The Whisky Exchange — Page 6

Great Gifts For Your Loved Ones – All From The Whisky Exchange!

December 12, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

Great Gifts For Your Favourite People!

Whisky 101
Perfect Measure
Tasting Set
Give the gift of discovery this Christmas with this selection of classic single malt whiskies, accompanied by a Perfect Measure Glass from which to sip them. Visit the page for a tasting video with TWE ambassador Billy Abbott!
£34.95

Singleton Of Dufftown
12 Year Old
2 Glass Set
A smooth and mellow 12-year-old from the heart of Speyside, the Singleton of Dufftown has notes of blackberry, hazelnut and coffee, and here comes accompanied by a pair of tumblers.
£41.95

Inchmurrin
Miniature
Gift Set
A handsome gift pack containing three 5cl miniatures of Inchmurrin whisky – a 12-year-old, an 18-year-old and a Madeira-cask finish – distilled at Loch Lomond distillery.
£24.95

Edinburgh Gin
Olive or Twist
Cocktail Set
Give the gift of exploration with this lovely gift set from Edinburgh Gin. The set includes a bottle of Edinburgh Gin Classic, as well as a stylish mixing glass, cocktail spoon, measure and zester.
£59.95

Talisker
Miniature
Gift Pack
A great way for your favourite Talisker enthusiast to explore their favourite whisky. This three-sample set contains a 5cl miniature of Talisker’s Skye, Storm and 10 Year Old whiskies.
£15.95

Mount Gay Rum
Distillers Origins
Gift Pack
Two rums, identical in all but one respect: one is distilled in a pot-still and the other in a column. A great gift for rum fans looking to better understand how their favourite spirit is constructed.

SAVE £10
£49.95

Graham's
Port
Pack
A prize gift for the budding port enthusiast, this pack contains 5cl samples of five different Graham’s ports: White, Ruby, LBV, Reserve and 10 Year Old Tawny. A delicious way to discover the differences between styles.
£14.95

Taittinger Brut Reserve
Champagne
Glass Set
A bottle of Taittinger’s signature Champagne, and a pair of branded glasses from which to enjoy it. Chardonnay-heavy in its construction, this is a light and elegant wine.

SAVE £5
£39.95

Christmas Top 10s At The Whisky Exchange – All The Festive Favourites!

December 10, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

Christmas Top 10s – Festive Favourites!

CHRISTMAS DELIVERY DEADLINES

Don't miss out – check our Christmas delivery deadlines here

MORE INFO >

CHRISTMAS MALT 2020

A 19-year-old whisky full of festive spice and Christmas-cake fruit – bottled for us, just for you

BUY NOW >

Just In Time For Christmas – What’s New At The Whisky Exchange!

December 8, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

Macallan Classic Cut 2020

Macallan Classic Cut 2020
Carefully crafted by melding traditionally sherry-cask-aged Macallan whisky with spirit matured in the finest ex-bourbon, American-oak casks, Macallan Classic Cut 2020 is a feast of soft vanilla, candied orange peel, honey and dried-fruit flavours.

Black Tot 50th Anniversary Edition Rum
An exceptional rum crafted to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Black Tot Day – the day that the Royal Navy ceased to serve the daily rum tot which had been a staple for centuries – from Elixir Distillers. This limited-edition blend contains rums from Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad, paying homage to the Navy blends of yester-year using some of the finest rums in the world today.

Top 10 Future Classics
The Whisky Exchange co-founder Sukhinder Singh has chosen ten bottles which he thinks will be looked back on as classics in the years and decades to come!

Our Drinks Of The Year
Our 2020 Drinks of the Year have been announced! Blind-tasted and voted for our shortlist of six whiskies, and the winner has finally been crowned!

Give A Gift, Get A Gift – Last Chance
Personalised gin and whiskies make such great gifts that we’re rewarding everybody who buys a bottle with a complimentary £10 eGift Card, for showing such thoughtfulness and generosity. You give a gift, you get a gift. Hurry though, offer ends 13th December.

A Fine Christmas Malt 2020
2020’s Christmas Malt is a 19-year-old whisky packed with festive spice and Christmas-cake fruit!

Spirit of Christmas
Whoever you’re buying for, our Christmas page is set up to help you find just the right drinks for this Christmas!

Port Charlotte 10 Crowned The Whisky Exchange’s “Whisky Of The Year 2021”!

December 2, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

Port Charlotte 10 – The Whisky Exchange’s annual Whisky of the Year 2021!

Port Charlotte 10 has triumphed in The Whisky Exchange’s annual tasting, taking the top spot in the only official blind whisky judging undertaken by members of the public.

Islay distillery Bruichladdich won the tightly fought battle in the annual Whisky of the Year blind tasting by specialist spirits retailer The Whisky Exchange. Their 10-year-old expression – a heavily-peated, rich and spicy whisky lives and breathes the distillery’s ethos that Islay whisky should express the aspects of the island’s character, from rich smoke to bracing sea breeze.

