A Fine Christmas Malt 2020 (44.5%, TWE, 1918 Bottles, 2020)

• ABV: 44.5%
• Age: 19 Years Old
• Bottling: The Whisky Exchange Exclusive
• Category: Blended malt scotch whisky
• Cost: £74.95 available exclusively from The Whisky Exchange
• Origin: n/a
• Vintage: undeclared

What they say

A sherry-aged whisky specially selected by The Whisky Exchange team to celebrate Christmas 2020. It’s packed with festive spice, Christmas cake, poached orchard fruit and zingy apples – an excellent all-rounder that’s perfect for sipping by the fire.

This year’s Christmas Malt is once again a limited edition and 1918 bottles are available.

Official tasting notes:

Nose: It’s almost Christmas, and it’s time to bake. The cake has been fed with buttered rum, and raisins, sultanas and candied peel are soaking up sweetness and spice. Baked apples haven’t been in the oven that long, but already their fresh and fruity aromas have joined the mix. Spiced cupcakes are just about ready, filling the house with the scent of sweet nutmeg, cinnamon and clove.

Palate: Our festive treats are ready to serve, and the apples lead the way, rich, spicy and baked to sweet-and-sour perfection. A handful of grapes and dates bridges the gap, leading to rich, dark and spicy Christmas cake, with brown sugar sweetness balanced by charred raisins. A bowl of sticky cherries hides at the back behind a slab of bitter dark chocolate. Fresh fruit makes a final return, with apple and pear jam spread thickly on slices of lightly buttered fruit loaf, all dusted with tingling cinnamon sugar.

Finish: The raisins and dates are back, dark and sticky, a perfect post-dessert snack. A touch of ground coffee bitterness and oaky char parts to reveal a sliced apple and a mince pie, left out for ‘someone’ to nibble on later.

Comment: A dram for dark winter nights, that doesn’t forget to bring a bit of zing to the party. Dark and spicy at its core, with a fresh and fruity orchard-fruit edge that dives into richness as it develops.

What I say

Wow, what an interesting year 2020 has been and already it is that time of year! The Whisky Exchange have launched their Christmas celebratory bottling and this time it is a 19 year old blended malt featuring heavy sherry maturation for extra festive flavours.

This post was sponsored by The Whisky Exchange by provision of a sample of this product.

My tasting notes:

• Appearance: Dark ruby (17/20), slow, medium-fine tears and legs.
• Nose: Sweet, juicy mixed berries, baking spices, orange peel and cinnamon, red apples, red grape, raisin, toffee apples and dried fruit & nut mix.
• Taste: Medium-bodied, smooth, sweet and zesty, toffee apple, spun sugar, caramel, red apple, strawberry, mixed peppercorns, cinnamon, woody, brazil nut, tannic and fibrous with a touch of clove oil and some bitter dark chocolate.
• Finish: Medium-long, drying, toffee apple and toasty wood.

Overall

Easy drinking blended malt, mostly liquid toffee apples but also some spice, dried fruit and nut mix which resembles festive fruit cakes.

Score 83/100

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