December is an interesting time for the avid whisky taster. The tasting year sees its climax in the months of October and November with a host of releases timed for the Christmas market. As the year grows to the peak I will have tasted 500 whiskies, rums and cognacs as well as some other spirits. Others will have tasted a great deal more.
For most of us December and January see a peak in consumption and purchase but I for one, whilst of course enjoying events and parties, feel a little jaded and look for a more peaceful type of engagement with premium spirits during Advent.
It is about now towards the end of October that thoughts turn to our December drams and for many of us now that necessitates selecting our Whisky Advent calendar, an event I eagerly anticipate all year.
2019 has been my busiest yet at WhiskyAnd so I intend to use December to pause, reflect and plan next year.
I will do this with the That Boutiquey Whisky Company Advent calendar.
Each evening I will sit by the fire in front of our Christmas tree with my wife and the dogs for a full quiet hour savouring the daily Advent delight. One of the big advantages of tasting experience is that I can very easily spend an hour or more nosing and tasting a dram. That hour of pure enjoyment will be best served by the excellent and varied Boutiquey collection. I have already reviewed a dozen or more Boutiquey whiskies and rums this year and I look forward to 24 days of great pleasure and surprise.
My wife and I will be doing ‘his and hers’ tasting this year with me tasting whisky and my wife tasting gin. Look out for our daily posts. To follow along with a gin advent or buy a calendar yourself you cannot do better than the Boutiquey-Gin Company Advent calendar. Every variety and flavour of Gin. The ultimate treat for the gin aficionado. I buy my wife a Boutiquey gin every Christmas and this year she will get the advent calendar to drink along with me. As a superb cook and chocolatier she has a superb palate and will extract the essence of every gin, pairing them with tonics and garnish perfectly.
I have already has a look at the whisky calendar contents. There are a few old friends in there whose acquaintance I look forward to renewing. There are a good selection of Bourbons predominantly craft so offering a refreshing change for the palate. There are Irish and English Whiskey which I love as much as Scotch and some of Boutiquey great blends. I love Boutiquey grain Whiskies which also feature, they always hit the mark achieving the taste and quality of the oldest of grains I have tasted.
I will do 30 mins of research for each dram as a whisky geek I like to know what each dram offers and I find that it increases my enjoyment searching for cask, still and other distillery influences. I admitted I was a geek!
Once the Advent calendar is complete I will recycle all sample bottles and the pack itself by creating my annual whisky vault. I fill the bottles with the best 24 whiskies that I have on my shelf, label them and store them carefully to enjoy in the future to see how whisky has developed over time. I have several vaults already to enjoy in the future.
I will update this article daily over Christmas on Twitter, sometimes Instagram and probably do a final review on the Blog.
Finally many thanks to Boutiquey and Atom Brands for the samples and support throughout the year. I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Follow the Advent and His and Her’s Tastings at:
Twitter: @whisky_And1 . Instagram: whisky_and
And follow Boutiquey at:
@boutiqueywhisky and @BoutiqueyGin
My favourite supplier – @drinksbythedram
Hashtags: #boutiqueywhisky #whiskyadvent
