chocolate ganache. Lingering in the background sit maraschino cherries and a hint of cider and pastry.
Palate: A wash of spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Pumpkin cake and cinnamon swirl on the palate with a mix of dark fruits and raisins. Middle of the palate brings out a heavy oak influence, but not unbalancing the mix of pastries, spice, and fruit.
Finish: Nutmeg and brown sugar laced with cinnamon and oak linger behind. A hint of graham crackers and toasted walnuts follows through to the end slowly fading to syrup and butter cookies.
Overall: This undisclosed Speyside is a spicy dram and well suited for Christmas sweets. The lighter notes on the nose are less distinguished on the palate where the oak influence and spice take over. This is a dram you want to let sit and air for a little while to truly enjoy it’s complexity. The initial pour is overpowered by spice and time to sit does this dram a huge favor.
Average Price: $100