Destination Cellars Staff Christmas Picks 2023
As the festive season approaches, the team at Destination Cellars is thrilled to once again share our passion for exceptional spirits with you. To simplify your holiday shopping and add a touch of spirited cheer to your celebrations, our knowledgeable staff have carefully curated their top picks for this year's best Christmas gifts. From rare single malts to innovative local creations, our 2023 selections are sure to delight both connoisseurs and casual enthusiasts alike.
Todd's Top Ten
Local Absinthe - The Gypsy Whisky Co 60% ABV
A ripping Tasmanian-made absinthe handcrafted by the dynamic duo of Jack Lark and Louis Duckett. Local Absinthe is made in the true European style, this potent drop includes the classic flavours of wormwood, fennel seed, aniseed and more, but also incorporates the native lemon myrtle.
Delord Armagnac-Tenareze 1979
An elegant Armagnac from 1979 the house of Delord. That's right! 1979 people and still drinking fresh and vibrantly. Distilled in 1979 and barrel aged until its recent bottling. You can appreciate the seven mystical Armagnac notes of nut, peach, violet, lime, vanilla, plum and pepper from this excellent Armagnac house that was established in 1893. Amazing for under $200
Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2013 Single Malt Whisky
The unpeated clean spirit from Bruichladdich is the bomb. It was matured in a mix of first-fill American whiskey casks (75%) and French wine casks (25%) for a minimum of eight years and bottled at 50% ABV.
Spencer Collings Founders Reserve 10 Year Old Blended Malt Whisky
A seriously good limited release blended whisky - we have the last remaining bottles. A heady mix of Madeira, Bourbon and Sherry barrels. Speyside, Highland, and a drop of Islay. This fantastic limited release 10-year-old cask strength expression is one of my all time favourite indie bottlings.
Octomore 13.2 Oloroso Sherry Cask Single Malt Whisky
The iconic Islay peat-monster - distilled from 100% Scottish Mainland barley and has been malted to 137.3PPM and bottled at 58.3% ABV, with the entire maturation in first fill Oloroso sherry butts from Jerez, Spain. The sherry influence beautifully complements the smoke and vibrancy of the single malt.
Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky
Still one of my favourite value-for-money lightly peated whiskies. One of the ground-breaking whiskies to come out of India. Named 'Fusion' because the barley used to make it is sourced from both India and Scotland and then matured at Amrut. Made with 75% barley grown in India (unpeated), plus 25% peated barley from Scotland. It's a cracking whisky and one to definitely put at the top of your list for trying "New World Whisky" offerings. It's a big and rich malt, extremely well balanced, with cacao nibs, honeyed fruit, pantry spice and an enticing lick of smoke to finish.
Hunter Island Tasmanian Pot Still Whisky Batch #3 Bourbon/Port Cask
if you haven't cracked into the Mackey Crew's new brand, then it's time that you did. Created from a mixed grain mash bill of malted barley, unmalted barley and oats, (65% malted barley, 30% raw barley, 5% oats) triple distilled in copper, and matured in the first- fill European Oak Portuguese Port and American Oak Jack Daniels, this is a perfect autumnal whisky. A warm fruity nose, creamy-sweet and viscous on the palate, nutty, grassy notes with a lingering spicy finish.
Overeem Man of Promise Reserve Cask 2023 Single Malt Whisky
The 4th release of Man of Promise from Overeem Distillery is the result of three exceptional casks, hand-selected and skilfully married together by distillery founder Casey Overeem, their annual Man of Promise Reserve release celebrates the promise Casey Overeem made to himself almost four decades ago. He's doing OK, we think!
Benriach The Smoky Ten Single Malt Whisky
The new Smoky Ten from Benriach's core range shows off the distillery's skill at working with peated malt, and includes maturation in ex-bourbon, Jamaican rum, and virgin oak barrels. Amazing value, great drink!
Highwayman SOB Story 2023 PX Sherry/Rum Cask Single Malt Whisky
Big flavours and extremely popular at our Tas Whisky Week event, the SOB Story 2023 limited release batch was the result of whisky aged in a marriage of PX and Lord Byron Rum casks, creating a whisky full of flavour, that properly lives up to the Highwayman name.