How's everyone feeling after the Christmas madness? All suitably fed and watered I hope.
Well if you have some room left for another blast of malt whisky then I may have the dram for you.
Over the Christmas period I treated myself to a small bottle of the www.whiskybroker.co.uk Christmas Blended Malt. It's a blended malt of 4 whiskies from Glengoyne, Glenfarclas, Glenrothes and Tamdhu. The youngest whisky is 12 years old and it appears that the whiskies led separate lives before being vatted into a sherry butt in 2006.
It was bottled on 2nd December 2013 and has been presented at cask strength, 45.9%, with no colour added and no chill filtration. From comments posted on whiskybroker's Facebook page, which can be found by clicking here, little is known about the previous lives of the individual malts except to say there is much older whisky involved which would suggest the low ABV.
Onto the tasting notes of this fine dram :
Nose - Instant whack of crunchy red apples, light marzipan, raisin, fig, sweet rich orange marmalade, slight touch of menthol / deep heat (but in a good way), xmas cake, mixed spice, mild creme brûlée and with water this really brings the orange and apple to the fore.
Palate - Very smooth, no alcohol heat here, big sherry notes of dark red fruits, dried fruit, mixed spice again, this is really juicy and sweet, as you "chew" on it the nose notes of orange and menthol appear with some clove and red apple only this time they are more sour sweet like.
Finish - Warming gentle spice with more red apple which just lingers on and on.
This, for me, is the perfect winters dram. Gentle yet full of all the flavours you would expect from any sherry monster. This is so easy to drink and with a touch of water it could nearly be pressed red apple juice with some alcohol in it. Gorgeous stuff.
I'm off now to celebrate NYE but stay tuned as in the coming weeks I'll have a few cracking drams coming up plus maybe a wee highlight of the Belfast whisk(e)y scene which is ever expanding.
Well all that's left to say is may you all have a happy new year and I hope 2014 brings you all great fortune and excitement.
Until next time,
Slainte.
SI
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