“Port Charlotte whisky is a joy to create …”

Six whiskies went head to head after they were nominated by global customers of The Whisky Exchange, with more than 2000 putting forward their favourites. The blind judging of the most popular was opened up to the world via the Whisky of the Year Perfect Measure Judging Set and online voting on 22 September. The sets were very popular with customers, selling out online in less than three weeks and resulting in more than 500 votes cast!

Starting with a blind tasting led by Dawn Davies MW at Virtual Whisky Show in October and continuing in the weeks after, whisky-loving consumers were encouraged to critique each whisky for nose, palate and finish, and select a first and second choice via the online voting form.

All whiskies in the tasting were under £65 retail price, and all ongoing, commercially available releases.
In addition to the winner Port Charlotte 10, the shortlist included:

Runner Up: Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14 Year Old

Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Year Old

Nikka Coffey Malt

Kilkerran 12 Year Old

Lagavulin 16 Year Old

Port Charlotte whisky is a joy to create. The spirit is versatile and approachable, offering an alternative to the traditional Islay style, it’s a softer, heathery style of smoke.

I’m delighted to have the Port Charlotte 10 recognised by The Whisky Exchange as Whisky of the Year – it’s a testament of the commitment and passion our Islay team put into every bottle.
– Adam Hannett: head distiller of Bruichladdich Distillery

The aim of the Whisky of the Year competition is to make excellent affordable whiskies known to all spirit-lovers around the world. Port Charlotte is an exceptional rich and smoky whisky with a maritime tang – a worthy winner of the title.
– Sukhinder Singh: co-founder and owner of The Whisky Exchange

This year, the company wanted to recognise other drinks categories and has introduced Rum and Gin Of The Year alongside the Champagne of the Year – the fourth year it has been awarded. Each category has been nominated by industry experts and staff at The Whisky Exchange based on their quality and value for money.

This year’s winners are:
Gin of the Year 2021 : Lind & Lime Gin

Rum of the Year 2021 : Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend Rum

Champagne of the Year 2021 : Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne

All of The Whisky Exchange ‘Of the Year’ winners are given a dedicated landing page on thewhiskyexchange.com for the year to showcase the producer and the bottling, while customers can watch out for special offers online and in-store ‘Of The Year’ tastings!

Whisky-loving consumers were encouraged to critique each whisky for nose, palate and finish, and select a first and second choice via the online voting form

The Whisky Exchange kindly sent me the six samples to try (Thanks @WhiskyExchange!) so I got a chance to sample them and make my own voting choice.

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – A (45%)

Nose: Cane sweetness, toffee apples but this dram is slow to give up it’s flavours. After a time they fill the glass nicely – especially creamy toffee!

Palate: Smooth and sweet toffee, fruity, slightly tropical.

Finish: Tasty spice which is not too powerful. There’s a little grapefruit at the end.

Overall: Good abv and very easy to drink!!

Tasting Notes – B (43%)

Nose: Apples, tropical fruits, slightly cakey, toffee, slightly peaty as well with some furniture polish. Gives of itself quickly!

Palate: Shades of peaty smoke and tropical fruits.

Finish: Chilli spice, fruit, more apple with a short finish.

Overall: The smoke was a surprise – dunno why!

Tasting Notes – C (46%)

Nose: Smoke n’ peat, not too heavy – very nice! Sweet wood and quite coastal.

Palate: Cane sweetness, smoke, peat, slightly antispetic – gorgeous!

Finish: very smooth with just a smidgeon of pepper at the very end – which is long.

Overall: Fireside sipper when the winds howling outside – so that no-one can hear you pouring another dram!

Tasting Notes – D (46%)

Nose: Dark rich chocolate, molasses, sherry and toffee.

Palate: Rich toffee and vanilla. Sherried fruits, chocolate with hints of orange.

Finish: Breathtaking spice and richly fruited.

Overall: Slow to develop but certainly worth the wait!

Tasting Notes – E (50%)

Nose: Smokey with treacley peat, salty and coastal.

Palate: Sherbet sweetness, smoke, charred wood and peat.

Finish: Intense spice but still very sweet – quite unusual! Long finish.

Overall: A tasty dram that is the sum of two very different halves – but better for it!

Tasting Notes – F (43%)

Nose: Tropical fruits, furniture polish, plasticine, leather. Smoke gradually grows at the back.

Palate: Tropical sweetness paired with smokey fireside flavours!

Finish: Peaty with sweetness added.

Overall: A classy dram that doesn’t dissapoint.

So, which ones did I vote for?

MY FIRST CHOICE VOTED FOR WAS: D

MY SECOND CHOICE VOTED FOR WAS: E

And, the actual drams were:-

Whisky A – Nikka Coffey Malt
Whisky B – Johnnie Walker Green Label 15 Year Old
Whisky C – Kilkerran 12 Year Old
Whisky D – Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14 Year Old (Runner-Up)
Whisky E – Port Charlotte 10 (Winner)
Whisky F – Lagavulin 16 Year Old

YaY! I nearly got it right – just the wrong way round!

