Bladnoch 16 year old 1992 Christmas Spirit, cask 2610

The Armstrongs bottled several "Christmas" casks at varying strengths during their ownership. Since I was raised as a Hanukkah celebrator, I don't know what Christmas smells or tastes like. Ham? Nog? Ham Nog? I have had Christmas cake, and I like it so much that I do suggest that someone attempt a deep fried version and call it Hanukkah cake because they totally ate this stuff at Kiddush in the old temple.

What the hell was I talking about? Oh yeah, the Northern Irish.

Sláinte!

Distillery: Bladnoch
Region: Lowlands
Owners at time of Distillation: United Distillers

Owners at time of Bottling: Colin and Raymond Armstrong
Age: 16 years old (15 July 1992 - 11 Sept 2008)

Maturation: sherry butt

Cask #: 2610
Alcohol by Volume: 55%

(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Starts off boldly on the nose, with fudge, bananas, white grape juice and metal. With time, it picks up subtler notes of dandelions, walnuts and a whiff of industrial funk. Ah, here comes the Xmas cake in the palate. Think buttery toffee, black raisins and Dalmore-ish(?) orange. Silky and zesty. It finishes tingly, toasty and tangy. Not too sweet.

DILUTED TO ~46%abv, or > 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky

The nose now owns a fun blend of farm funk and industrial funk, with some bananas and nectarines in the background. The palate is massively zesty and earthy. A little bit of wood spice and dried currants in the back. Again, not too sweet. It finishes a bit grungy and has some bitter raw nuts rolling in there.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Two different whiskies here, both good, though I prefer the less cuddly diluted version. This is probably not one of the sexier whiskies in the European auctions, so you could certainly do worse than picking up a bottle for a future winter holiday. I'd love to see the current owners pluck some good Armstrong-era sherry casks and offer up a new winter release that costs less than a car.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - ???

Rating - 87