The Whisky Exchange 37 Year Old Malt Gastronomy Selection April Fools 2023

Billy Abbott, The Whisky Exchange

• Nose

  Fine Devon fudge and butter toffee, made with milk from undisturbed cows, the finest hand-spun cane sugar and sea-salted, long-cultured farmhouse butter. Freshly shelled hazelnuts and Swiss milk chocolate follow, a crunch-laden enrobing with a sprinkling of finely julienned orange zest. The creaminess builds, packed with gentle Madagascan vanilla character and hints of cream-laden coffee: thick, dark, sweet Rwandan beans, brewed over flame in a Japanese siphon.

• Palate

  The notes of creamy sweetness return, rolling over unsnapped single-origin chocolate shards into a pool of bobbing windfall apples: tart Granny Smith and sweet Pink Lady with a handful of transatlantic Honeycrisp. The nutty notes develop: hazelnuts from the bottom of the bowl with lightly toasted Spanish almonds, all lightly dusted with soft, golden caster sugar. Crunchy spun-sugar nests are draped over thinly sliced conference pears and freshly malted Golden Promise barley. Beeswax-polished oak is sprinkled with gently bruised mint leaves.

• Finish

  Rich, baked-apple purée builds in waves, lingering beyond developing mint and creamy caramel. Chocolate water-ganache, let down with cream, leads to polished oak off-cuts and honey-baked vanilla pods.

• Comment

  An excellent whisky, and an excellent ingredient. Its sweeter notes enhance and embolden desserts and naturally sweet savouries, while also contrasting and pairing with the best meats and roasted vegetables. This sweet and savoury combination make it perfect for use in a slow-cooked ragu, enhancing the meaty umami as well as amplifying the sweetness of tomato. A cooking whisky so good, you might be tempted to drink it on its own!