The Whisky Advent Calendar

I guess this can serve as the Johnny Prime Christmas post. Some of you may have seen some links of this thing floating around this year (or maybe last year, if you’re cool like me). My wife gave me this as an early Christmas gift in 2012. I didn’t drink them at the time, thinking that I might save them for a special time. But when this year rolled around, I figured what the fuck – may as well drink them now. A whisky a day keeps the steak cravings at bay, and I decided to use the empties as Christmas Tree decorations. There were some really fucking great scotches in this collection. Seriously. Take a look at some of the vintages. Bottles for some cost upwards of $200. Only bad thing: the advent calendar only has 24 days rather than 25. Not sure if that is traditionally the way the calendars worked. My only real experience with them is digging the molded chocolates out each day as a kid, or looking at the pictures behind the windows without really reading the scripture. So anyway… Merry Christmas. Here are all the whiskies, in all of Jesus’ birthday glory, each day with some taste notes I jotted down along the way. The pictures get a little more creative and interesting as you get toward the end.

day 1: springbank 10
day 1: springbank 10

a mix of medicinal with a slight fruity nose

day 2: glenlivet archive 21
day 2: glenlivet archive 21

smooth and creamy up front with a slight peat and smoke sting at the back end

day 3: aberlour a'bunadh batch 42
day 3: aberlour a’bunadh batch 42

robust and peaty without overpowering

day 4: auchentoshan 12
day 4: auchentoshan 12

smooth, creamy and round, hints of caramel or vanilla

day 5: tomintoul with a peaty tang
day 5: tomintoul with a peaty tang

peaty, medicinal, but not blowing out the taste buds

day 6: bunnahabhain 12
day 6: bunnahabhain 12

smooth yet peaty

day 7: laphroaig cairdess origin
day 7: laphroaig cairdess origin

strong medicinal iodine, peat, smoke, leather, latakia tobacco

day 8: glendronach 12
day 8: glendronach 12

nutty, hints of chocolate

day 9: glenfarclas 40
day 9: glenfarclas 40

creamy, vanilla, butterscotch

day 10: dalmore 12
day 10: dalmore 12

cognac sherry, floral, fruity, hint of peat

day 11: longmorn 16
day 11: longmorn 16

citrus, fresh greens, oak spice

day 12: deanston 12
day 12: deanston 12

grassy, iodine, medicinal

day 13: poit dhubh
day 13: poit dhubh

creamy caramel with a peaty bite at the finish

day 14: edradour 10
day 14: edradour 10

fruity, sweet, vanilla, almond

day 15: aberlour 18
day 15: aberlour 18

smooth, creamy, oak

day 16: Macallan 21 fine oak
day 16: Macallan 21 fine oak

immaculate – very smooth

day 17: pikesville straight rye
day 17: pikesville straight rye

strong, woody

day 18: lagavulin 16
day 18: lagavulin 16

smoke, peat, leather, latakia tobacco, iodine, medicinal, but still smooth and round

*one of my personal favorites*

day 19: BenRiach Arumaticus 12
day 19: BenRiach Arumaticus 12

creamy smoke, with a sweet dark rum finish (as the label suggests)

*beside it are some bottles of snake whisky that I picked up in Vietnam*

day 20: aultmore 5 single cask
day 20: aultmore 5 single cask

 smooth but potent (66.7% alcohol/133 proof), sweet, spicy roasted cocoa

day 21: glenfarclas 30
day 21: glenfarclas 30

smooth and easy

day 22: Isle of Skye 8
day 22: Isle of Skye 8

spicy vanilla cream

day 23: compass box hedonism
day 23: compass box hedonism

fruity (black cherry) and creamy, with a toasty finish

*the grinch who stole whisky*

day 24: master of malt 50 yr speyside (3rd edition)
day 24: master of malt 50 yr speyside (3rd edition)

 toasted oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, coffee

*drinkin’ with JC*

christmas tree decorations made from the empties
christmas tree decorations made from the empties

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM JOHNNY PRIME!