Thursday last week was a VERY special day for Mrs Caskstrength. At 8.30am, she ran downstairs, heading straight for the kitchen, where, perched on the bread bin, lay a Malteasers Advent Calendar. The first of December had arrived, thus signifying the start of a very long month for me....Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas as much as the small boy sat comfortably on santa's lap, waiting for my present. It's just that advent calendars tend to be a little bit tedious.
One idea we had some months ago at Caskstrength was to have a whisky advent calendar; every day, post a brand new post about our favourite whiskies for the festive season. But we soon realised that this was particularly time consuming and frankly, we didn't want to be chained to the computer, when there's chocolate to eat, mulled wine to glug and ice skates to be donned.
So here is an abbreviated version. Consider it part one of our Twelve Drams Of Christmas.
But rather than make our own suggestions, we've asked a few friends and fellow imbibers to give us theirs... and here's the first!
The First Dram Of Christmas - Charley Boorman
Our first festive dram suggestion is from a particularly rugged chap, known to many as the king of adventuring on two wheels... Mr Charley Boorman.
As well as previously seeking thrills on his beloved motorbikes with Ewan McGregor and recently traversing the world by any means, Charley is a big whisky fan and last month, we caught up with him to discuss drams and the spirit of adventure - i.e. a decent, gentleman-sized dram on a mountain side!! You can read the full interview in issue 99 of Whisky Magazine, but for now, here's Charley's tip on the best festive whisky...
"When it comes to a cracking festive dram, I would recommend Talisker 10yo for Christmas. I love its peaty flavour, which reminds me of burning peat on the fire at home in Ireland."
Talisker 10 Years Old - 45.8%
Nose: A monsterous mixture of hot chilli, carbolic soap, malt and cracked black pepper.
Palate: Hot, warming and peaty, with more chilli, pepper and nutty smokiness.
Finish: Drying, with a lingering note of hot smoke and some dried fruits.
A great start from Mr Boorman here. Stay tuned for our next recommendation from someone a little bit further afield!