Sukhinder Singh of The Whisky Exchange recommends five whiskies to accompany your Christmas
Sukhinder Singh of The Whisky Exchange presents his top five bottles of whisky that won’t break the bank but will impress your guests.
(currently £49.95)
This superb whisky from Bowmore has recently been named The Whisky Exchange’s Whisky of the Year for 2018, as voted by whisky-loving consumers in a blind tasting.
Having spent its final three years in oloroso sherry casks, this 15 year old single malt offers an elegant balance of sherry influence and the distillery's fruit and peat characteristics – fruit spice and cinnamon meet tropical fruit and green apple.
This is a surefire hit for most whisky drinkers at Christmas.
You can find it here.
(currently £43.95)
The whisky-makers who created this cask-strength Islay single malt are genuine fans of Islay whiskies, and it shows. With notes of sweet fruit, peat smoke and minerality, this is a benchmark Islay whisky and a great everyday peaty dram at this price.
Thanks to plenty of spicy notes and hints of stewed apple with cinnamon alongside charcoal-smoke, this is the ideal Islay accompaniment to Christmas.
Awarded 96.5 points, and runner-up in Best Single Malt Scotch (No Age Statement) in Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2017.
You can find it here.
(TWE Exclusive - £74.95)
Sherry leads the way at Christmas and this single-cask example from Edradour, bottled exclusively for The Whisky Exchange, balances spice against fruit and sweetness against char.
Having been distilled in 2006 and matured in an oloroso sherry cask, there were just 683 bottles made – maybe buy two bottles in case you finish one this Christmas and want it again next year!!
You can find it here.
(£51.95)
Long ageing in both bourbon and sherry casks gives Benromach 15 Year Old a luscious and rich character with plenty of fruit cake, plum and cocoa notes.
The distillery recommends you taste it first without water but then add a drop to open up the flavour. Never be scared to add water to whisky.
With this rich Speyside whisky it helps to release some more subtle honey, vanilla and fruit notes combined with charred oak.
You can find it here.
Glenfiddich IPA Cask
(£45.55)
If you’ve got guests filling your house this Christmas, you need a crowd-pleaser like this one.
Everyone knows Glenfiddich but being the first in their Experimental Series, this bottle is a conversation starter.
The whisky is finished in casks seasoned with an India Pale Ale created by The Speyside Craft Brewery.
The special beer they created was aged in ex-Glenfiddich casks for a month before they were returned to the distillery and filled with whisky for a three-month finishing period. The result is a vibrant and fruity dram.
You can find it here.