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Best whisky for Christmas and winter nights

Sherry-cask malts, a single pot still Irish whiskey, a peated malt from Skye and a hot toddy: whisky styles that suit Christmas food and winter evenings.

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For Christmas food, a sherry-cask single malt is the most useful bottle: GlenDronach 12 Year Old, Tamdhu 12 Year Old, Aberlour 12 Year Old and Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood all take dried-fruit and spice character from sherry casks. Add Talisker 10 Year Old if you serve smoked salmon, and an Irish blend for a hot toddy. None of this is required to enjoy the season, and a small measure goes a long way.

From the Christmas table to the glass. These are starting points, not rules: pour small measures and add a little water if the alcohol hides the flavour. Christmas pudding and mince pies share raisin, fig and spice with sherry-cask malts: try GlenDronach 12 Year Old or Tamdhu 12 Year Old. A cheese board meets fruit and nuttiness against salt and fat: try a sherry-cask malt or the single pot still Redbreast 12 Year Old. Dark chocolate meets sweet sherry against bitter cocoa: try a Pedro Ximénez cask malt. Smoked salmon goes smoke with smoke, salt with salt: try a peated malt, Talisker 10 Year Old.

Why sherry casks suit Christmas

Sherry casks are oak casks that held, or were seasoned with, sherry before the whisky went in. Oloroso casks tend to add dried fruit, nuts and spice, and Pedro Ximénez (PX) casks add a sweeter, raisined character. Those are the same flavours as Christmas pudding, mince pies and Christmas cake. Whiskipedia explains what sherry casks are and how they are made.

Sherry-cask single malts

GlenDronach 12 Year Old (£49.95 at Hard To Find Whisky). Highland single malt, 43% ABV, matured in Pedro Ximénez and oloroso sherry casks.

Tamdhu 12 Year Old (£49.95 at Hard To Find Whisky). Speyside single malt, 43% ABV, matured only in sherry-seasoned oak casks.

Aberlour 12 Year Old (£45.00 at The Whisky Shop). Speyside single malt, 40% ABV, matured in a mix of traditional oak and sherry casks, so the sherry is lighter than in the two above.

Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood (£50.28 at Master of Malt). Speyside single malt, 40% ABV, matured in American oak and then finished in European oak sherry casks.

Beyond sherry

Redbreast 12 Year Old (£51.00 at Master of Malt). Single pot still Irish whiskey from Midleton, 40% ABV, matured in bourbon and oloroso sherry casks. Single pot still whiskey is made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley, which gives a fuller, spicier spirit than most Irish blends.

Talisker 10 Year Old (£39.15 at Master of Malt). Peated single malt from the Isle of Skye, 45.8% ABV. Smoke and salt are a common pairing with smoked salmon.

Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold (£48.50 at Master of Malt). Highland single malt, 43% ABV, made from spirit distilled between October and March. Dalwhinnie suggests serving it from the freezer.

Food pairings to try

These are starting points, not rules. Whisky is strong, so pour small measures alongside food and add a little water if the alcohol hides the flavour.

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FoodStyle to tryWhy
Smoked salmonPeated malt (Talisker 10 Year Old)Smoke with smoke, salt with salt
Christmas pudding, mince piesSherry-cask malt (GlenDronach 12 Year Old, Tamdhu 12 Year Old)Shared raisin, fig and spice
Cheese boardSherry-cask malt or single pot still (Redbreast 12 Year Old)Fruit and nuttiness against salt and fat
Dark chocolatePedro Ximénez cask maltSweet sherry against bitter cocoa

Whiskipedia’s guide to whisky and food pairings has more.

A hot toddy

Put 25 ml to 50 ml of whisky in a heatproof glass with one or two teaspoons of honey and a squeeze of lemon. Top up with hot water, not boiling, and stir. A clove or a cinnamon stick is optional. A 40% ABV blend such as Jameson or a blended Scotch is the usual choice; save the older malts for drinking neat.

More sherry-cask whisky to compare

Sources and review

Where to go next

Questions

What whisky is good at Christmas?
Rich, spicy styles suit winter food. Sherry-cask malts such as Aberlour 12 Year Old and Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood tend towards dried fruit and spice; a peated malt such as Talisker 10 Year Old suits smoked salmon; and Redbreast 12 Year Old is a full-bodied single pot still Irish whiskey matured partly in oloroso sherry casks.
What whisky goes with Christmas pudding?
A sherry-cask whisky, because pudding and sherry casks share raisin, fig and spice flavours. GlenDronach 12 Year Old (Pedro Ximénez and oloroso casks) and Tamdhu 12 Year Old (matured only in sherry casks) are two examples. Pedro Ximénez is the sweetest sherry style. See Whiskipedia on Pedro Ximénez casks.
Can whisky be used in a hot toddy?
Yes. A hot toddy is whisky, hot water, honey and lemon, often with a clove or cinnamon stick: for example 25 ml to 50 ml of whisky, one or two teaspoons of honey and a squeeze of lemon, topped up with hot water. A 40% ABV blended Scotch or Irish blend is the usual choice.
What is Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold?
A Highland single malt from Dalwhinnie, bottled at 43% ABV with no age statement and launched in 2015. It is made only from spirit distilled between October and March, and Dalwhinnie suggests serving it straight from the freezer.

About the author

Tom Gregan

· Writer

Tom came to whisky by way of cocktails and rum. As the mind behind CocktailDB.com he spent years on citrus balance, bitters and modifiers before John dragged him over to neat spirits.