I am not a XMAS guy, and we don’t even celebrate XMAS here in Israel (well, some Christians do, but the majority does not), we don’t get many Xmas trees and no Xmas presents , you get what i mean… But, when it comes to whisky, i am willing to celebrate 😉
As has become tradition, The Whisky Exchange has selected a special whisky for Christmas 2019 that you won’t find anywhere else. When most people think about XMAS whisky, they usually think about big bad-ass sherry bombs, but this year TWE has take a different path. They have selected a 10-year-old single malt from Linkwood distillery having been matured in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.
Chirstmas Malt, Linkwood 10 yo , 54.2% , £56.95
Nose : lemon zest sponge cake, key lime pies set upon vanilla custard, Granny Smith apple peel, lightly floral and very lemon-grassy. Slightly waxy towards the end.
Palate: oily and mouth coating, with a nice feel to it, sweeter with toffee, cocoa powder, more of the apple peel, with the lemony notes almost gone. A bit of spice as well, a touch of Sultana sweetness and a touch of mint.
Finish: some Sultana sweetness is left, spices and oak.
Conclusion: A very gutsy selection on behalf of TWE, certainly not what I’d expect from a XMAS dram (not that I celebrate XMAS, but anyways). It’s very nice and quite fresh and citrus-u and well priced. But, not something very special IMHO.
Score: 85/100
Available exclusively on the TWE online shop.