The Whisky Exchange Releases An Exclusive Loch Lomond – Sampling The Bountiful Orchard!

December 1, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

The New Loch Lomond 2010 exclusive bottling from The Whisky Exchange!

New Loch Lomond 2010 exclusive bottling from The Whisky Exchange!

The Whisky Exchange is continuing its programme of exclusive whiskey offerings with a new release from Loch Lomond distillery – Loch Lomond 2010, 10 Years Old Cask #849!

Only 241 bottles have been produced

Selected by the team at The Whisky Exchange and available exclusively from them, this distillery bottling shows off the fruity character of Loch Lomond’s spirit, and how the distillery’s team amplify those flavours throughout the whisky making process.

The creation of the whisky’s character starts early in production, with the team using a wine yeast known for producing high quantities of esters – compounds that lead to fruity flavours and aromas – to ferment the wort.

The resulting wash was distilled using Loch Lomond’s unique straight-necked pot stills and collecting a narrow cut of spirit at high strength, again concentrating the fruity flavour compounds.

This was then matured in a first-fill ex-bourbon barrel, a smaller size of cask that gives more oak influence, giving the final whisky a complex character, combining the fruitiness of the spirit with sweet vanilla and spice from the wood.

The Whisky Exchange has kindly sent me a sample to try (Thanks @WhiskyExchange!).

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – Loch Lomond 2010, 10 Years Old Cask #849 (57.7%)

– 241 bottles available
– Buy Now: £62.95 (70cl)

Nose: Orchards of crisp, crunchy, green apples! Blended with creamy vanilla, fresh pastry and white wood. There’s also hints of citrus, orange and some toffee which wanders along later.

Palate: Syrupy, cooked apples with a sugar dusting – delightful!

Finish: Lip-smacking chilli spice which is coupled with an apple pie finish that sure takes your breath away! Some liquorice and maybe a hint of blackcurrant. It’s a long finish that ends with a tannin dryness.

Overall: Plenty of punch to this one! It’s both fruity and spicy and each one assails the taste buds full on!

You might want to add a few drops of water to this dram to tone the chilli down a bit – it can take it!

All-in-all a cracking dram that has plenty to offer for fruit and spice fans alike!

Customer Favourites From The Whisky Exchange!

November 30, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Solera

Glenfiddich
15 Year Old Solera
£44.95

Oban
14 Year Old
£48.95

Flor de Cana
12 Year Old
BruadarLiqueur
£19.45

Bruadar
Liqueur
£34.95

A FINE CHRISTMAS MALT 2020

A 19-year-old whisky full of festive spice and Christmas-cake fruit. Bottled for us, just for you

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Sampling The Whisky Exchange “Black Friday” Malt 2020 – A Little Bit Of Everything For Everybody!

November 27, 2020 by Gary Leave a Comment

The Whisky Exchange Black Friday Malt 2020!

An Exclusive limited edition 22 year old whisky
– specially for Black Friday!

For the fourth year running The Whisky Exchange has unveiled a limited-edition single malt whisky to celebrate Black Friday 2020!

Bottles customarily sell out in under an hour!

With bottles customarily selling out in under an hour, these Black Friday whisky releases have become more and more successful each year.

After scouring the Scottish Highlands for something exceptional, The Whisky Exchange located a distillery near the Speyside borders.

The distillery is known for its distinctively smoky style that sets it apart from its neighbours, making this whisky highly sought-after by whisky fans around the world.

This one-off, smoky 22-year-old Highland whisky is a complex yet well-balanced dram, priced at fantastic value for money. This is set to put a smile on the face of everyone who is lucky enough to get their hands on a bottle!

Customers want something different on Black Friday and we’re the only whisky specialist that produces its own special bottling for the day. Our customers trust us, so while nobody knows what to expect when we reveal our Black Friday whisky, they take a chance on it, and for good reason: we’re well-known for finding very nice whiskies.

Plus it’s a bit of fun!
– Sukhinder Singh: co-founder of The Whisky Exchange

Only 1308 bottles are available

The Whisky Exchange has kindly sent me a sample to try (Thanks @WhiskyExchange!).

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – The Whisky Exchange Black Friday Malt 2020 (50.5%)

Distilled at … The Scottish Highlands (That’s all we know!)
Aged for 22 years.
Only 1,308 bottles are available.
£99.95 (plus £4.95 with gift tube)

Nose: Lots of apples, toffee, hints of orange, peat and old waxy furniture.

Palate: Creamy apple, hints of smoke but not too much. Then there’s cane sweetness with a little pineapple to top it all off!

Finish: Robust spiciness with apple sweetness. Wisps of peat and smoke but it’s sort of hiding for me! Smokey dryness at the end.

Overall: An enjoyable dram with a little bit of everything for everybody.

Eminently fitting for this time of year because, of course, it’s this time of year that we should be able to enjoy a little bit of everything … for everybody!