Whisky Exchange get into the festive spirit with Christmas malt launch

Matured in Oloroso sherry butts and bottled at 58.7% abv, there are just 1800 bottles available exclusively from The Whisky Exchange.

Posting on their website, the spirits specialists wrote:

"For the nights before Christmas, when snug in your house, Or, carefully wrapped, ‘neath the tree for your spouse. A Christmas Malt that’s been selected with care, From a Speyside distillery, though we can’t tell you where."

It's been described by the team as the "perfect winter dram, full of festive sherry-cask flavour" and "just the thing for enjoying with family and friends this Christmas".

Billy Abbot of the Whisky Exchange  said: "This Speyside single malt Scotch whisky captures the essence of Christmas with rich buttery spice and sticky cherries, hints of holly-wreath leafiness and Christmas-tree pine."

THE WHISKY EXCHANGE CHRISTMAS SINGLE MALT TASTING NOTES

Nose: As a great man once said: “It’s Christmaaas!” – that pretty much describes this. It starts with a Christmas stocking of caramels and toffees, a bag of chocolate raisins, apples and oranges.

Redcurrant jelly and Christmas pudding follow, rich and raisiny, with brandy butter and a dusting of spice. There’s a glass of port for afters, with buttery mince pies.

And after all of that, there’s a hint of damp leaves and earth – did someone knock the Christmas tree over again?

Palate: Buttery spice and plump, sugary dried fruit kick things off, with a fruit bowl of apples and oranges on the side. Rich Christmas cake appears, with chewy fruit and nuts – prettily-arranged Dundee cake almonds, freshly cracked walnuts, dates and stewed plums.

Florentines follow: glacé cherries, syrupy nuts and crisp chocolate. Savoury notes hide under the cake, with toasted oak, singed raisins and a touch of bitter char.

Finish: Sticky cherries and raisins burst across the palate, slowly fading to leave festive spice, and a hint of holly-wreath leafiness and Christmas-tree pine.