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Day 13 - KWM 2025 This Is Still Not An Advent Calendar

Posted on December 13, 2025

by Evan

What do you get the dog in your life that has everything?

If you are Andrew, you put Walter’s face on a bottle.

Again.

*Deep, shuddering breath*

Okay Evan. Smarten up! You are not jealous of a dog. Your face was on a bottle before. Once. In the extreme background. Riding a hot air balloon far off in the distance. But if you squint and look sideways, it does look like one of those faces does have a beard and wear glasses and you can pretend that is you. One decade at KWM and that is what I amount to. Two years of life and Walter has been on two labels. AND ousted me as chief KWM mascot. BUT. YOU. ARE. NOT. JEALOUS. OF. A. DOG.

I promised myself I wouldn't do this. Excuse me for a minute.

I better look at some cute pet photos on the internet to calm myself down.

#$(*&$#)(&*@#.

Hoooo! One more deep breath.

Okay.

Regardless of the festering envious feelings some may unjustifiably hold for Walter, he is a good boy, and good boys deserve treats. If you have a good boy or good girl or good other in your life, or have been good yourself, it is time to get a good bottle, and that is exactly what Walter’s Choice Blended Scotch is.

For some background on what this whisky is and where it possibly came from, please refer to yesterday's post. That’s right, this bottle is also made from ex-Edrington Stock. Could it have been whisky that was parcelled off to be used in a higher end version of Famous Grouse? That is our conjecture.

Here is what we do know:

  • The stated age of the whisky is a healthy and respectful 44 years of age, as stated on the bottle. There is possibly older whisky in the blend as well.
  • The youngest whisky is from 1980. This is objectively the best year, regardless of Andrew’s misconstrued notion that the best vintage is 1978. See above regarding there possibly being older whisky in the blend.
  • The blend in this bottle had been marrying together in one single sherry butt since 2004. So, it has survived 20 years of marriage and is this integrated and harmonious. That gives hope for us all!
  • Look at that colour. That is natural, and it speaks to the influence of the sherry butt it sat in for two decades.
  • We had a hand in the label design, and managed to have some goofy jokes put on there. Because, why not?

Let's sit down and give this whisky some serious consideration, shall we?

Walter's Choice 44 Year Old Blended Scotch for KWM – 47.8%

Andrew's Tasting Note

Nose: old, antique-y, and soft with syrupy sherry and underlying tropical fruit; nutty old solera sherry, dark milk chocolate, moist brown sugar, and earthy dunnage warehouse notes; soft leather and a touch of old Armagnac and Cognac; in the background ripe mango and papaya emerge from behind dried dark fruits.

Palate: old and antique-y yet still full of life; the entry is soft and delicate for a whisky as dark and old as this; old leather, dark chocolate, brown sugar, and sweet tobacco kick things off; the earthy dunnage notes and soft spices are balanced by a touch of sweet syrupy sherry; raisins, dates, and figs hold court before letting more subtle tropical fruits into the frame; warming notes cinnamon, licorice, and fennel round things out.

Finish: warming, elegant, and satisfying with a good length.

Comment: this is proper, old-school, ancient whisky, and it is superb; married for nearly twenty years everything is so well integrated you can't even pick out the grain; this is what old sherry cask whiskies used to taste like 20 years ago, a style we sadly don't often see anymore; you'll regret it if you don't grab one while you can!"

Evan’s Tasting Note to be added later

 

Bottom line on this bottle? It is fantastic, it is incredibly well priced for what it is, and it is also nearly gone.

Bottom line on Walter? He is an awesome dog, and if he ever learns how to write whisky blog posts, I am screwed.

Cheers,

Evan

evan@kensingtonwinemarket.com

This entry was posted in Whisky, Tastings, Whisky Calendars, Independent Bottler, Tastings - Online Tasting, KWM 2025 Still Not An Advent Calendar Tastings

 

 

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