Each November, the renowned spirits retailer The Whisky Exchange releases a special single malt for the forthcoming festive period – A Good Old-Fashioned Christmas Whisky. The annual bottling has evolved from the A Fine Christmas Malt series that started in 2018 and tends to lean towards rich, bold ex-sherry cask characteristics.
The 2024 Edition is no different. The whisky is a 15 years old single malt from an undisclosed Speyside distillery and was distilled in 2008. It has been matured in a mixture of first-fill and re-fill ex-sherry casks, plus one re-fill American oak hogshead. These have been married together to create the small batch release.
A Good Old-Fashioned Christmas Whisky 2024 Edition is bottled at the natural cask strength of 54.8% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. There are just 1,400 bottles. The whisky is exclusive to The Whisky Exchange and is available in each of their stores, plus via a special page on the website. A bottle will cost £79.95.
Our Tasting Notes
The colour is deep amber and the nose is powerful and rich. Aromas of dark dried fruits – think of raisins, currants and sultanas – and sweet caramel mingle with deliciously warming baking and mulling spices. The combination is reminiscent of good quality mince pies or Christmas cake. Hints of bitter orange marmalade, spiced biscuits and apricot jam sit in the background.
On the palate this whisky has a wonderful mouthcoating feel. It is rich, decadent and almost oily in texture. The whisky is super fruity up front – think of the best Christmas trifle ever with cherries and apricots, plus tinned peach mixed with vanilla custard. Then comes a wave of dried fruits – imagine the raisins and sultanas from the nose and some candied orange – which is quickly joined by a hint of ginger spice, antique furtniture and beeswax polish,
After this initial fruity and sweet burst, the whisky becomes more savoury and grown up. Notes of burnt caramel, spiced ginger biscuits and a hint of cocktail bitters lead the way, before a faint background green herbal and earthy damp soil characteristics come through nicely. There is also hints of chamois leather and old cigar box. The latter part of the palate becomes woody, drying and slightly bitter with a building hit of white pepper towards the end.
The finish is long and increasingly dry, peppery and woody. The viscosity and punchy alcohol strength also help to drag the characteristics out. The sweet and fruity notes fade first and this leaves the woody and earthy spices, plus the savoury elements to battle it out.
What’s The Verdict?
We always look forwards to this whisky series every year and have done since we first tasted it back in 2018. Whoever picks the casks for this small batch release does a great job each year. This 2024 Edition sits on the more savoury end than previous bottlings. This is a grown up and complex whisky and one packed with savoury, woody and earthy notes. The sweet and fruity characters are there but tend to be up front. Once the savoury notes take hold there is no going back. Well, until you take the next sip …
