Xmas is almost around the corner, and as in recent years, TWE do not disappoint and are preparing their festive whiskies, mainly the Xmas malt, and the Black Friday which is yet to be announced (but the counter is on on the TWE site, so there’s definitely going to be one).
This year they have chosen a quite different profile: a vatting of five casks – 3 refill hogsheads and 2 sherry butts from a well known Orkney distillery who seem to like Nordic lore (ok, you get the hint) brought together to create a festive whisky aged for 16 years and bottled at 53.2% abv.
A Fine Christmas Malt 2021 (TWE) , £80
Nose: There’s sherry in this alright, but it’s not your sherry bomb, by no means. First I am getting sweet smoke, BBQ fruits (apple, pineapple) cooked on fire, then some marinated sweet meat also becomes apparent. A nice ripe orange cooking with a nicely added not of woodsmoke, gorse, with some hint of fruitcake topped with chocolate and raisins and cherries, not overly sweet, but still of sherry notes with spices abound.
Palate: The sherry wine influence is very noticeable on the first sip, a touch of sulfur with big sweet wines notes, leather, and dried fruit-infused chocolate, with hazelnuts, shortbread and more sweet dried fruit in the form of sultanas, figs, and sweet smoke. The fruit cakes from before are here, and with the candied ripe orange peels, make for a lovely palate.
Finish: Dark chocolate, chocolate ganache and sweet smoke, caramelized apples sprinkled with baking spices, quite a long finish.
Conclusion: This is not the average sherry bomb you might associate with Xmas, but there’s a hell of a lot of sherry and dried fruit, with a complex, and sweet/smokey palate and finish. Very good stuff. A really good sherried Highland Park.
Score: 88/100
available on the TWE site.