My first choice for a splendid Christmas present is something to warm the cockles of your heart, perfect to celebrate the day and then see in the New Year. A new single malt whisky from a distillery on the land where whisky was first made in 1494 is not a bad place to start.
Lindores Single Malt Scotch Whisky MCDXCIV (1494) is the result of the Mckenzie-Smith family building a distillery from scratch on the land where monks produced the oldest recorded whisky. Only launched this year, the whisky benefits from a “long wash” fermentation period coupled with an unusual sister spirit stills. This configuration creates a malt of remarkable character for its age. The spirit is then left to mature in a selection of bourbon barrels, wine barriques and sherry butts.
In 2017, spirit started flowing once again from copper stills at Lindores Abbey… after a 523 years break.
Golden in colour, elegant, soft and sweet on the nose, Lindores Single Malt feels smooth on the palate, with a creamy texture and a perfect balance of mellow vanilla, dried fruits and citrus touches with a hint of spice. The finish is medium length, delicate with a lingering finish.
Available in 70cl, 20cl and 5cl miniature bottles from £6.00 to £46.00. You can buy it HERE.
At I-M, we love conscientious, green and sustainable companies, so I felt compelled to tell you about a new brand taking up cycling and the concept of zero-waste to a new level. In this festive season, Discarded Spirits Co is adopting the miserly ways of Ebenezer Scrooge to produce drinks for the Christmas future. They gather unwanted and unused ingredients such as overripe bananas and grapes to distil into high-quality flavoured spirits delivered in 100% recyclable packaging.
Three products are available at present: a vermouth, a vodka and a rum, but given their ingenuity and ambition, I am sure there are more to come very soon. The current flavours are Banana Peel for the rum (they infuse banana peels in cask-aged rum), sweet Cascara (from the husks of coffee cherries) for the vermouth and Grape Skin (aka wine pomace) for the vodka.
Discarded’s current product range includes a cascara vermouth, a cask-aged banana peel rum and a grape skin vodka.
The vermouth is produced from the husks of coffee cherries, and the pomace from wine production flavours the Vodka. Although waste ingredients are used in the distilling process, the results are premium quality and so tasty.
Prices range from £19 to £30 and they are available to buy from Waitrose, Amazon or from their own website. For more information, click HERE.
In the last year I have become quite fond of Tequila and have been experimenting with different cocktails. I love the El Rayo tequila, especially their Plata variation, which is perfect for gin lovers. El Rayo was founded by two friends from Peckham who one day decided to pack up their lives and moved to Mexico where they spent years learning the art and craft of making tequila.
Fresh and vibrant with hints of citrus, this tequila is super easy to drink, just top with tonic and a garnish with grapefruit.
El Rayo uses just blue agave and water in their tequila. The result is a clean, fresh spirit full of vibrant flavours. £34.95 for a 70cl bottle. You can purchase it HERE.
Finally, it is nice to be indulgent during the festive period, and nothing says self-indulgence like caviar. French luxury food retailer Petrossian are globally renowned for their matured caviars but they offer a much wider range of quality delights. So if this Christmas you need to sit again through The Sound of Music, these couple of treats may help you survive the ordeal.
Caviar & Truffle surprises in the mouth with a fun interplay of textures between the melting grains of caviar and the crunchy truffle chips.
I’ve picked their Caviar & Truffle, an innovation by Petrossian with a very clever play on textures and flavours. The melt-in-the-mouth caviar meets the bite of truffle and the combination of the iodine and hazelnut notes from the caviar mixed with the earthiness of the truffle is mind-blowing.
95% Ossetra Caviar – 5% black truffle. £140 for a 50g tin. Available to purchase HERE.
La Truffe should be enjoyed chilled and pairs well with caviar, salmon or foie gras. The truffle complements the natural vodka aromas.
To accompany such particular caviar, I’ve chosen Petrossian’s black truffle vodka, La Truffe. This French vodka is made with rye and wheat and flavoured with truffle through slow maceration. Its notes are of the earth, wood and leather with a long finish. If you prefer something different to caviar, this vodka also pairs perfectly with smoked salmon or foie gras. 40° vol Alc. 5% black truffle. £75 for a 50c bottle. Available to purchase HERE.
Opening picture: Anrita1705 for Pexels.
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