Essential festive whiskies

Clynelish 14 year old

For my Christmas pick, I’m going for Clynelish 14 year old. For me every time I have this whisky it’s like slipping into a pair of comfy old slippers.

As a non-religious type, the Christmas spirit for me comes in enacting a series of familiar family rituals and routines that instead of being mundane and irritating somehow become more rewarding and personal each time they are repeated. I don’t necessarily hold that you must have a big sherry monster for Christmas whisky – it can be overkill after Christmas pudding AND Christmas cake – rather it should be something wholesome and reliable that gives you a warm feeling inside, like a big cosy jumper exhumed from the bottom of a drawer every winter.

A healthy belt of Clynelish can make me feel goodwill to all men at any time of year, but it’s particularly welcome over Christmas, ideally in the hipflask on an afternoon walk or accompanied by cigars and chocolate by the fireside after most of the house has gone to bed.

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Springbank 21 year old

For me, a "festive dram" is a luscious whisky that I can keep in my glass the whole evening while trying to unfold its mysteries. What I look for is a dram with maturity and complexity - something out of the ordinary yet not too powerful.

Heavy peat doesn't seem to work for me when I'm celebrating (too pushy), but subtle smoke is a plus. Some notes of leather and subtle oak as well - sophistication. While multiple drams fit these requirements, I think Springbank 21 Years old is still an incredible example of a sherried style that is getting hard to find. Especially the versions bottled in the 1980's and 90's are wonderful and unfortunately modern Springbank doesn't seem to have the same charm. Bottles are occasionally finding their ways to stores or auctions. They won't come cheap, but they're worth it and sooner or later they will be gone forever.

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Glen Grant 1960 by Gordon and MacPhail

For my perfect festive pick, if someone else was paying it would be either the recently released Bowmore 40-year-old or Balvenie 40, both fantastic old whiskies.

I'm actually going to be drinking a bottle of 1960 Gordon & MacPhail-bottled Glen Grant over Christmas. It was my 50th birthday recently so I treated myself. A really lovely, big sherried whisky and great value at around £170.

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Glengoyne 21 year old

The WhiskyBoys enjoyed this fine dram at a recent Glengoyne Whisky tasting in Leslie's Bar, Edinburgh. Ever since then, I have been pestering Whisky Boy Jim to buy a bottle for us to enjoy further - Christmas may well be the perfect opportunity.

Nose: Sweet fragrance of baked apples with an earthy aroma of oak. Taste: Clean fruitiness with a hint of juicy ripe Spanish oranges, giving way to some spice with a heavenly warmth. Finish: A long lingering finish as the clean fruitiness and spice gently fades away, leaving a hint of Christmas.

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