Whisky Review – Christmas cake & Dark chocolate & Medjool dates & Cinnamon, 8 y/o
We are now firmly into January and think it’s fair to say that even the most enthusiastic Christmas fans will have taken down their decorations by now! BUT, we don’t think that means we have to lose the celebratory spirit. We are taking a look back to one of the final drams that we sampled in 2021, the &Whisky ‘Christmas cake & Dark chocolate & Medjool dates & Cinnamon 8 yo‘. January can be a bit gloomy, so the sparkly gold lettering of this bottle paired with the Christmas flavours, feels like the perfect pick-me-up!
Atom Labs, and, &Whisky …
So who are &Whisky? It is relatively difficult to find much information about the brand. However, they are a subdivision of Atom Labs. Atom Labs work across a number of different spirits, with the aim to be reactive to current trends and need within the market.
During the Pour & Sip Christmas tasting we were joined by a representative from &Whisky. It was so lovely to have someone talk to us about what they are doing; they were evidently incredibly passionaite! They shared with us that they want to make whisky accessible, relatable, and agile – more appealing to a younger market.
Their packaging is delightfully simple – you know immediately what to expect from the bottle! This particular Christmas release has beautiful gold lettering and a small holly motif. Nevertheless, it still states “[w]e believe in balance. We believe the contents of this bottle are complex and carefully crafted. We believe that the outside need’s be any of those things”.
Tasting Notes …
Christmas cake & Dark chocolate & Medjool dates & Cinnamon, 8 y/o – 48% ABV
As previously stated the bottle does not give more away than is needed. Here we have a an eight year old, unnamed Speyside single malt whisky. We found out from the special guest that it was aged in Oloroso casks for between eight and 11 years. Additionally, the distillery users worm-tub condensers (so do with that information what you will!). This was initially released into the market as a batch of 600 bottles, and has proved to be so popular that as of mid-December they were already on their third batch!
Nose: mulled wine, pine sugar, cloves, gingerbread house with buttercream icing, Bakewell tart, TONNES of red fruits, toffee crisp chocolate, caramelised brown sugar
Palate: baking spices, cloves, cinnamon, caramel, dried red fruits, peppery edge, candied nuts, honey – mouth feel is incredibly smooth and syrupy
Finish: toffee burnt ends, warming pepper spice, rich Christmas cake
It’s cliche to say, but this really is Christmas in a glass. We feel that they have totally hit the nail on the head with these flavours, and at roughly £40 a bottle it doesn’t leave too big a dent in your bank balance. We’re stashing away a bottle to enjoy during the holiday season next year!
We know that January can be a rough time of year, so sincerely hope that this quick throwback to one of our favourite Christmas drams brings you some joy! Do you have any go-to comfort whiskies for this time of year? Let us know in the comments below.
The Dram Duo 