Review by: zSolaris
Scotch Whisky Review #359: The Whisky Exchange’s A Fine Christmas Malt 19 Year 2020 Release
Image Credit: The Whisky Exchange
Distillery: Blend.
Bottler: The Whisky Exchange.
Region: Blended Malt.
Age: 19 Year.
ABV: 44.5%.
Cask Type: Sherry Cask.
Cost: Sample courtesy of /u/DangerousDoorknob.
Color: 1.7, Burnt Umber. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.
This is the 24th installment of this years’ Christmas Countdown. You can see the 2020 edition here and 2019 edition here.
Nose: (according to the wife) It smells like breakfast tea and waffles! Black tea and maple syrup are the major notes. (according to me) Sherry comes out in droves. Old wooden furniture and a new fresh coat of varnish are next up. Candied ginger and a hint of licorice finish this out.
Palate: Like the nose suggested, there’s a lot of sherry here. Old wood furniture with varnish again comes through. There’s then a few dessert-y notes in milk chocolate, rum raisin cake, and a bit of black forest cake (specifically the cherry filling). With a few drops of water, the sweeter notes here take the reigns. The old wood and varnish vanish leaving behind more sherry, more chocolate, more cherry filling, and more desserts. A chocolate Swiss roll served with a sweet, slightly nutty, caramel comes in as well.
Finish: Medium to long in length. The main note is a sweet and nutty caramel. A bit of varnish with a slightly astringent note was in the first few sips, but it does disappear pretty quickly.
Conclusion: ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, when not a creature was stirring, not even Scotch the dog. Santa might not get his milk and cookies, but I think he probably would be happy with this blended malt by the folks at The Whisky Exchange. There is a ton of dessert notes to go along with a nice side of old oak. The rum raisin and black forest cakes are delicious and the bit of sweet, nutty caramel that comes along with water is fantastic. This is a great representation of how good blended malt can be and also a good representation of an older sherried dram. Wish you all a Happy Holiday season, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
Final Score: 86.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 
