Winter holidays conjure up fond memories of time with family and friends by the fire with special libations. For many, these include darker spirits and heavier beers.
For spirits, I prefer single malt scotch. One of my wintertime favorites is the Aberlour A’bunadh, Gaelic for “the original.” It’s bottled in an apothecarylike container at cask strength, the same way you’d have procured whiskey from the local grocer in the 1800s. A’bunadh is matured exclusively in Oloroso sherry butts, which impart spicy notes of cinnamon, leather cardamom, cloves, and dark vanilla. The flavor and strength will slightly vary by batch. A drop of water will break the surface tension and allow the whiskey to open up. (And it will make the whiskey more approachable to those unaccustomed to drinking cask-strength whiskies.) For a local spirit, I recom- mend the Spirit of St. Louis Distillery’s Vermont Night, which infuses a single malt whiskey with orange, lemon, and lime zest, cinnamon sticks, cloves, vanilla beans, and a dash of Vermont maple syrup. All of these flavors come through on the nose and palate, creating a complex spirit to be enjoyed as dessert or on desserts.
My choice for an American holiday beer, dating back to 1975, is Anchor Brewing’s Our Special Ale, colloquially referred to as Christmas Ale. Available from November to January, it’s rich and spicy, but it slightly changes every year, along with the hand-drawn tree on the label. My international suggestion is St. Bernardus Christmas ale, which is brewed in Belgium and whose label depicts St. Bernardus with a traditional Santa hat. Locally, the Schlafly Special Release Christmas Ale has become a staple with its notes of orange and clove, but I also recommend Perennial Artisan Ales’ Fête de Noël, a Belgian- style ale with notes of golden raisins, malt, and cocoa.
A toast to you and yours this holiday season!
