Christmas right here within the UK is synonymous with quite a few issues. It’s socially acceptable to devour your body weight in biscuits and chocolate all through the month of December. We’re fairly glad to waste cash on low-cost, tatty items that most individuals received’t even use, and for some motive, a clapped-out outdated Coca-Cola lorry is meant to evoke emotions of nostalgia and get us within the festive spirit. Bah Humbug, I say.
A number of issues that I do particularly love about Christmas time, nevertheless, is arising with the GreatDrams festive launch for that individual 12 months, and selecting a Christmas whisky or two to get pleasure from throughout my downtime.
Within the leadup to Christmas every year, it’s turn into considerably of a GreatDrams custom for us to launch a limited-edition expression to have fun the vacations. Every year, our Xmas releases are particularly chosen to evoke the completely different elements of conventional Christmas festivities. From smoky Islay expressions to characterize a crackling log hearth as you open your items, to candy, dried fruits, sherry casks, and marzipan to conjure up pictures of a scrumptious slice of Christmas cake after your dinner, every of our festive drams tells its personal Christmas story.
However what precisely makes a Christmas whisky? Right here’s the GreatDrams information to selecting a festive dram.
Christmas Colors
There are lots of issues evocative of Christmas, together with sure colors. When you shouldn’t decide a guide by its cowl, or a whisky by its label, when selecting a festive dram, you could want to pay a bit extra consideration to the completely different colors of the whisky and its packaging.
Once we consider colors round Christmas, we consider greens, reds, crimson and white stripes, browns, whites, and icy winter colors. If you wish to go together with a whisky that simply screams ‘Christmas’ the second you clasp eyes on it, these are the kinds of colors you could want to search for.
Again in 2023 for instance, our 7 Yr Previous Cawdor Springs Chateaux Margaux Barrique Matured Single Cask Malt Whisky was our dram of alternative for Xmas. Because it was matured in a crimson wine barrique, it took on an incredible crimson crimson color. This 12 months, we’ve gone for extra color with our labelling and have opted for a wintery burgundy and amber theme for our Christmas Launch.
Christmas Flavours and Casks
Folks typically speak about Christmas flavours, however what precisely is a Christmas flavour? Folks normally get pleasure from stuffing, roast turkey, and veg round Christmas, however I’m unsure a Christmas dinner flavoured whisky would style all that good (who is aware of, possibly it might?).
Usually, nevertheless, after we take into consideration Christmas flavours, we consider candy and fruity sherry, wealthy ports, marzipan, nuts, Christmas pudding, mince pies, dried combined candied fruits, chocolate, crumbly and buttery pastry, vanilla cream and custard, winter baking spices, mulled wine, and issues of that nature.
Not solely are all of the above scrumptious, they’re all additionally widespread flavour profiles that lend themselves splendidly to this wonderful spirit. As you’re little doubt conscious, a lot of a whisky’s flavour comes from the cask it’s matured in. Sherry is among the most festive drinks going, so in fact Oloroso sherry and PX casks get plenty of use in our festive releases, although it is best to by no means rely out an excellent bourbon affect both.
When crafting our Christmas releases, we meticulously select casks that may impart Christmassy notes and characters. This 12 months, sherry actually is the star of the present. Whether or not it’s these candied fruit, peel, and Christmas cake notes from a sherry cask to the deep crimson, jammy combined berry, toasted oak, and orange zesty notes from crimson wine barriques, cask choice performs an infinite function in figuring out simply how festive a dram goes to style. Simply bear this in thoughts when selecting your whisky of alternative this 12 months.
Whisky Introduction Calendars
Can’t resolve upon a full-size bottle of whisky this 12 months? No drawback, simply countdown to Christmas in model with a whisky creation calendar as a substitute.
Whisky creation calendars actually began to achieve traction round a decade in the past, and since then they’ve snowballed in reputation. This is the reason, as of this writing, there are solely 3 remaining of our 12 GreatDrams of Christmas Restricted Version Introduction Reward Packs.
Whisky creation calendars are preferrred as a result of, every day within the countdown to Christmas, you get a miniature dram of whisky. This implies you possibly can pattern whiskies from completely different casks, completely different areas, and even completely different nations. In the event you discover one you actually get pleasure from, you may as well then deal with your self to a full-sized bottle.
The way you get pleasure from your whiskies is totally right down to you. You may have one every day, or you possibly can be like me and save those you open on a weekday and luxuriate in a number of over the weekend.
Distinctive Christmas Whisky
Christmas is a time to push the boat out, get adventurous and take a look at new issues. Don’t simply bung a bag of sage and onion Paxo stuffing into the microwave, make your personal with recent herbs and sausage meat and oven bake it as a substitute. The distinction is night time and day. This similar precept will be utilized to whisky.
Relatively than releasing typical whiskies throughout the holidays, we prefer to get slightly extra inventive and discover flavours that aren’t solely synonymous with Christmas, however ones that are slightly extra distinctive and strange than our typical vary.
In the event you’re searching for a whisky to get pleasure from this 12 months, how about pondering exterior of the field and being slightly extra adventurous? Don’t simply play it protected along with your traditional tried and examined dram from the grocery store, strive a limited-edition launch from an unbiased bottler as a substitute.
After all, if you happen to or the recipient of your whisky has a favorite, it’ll be a favorite for a motive. The one means you’ll uncover new flavours and new releases, nevertheless, is by attempting one thing new and one thing slightly completely different. You might must step out of your consolation zone, however take it from somebody that is aware of, you’ll be so happy you probably did. I can’t let you know what number of new whiskies I’ve found and beloved by doing this.
So, from the GreatDrams household to yours. Be protected, be merry, and have a incredible Christmas, nevertheless you have fun.
In the event you’d prefer to study extra about your favorite whiskies, or just deal with your self to a Christmas dram or two within the course of, head on over to GreatDrams.com and check out what we now have to supply.
With a formidable number of limited-edition, uncommon, and award-winning whisky, in addition to heaps of whisky information on our weblog, it’s the right spot for any whisky lovers on the market.
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