The Whisky Club Advent Calendar 2023

The Whisky Club’s Christmas institution is back and better than ever.  We’ve checked Members’ most-wanted lists twice and curated 24 drams that’ll tick every Scotch lover’s box, chock a block with old-school Scotch classics, Sherry bombs galore along with some new favourites. 

Selected exclusively for the Club, this year’s lineup features some gob-smackingly old whiskies spanning four decades including a 42YO, 30YO, 26YO, and a 22YO as well as multiple gold medal award-winning whiskies from Scotland, Japan, Ireland, the USA and more. 

Like we said, we’ve curated these stellar spirits based on what we know Members love — and we know they love a good Sherry bomb. So expect to unbox some lush classics as well as a few surprises like a Colheita Port cask, Rioja Wine and even a Ginger Beer. 

Want to know exactly what's inside? At 7pm (AEDT) each day until Christmas we'll be sharing a video to our Facebook and Instagram Stories as well as YouTube, taking you through the dram of the day, and this page will be updated daily with all the details if you can't wait until then.

Bottle Size: 24 x 30ml

Day 10

Distillery: Old Pulteney

Name: 15 Year Old

Age: 15 Years Old

ABV: 46%

Cask Type: Second fill American oak, finished in first fill Spanish Oloroso butts

Region: Highlands

Notes: Single Malts up to 12 years – Independents: International Spirits Competition 2023, Double Gold: 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. 

Nose: Intense yet balanced. Bursting with rich dried fruit, ripe apples and citrus, with honey sweetness and creamy vanilla. Slightly chocolaty and floral.

Palate: Fragrant spices and Christmas cake, with layers of chocolate and a distinct dark toffee sweetness.

Finish: There is a hint of salty sea air on the finish, a clear connection to the influence of the sea.

Day 9

Distillery: Balmenach

Name: Oloroso Cask Finish

Age: 9 Years Old

ABV: 56.6%

Cask Type: Finished in a single Oloroso Sherry octave cask

Region: Speyside

Nose: Toasted almonds join crème brulée with a crunchy caramelised top, while coffee and oak char.

Palate: Layers of thick, runny toffee and chocolatey malt are backed by baking spices and burnt custard.

Finish: Chocolate buttons, barley sugar sweeties, spiced, syrupy flapjack with a trickle of treacle.

Day 8

Distillery: Undisclosed Bourbon Distillery

Name: Black & Gold Bourbon

Age: 11 Years Old

ABV: 45%

Cask Type: American White oak

Region: USA

Nose: Dense vanilla, toasted brown sugar atop apple pie, ginger snaps and cinnamon sticks.

Palate: Caramelised nuts, cask char leading to earthy cigar box and vanilla pod, with a touch of maple syrup hiding in there too.

Finish: Lasting oak and forest floor richness, well-balanced by toffee and chocolate sweetness.

Day 7

Distillery: Blend of Peated Scotch and Tennessee Rye

Name: Burnt Ends

Age: NAS

ABV: 45%

Cask Type: American White oak, Sherry casks, ex-Bourbon

Region: Tennessee & Scotland

Nose: Deliciously rich and spicy. Fresh apple & pineapple juice, with caramel and a touch of peat.

Palate: Barbequed pineapple with sticky butterscotch alongside toasted rye bread.

Finish: Long with burnt toffee, roasted nuts and a whiff of smoke.

Day 6

Distillery: Undisclosed Scotch Speyside distillery

Name: Wormtub

Age: 10 Years Old - Batch 3

ABV: 56.2%

Cask Type: Finished in first-fill Oloroso Sherry casks

Region: Speyside

Notes: Sourced from a distillery in Speyside that uses wormtub condensers. Winner of Gold, Single Malts up to 12 years - Independents: International Spirits Competition 2023. 

Nose: Dark chocolate, baking spice, oak char, fruitcake, and fruits of the forest.

Palate: Cured meat, salted caramel, red berries, oily walnuts, flamed orange peel, and stewed fruits.

Finish: Rich and thick, heavy Sherry and dried fruits with sticky treacle. 

Day 5

Distillery: Lakes

Name: The One Colheita Cask Finished

Age: NAS

ABV: 46.6%

Cask Type: Colheita wine casks finish

Region: England, Highlands, Speyside & Islau

Notes: A blended whisky crafted from a singular blend of The Lakes Single Malt and select grain and malt Scotch whiskies from the Highlands, Speyside and Islay is then finished in rare Colheita casks to create this rich and warming expression of The One. 

Nose: Peach cobbler, fresh apricots alongside strawberries & cream, with a whiff of campfire.

Palate: Ripe plums, vanilla custard, marshmallow and warming cinnamon.

Finish: Rich and comforting with caramel jersey and stewed pears.

Day 4

Distillery: Undisclosed Scotch Distillery

Name: Darkness 8 Year Old

Age: 8 Years Old

ABV: 47.8%

Cask Type: Ex-Bourbon finished in custom made Oloroso Sherry octaves

Region: Scotch

Notes: Gold at the 2020 World Whiskies Awards, Gold Single Malts up to 12 years - Independents: International Spirits Competition 2023

Nose: Candied orange peels, chocolate peanuts, cooking spice warmth and some dried cherry.

Palate: Amaretti biscuits, subtly toasty hints, powerful raisin and prune with just a touch of earthy oak.

Finish: Slightly oily with a hint of smoke and dark chocolate.

Day 3

Distillery: Undisclosed malt and grain distilleries

Name: Blended Whisky #3 - Batch 2

Age: 26 Years Old

ABV: 45.2%

Cask Type: Undisclosed 

Region: Blended Scotch Whisky

Notes: Small Batch (Only 460 bottles created)

Nose: Stewed plums, figs, and dates are joined by spiced toffee apples, fruitcake, cherry chocolate, and a whisper of bonfire smoke.

Palate: Silky layers of caramel join the chocolate notes from the nose, along with candied orange and honeyed prunes. Coffee and walnut cake develops in time, backed up by elegant wood smoke.

Finish: The flavours linger long after the last mouthful, with rounded layers of baked fruit, cakey spice, and smoked liquorice.

Day 2

Distillery: Ledaig

Name: Rioja Cask Finish - Sinclair Series

Age: NAS

ABV: 46.3%

Cask Type: Rioja Wine Cask Finish 

Region: Islands

Notes: The first release in the Sinclair series. Rioja is region in Northern Spain best known for berry-scented, barrel-aged red wines made from Tempranillo and Garnacha.

Nose: Notes of Turkish delight and rose petals balanced with candied fruits and grapes followed by rich leather and a beautiful peppery spice with a hint of chocolate.

Palate: Creamy mouthfeel full of almonds, sweet malt and notes of peppery Ledaig, which give way to black raspberries, sweet vanilla and cocoa interspersed with cinnamon spice.

Finish: Salted caramel, cherry, clove. Lingering smoky finish with red fruit and sea spray.

Day 1

Distillery: Undisclosed Islay Distillery

Name: Aerolite Lindsay

Age: 10 Years Old

ABV: 46%

Cask Type: Bourbon Barrels, Spanish Sherry Quarter Casks 

Region: Islay

Notes: Category Winner 2020 World Whisky Awards - Gold Medal

Nose: Lots of maritime peat, with notes of iodine intertwined with honey sweetness, paprika, salted caramel and old bookshelves.

Palate: Smoke returns alongside mint dark chocolate, espresso and new leather, with honey and soy sauce mixed together.

Finish: Boiled mint sweeties, liquorice allsorts, bonfire smoke and toffee penny, with a pinch of salt.