My wife went over the top with a combo anniversary/Christmas gift this year and got me a whiskey advent calendar. So yes, it had a different whiskey for each day in December before Christmas, 24 total. First and foremost I need to thank her for such an absurd and awesome gift. This one was made by Drinks by the Dram, a UK based company, and had a variety of premium whiskies from around the world. Most were Scotch, something I was more than okay with. Each sample was 1 oz. I figured it'd be worth it to keep track of each expression and note brief reflections on them. It took a few days into the new year to finish the calendar and it's finally time to share my thoughts and favorites.
My full, but brief, notes are in a separate Google document. Here's the list of whiskies:
Format
Day. Distiller/bottler brand, expression name
1. JJ Corry, Amhran
- Irish blend
- Scotch Speyside single malt
- Swedish single malt
4. Tamdhu,15y
- Scotch Speyside single malt
- Canadian rye
- Scotch Highland single malt
- Taiwanese single malt
- Scotch Speyside single malt
- Scotch Islay single malt
10. WhistlePig, 10y (56%ABV - Drinks by the Dram exclusive)
- American rye
11. Glen Scotia, 18y
- Scotch Campbeltown single malt
- Irish single malt
- Scotch (Island) single malt
- Scotch Speyside single malt
- (American) Bourbon
16. Amrut, Peated
- Indian single malt
17. Glenfarclas, 21y
- Scotch Speyside single malt
- Swedish single malt
- Scotch single grain
20. Ledaig, 18y
- Scotch (Island) single malt
- Scotch Speyside single malt
- American rye
- Scotch Islay single malt
- Scotch Highland single malt
This really is a premium and impressive list. Many of these are expensive ($100+, $200+...), unusually uncommon, or both. Due to that, I believe only two of the expressions weren't new to me (Whistlepig 10 and Caol Ila 18), though the WhistlePig is slightly different than the standard bottle and the Caol Ila was part of a tasting tour on Islay with several others. So all together, this was fantastically fun and gave me a whole lot to try and learn about in a short amount of time.
I think it makes sense to stick to highlighting favorites. If disregarding cost, the top five:
1. Highland Park, Fire Edition 15 year
- Scotch, Islands, 45.2% ABV
- Liked Highland Park before and this was something else. So complex and refined, it's simply amazing. It's also $250 or more a bottle.
2. Balvenie, 17 year DoubleWood
- Scotch, Speyside, 43% ABV
- The 12 year DoubleWood was the first whiskey I loved. This one's even better. Still only spends three months in sherry casks as a finish. ~$150 a bottle.
3. Caol Ila, 18 year
- Scotch, Islay, 43% ABV
- Rich, mature peat. Absolutely lovely. We double checked our old notes and the 18 year was our favorite Caol Ila when visiting the distillery too. Probably like ~$150 a bottle.
4. That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Bourbon Whiskey No. 1 24 year
- Bourbon, independent bottler using spirit of unknown origin, 48% ABV
- Full Bourbon flavor with no burn whatsoever. Super old. Usually I wouldn't like something with this description, and yet it may be the best Bourbon I've ever had. $300+ if you find it.
5. Tamdhu, 15 year
- Scotch, Speyside, 46% ABV
- Delicious and smooth sherry bomb from a distillery I'd never tried. Would certainly get the newly released 15 year but can also start with the 10 or 12. Little over $100.
If we do take cost into account, a couple of those bottles should be eliminated. The updated top five:
1. Balvenie, 17 year DoubleWood
- see above
2. Caol Ila, 18 year
- see above
3. Tamdhu, 15 year
- see above
4. WhistlePig, 10 year
- American rye, Vermont, 56.3% ABV
- Good as expected already knowing WhistlePig. Tasty rye flavors on nose and tongue. Appreciated higher proof so I'll look for a cask strength version if possible. $70-90.
5. Singleton of Dufftown, 18 year
- Scotch, Speyside, 40% ABV
- Dufftown is interesting to me already due to a personal connection, plus they didn't sell this brand in the US until recently. Apples and cream, good depth and a clean finish. ~$80.
A few others deserve a short note too.
Dalmore, King Alexander III
- Just missed out on being in the top five overall. Matured in six different types of casks, there's a lot going on and it's quite good. Just not worth $200+ to me.
Amrut, Peated
- I did not expect to like this Indian single malt and yet really did. Moderately peated. Could've replaced Dufftown in updated list. Something to check out. ~$75
Pikesville, Straight Rye 6 year
- Somewhat out of place, mostly with its placement within the calendar. However it's a very good and relatively affordable rye, and one I'll look into purchasing. <$50
Anyway, there was a lot to like. A few now can also be ruled out as a full sized purchase. Many of the others I'd never seen or even heard of before and that's fun for entirely different reasons. Another thanks to my wife. Now it's time to update my main whiskey list again, especially considering I have a few new top end targets to hunt.
Cheers! And as always, thanks for reading.
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