When the nights get longer and the mince pies come out, few things hit the spot like a good old sherry cask whisky. Rich dried fruits, baking spices, chocolate, roasted nuts, it’s basically Christmas cake in a glass.
Whether you’re shopping for yourself or hunting down the perfect gift, here are five sherry-forward whiskies that deserve a place under the tree this year.
1. GlenAllachie 15 Year Old – The Modern Sherry Classic
If you want a benchmark modern sherry-cask Speyside, GlenAllachie 15 is a superb place to start.
Matured in a mix of Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso casks, it’s packed with sticky toffee pudding, sultanas, dark chocolate, espresso, and a hint of Christmas spice. There’s enough richness to feel indulgent, but it never tips into cloying, the structure and gentle oak keep everything in balance.
It’s a great sherry staple for any collection (including my own) – complex enough for geeks, approachable enough for casual drinkers, and an excellent bottle to pour after Christmas dinner. Easily one of the easiest festive buys you can make.
Pair it with: Christmas pudding, dark chocolate truffles, or a quiet moment when the dishes are finally done.
BUY IT HERE: £68.95 (Currently £5 off at Royal Mile Whiskies)
2. Kilchoman Sanaig – Smoke Meets Sherry
Love peat but want something more decadent than pure campfire and iodine? Kilchoman Sanaig is your Christmas crossover dram.
This Islay single malt leans heavily on sherry casks, giving you smoked raisins, grilled plums, salted caramel, and bonfire embers on a windy beach. The peat is present, but it’s wrapped in layers of fruit and sweetness that make it oddly comforting, like toasted fruit loaf over a peat fire.
Sanaig is a brilliant bottle to have open when you’ve got a mix of peat fans and sherry lovers in the same room. It’s also a great introduction for sherry fans who’ve always been wary of smoky whisky.
Pair it with: Strong blue cheese, glazed ham, or that late-night “one more dram” by the fire.
BUY IT HERE: £56.96 (Currently £7 off on Royal Mile Whiskies)
3. “Stocking Filler” 13 Year Old Speyside Sherry – Tasty, No-Brainer Gift
Sherry cask whisky doesn’t have to mean huge bottles and huge price tags. A well-chosen 13-year-old Speyside single malt matured in sherry casks can deliver serious flavour in a stocking-friendly format.
Royal Mile Whiskies’ own Stocking Filler 13 Year Old Speyside Sherry is a great example: a sherry-rich dram but with proper depth of flavour, think red berries, toffee, polished oak, savoury rosemary and a gentle nutty finish. It’s the kind of bottle that makes whisky fans smile because it feels like a “real” pick, not just a novelty. This is the perfect option for a whisky-loving friend, colleague or family member.
Pair it with: A plate of Christmas cookies or a cheese board during festive games.
BUY IT HERE: £44.95
4. Mortlach 2008 17 Year Old G&M RMW Exclusive – The Connoisseur’s Pick
For something a bit more serious, the kind of bottle you open when the good company is around and the good glasses come out, a Mortlach single cask is hard to beat.
This 2008 17 Year Old Mortlach from Gordon & MacPhail, bottled exclusively for Royal Mile Whiskies (cask #309464, 56.3%) is exactly the sort of thing sherry lovers hunt for at this time of year. Mortlach’s naturally meaty, weighty spirit stands up beautifully to rich sherry casks, and at cask strength you’re getting the full experience.
Expect dark fruit compote, leather, cocoa, roasted nuts, and a savoury, umami depth that keeps it from becoming a simple sweet sherry bomb. A splash of water will likely open up layers of spice and citrus.
This is a Christmas bottle you remember, the one people ask about next year (and the one you’re secretly glad you bought when you did).
Pair it with: A late, unhurried evening; rich fruit cake; or a good cigar if that’s your thing.
BUY IT HERE: £149.95
5. Tamdhu Quercus Alba Distinction 3 – Vanilla, Citrus & Sherry Elegance
If the other whiskies on this list are all about deep, dark, Christmas-cake richness, Tamdhu Quercus Alba Distinction 3 shows the brighter, more elegant side of sherry cask maturation.
This series focuses on American oak (Quercus alba) sherry casks, rather than European oak. That means less heavy spice and tannin, and more vanilla cream, honey, zesty citrus peel, toasted almonds, and soft orchard fruits, all wrapped in a gentle sherry sweetness.
It’s still unmistakably a sherry-driven Speyside, but with a lift and freshness that works beautifully as an aperitif-style dram before Christmas dinner, or as a “crowd-pleaser” bottle when you’ve got mixed palates in the room. For sherry fans who want something refined rather than full-on, it’s a very smart festive pick.
Pair it with: Roast turkey, baked apple desserts, or as a first dram of the evening.
BUY IT HERE: £71.95 (Currently £10 off at Royal Mile Whiskies)
Pouring the Perfect Christmas Dram
From the richly sherried comfort of GlenAllachie 15 to the smoky embrace of Kilchoman Sanaig, the stocking-filler charm of that 13-year-old Speyside, the depth and drama of the Mortlach single cask, and the bright elegance of Tamdhu Quercus Alba Distinction 3, there’s a sherry cask whisky here for pretty much every festive moment.
You don’t need them all (tempting though it is), but choosing one “showpiece” bottle and one or two reliable crowd-pleasers will see you through everything from quiet fireside drams to post-dinner family chaos. Use this list as a starting point, then follow your palate, richer, smokier, lighter, or somewhere in between.
However you like your sherry influence, a well-chosen bottle will do what whisky does best at Christmas: bring people together, slow the pace a little, and turn a good evening into a memorable one.
Read the full article at Your Christmas Whisky List: 5 Essential Sherry Cask Bottles to Impress Any Guest
