A Christmas without spirit would be a sad and somewhat soulless event. Even if it were only to flambe the Christmas pud, there’s something essential that only a decent spirit can contribute to one of the most festive occasions of the year. Being a committed wine fanatic myself, it’s not until after dessert that I start fossicking around the shelves for the most appropriate cap for the traditional luncheon fare. But don’t be misled – it would be easy indeed to ruin a perfectly good Christmas with some toxic spirit of dubious parentage and chemical composition. You need a fine, clean spirit, certainly devoid of neither age nor character, but one mellow enough to soothe the digestive processes while simultaneously both stimulating and relaxing the mind. That’s some order, so only a top spirit will suffice. So let’s explore the possibilities. Unless in possession of very old and rare cognac, my spirit of preference is Scotch. It’s a wonderful thing – a warming, rich spirit with character and flavour, ever changing from distillery to distillery, from mountain to island. My theory is that it takes a very good cognac to be better than a good malt whisky, for until you get to the older and unfortunately more pricey cognacs they tend to taste weedy and thin. It sounds perfectly snobbish to suggest that cognac is best avoided until we’re into XO territory, but that’s a risk I’m prepared to take. Never have been able to see the point of VSOP, never will. Thanks to the marketing departments, Christmas is a season of hard decisions for the Scotch drinker. Not only does the number of individual malts lining the shelves increase beyond imagination, but so does the diversity of ages available. One of my favourite Highland Malts is Glenfarclas and although my age of preference is usually the 15 year old, today there’s a bewildering range of temptation around for you to experiment with. Tempt yourself with the 10 yo ($60), before a taste of 12 yo ($67), or perhaps the 15 yo itself at $80. Then, moving into form, you’re doubtless neatly tuned for the 21 yo ($110), the 25 yo ($135) or perhaps even the vanishingly scarce 30 yo ($385). Thrillseekers can even enjoy the innocent mischief of the 105 Cask Strength Glenfarclas which is guaranteed to kick-start any party for $87. Would-be malt collectors could do little better than to snaffle UD’s superbly presented Classic Malt Series, whose at-home guided tour around Scotland’s whisky areas comprises the personable and extraordinarily diverse malts of Glenkinchie 10 yo, Lagavulin 16 yo, Oban 14 yo, Cragganmore 12 yo, Talisker 10 yo and one of the smoothest and most fragrant Highlands of them all, the Dalwhinnie 15 yo. You can invest in the legendary Macallan in a number of ways, from the 12 yo ($60) to the 18 yo ($100) and ultimately, to The Macallan Anniversary, a wooden-boxed combination of malts whose minimum age is 25 years ($270). Cardhu’s aromatic 12 yo malt, the backbone of Johnnie Walker’s excellent Black Label, is very affordable at around $50, the savoury Bunnahabhain 12 yo at $67 and the classic Glenlivet 12 yo at $60. One of the greatest of all Scotches is Bowmore, whose 22 year-old malt requires a mere $245 and just $335 for the 30 year-old. But if your taste and budget are suited more towards top-notch blended whisky, try the ethereal Johnnie Walker Blue Label for $290 or the Chivas Bros. Royal Salute 21 yo for $260. Ex US servicemen resident in Australia are confronted by a wide choice of premium bourbon whiskey, beginning with my favourite, Bookers, bottled straight from the barrel for $92. Or consider Jack Daniels’ smoky Single Barrel Tennessee ($90), its Gentleman Jack ($50), or the classic Wild Turkey Straight ($49). A brandy par excellence, cognac is to grape spirit what Rolls Royce claims to be to motor cars. Brandy is distilled nearly wherever wine is made, but cognac only comes from Cognac, despite the efforts of generations of marketing pirates around the globe. La Grande Champagne is the name of its best region, found just to the south and east of Cognac. It produces the finest eaux-de-vie (young spirit) in Cognac – delicate, with extraordinary bouquet. Labelled as ‘Grande Champagne’, these are the spirits which improve best with age, becoming rich and powerful with the passage of time. The best and richest of these spirits may take decades to reach their peak. There is no statutory requirement for the age of XO cognac, but these spirits are likely to be a minimum of ten years old. The Hine Antique Tres Vielle Fine Champagne ($177) is one of my favourite, for it illustrates to a tee what a good cognac base can do if left in the casks for even more time. The colour deepens, the palate softens and the flavours become more complex and voluminous. Nowhere are these effects seen to greater degree than in the remarkable Remy Martin range from XO ($199) to the Extra ($345) and upwards to the incredible Louis XIII ($1400), whose age is a minimum of 50 years. Other favourites of mine are the robust Hennessey XO ($210), the ethereal Courvoisier XO ($245), the lighter Delamain XO ($125) and the redoutable Hennesey Paradis ($395). Delamain offers a boxed set of 200 ml bottles of 1960, 1963 and 1968 Grande Champagne Cognac for $309, while full bottles of the 1963 are a competitive $349. But some of the best value in top cognac is found under the boutique Paul Giraud label, whose Grande Champagne Napoleon is much older than most others at $163. Armagnac, which in me generates equal amounts of temptation and nervousness, makes a distinctive point of difference from cognac, making up in flavour and character what it might lack in finesse. Janneau’s Tradition Grand Armagnac is around $80, while you can latch onto its Extra Grand Armagnac, which is older than XO and presented in a superb pyramid decanter, for $219. The rather garish Gold Eagle spirit requires $450. Another great armagnac is Comte de Lamaestre Bas Armagnac 1979, priced around $145, while Cles des Ducs Napoleon is $120. Patriotic Australians might consider these fine local brandies: Hardy’s Extra Old Brandy ($120), McWilliams Show Reserve 5-Star ($110), St Agnes XO ($50). A final suggestion concerns the white spirits of vodka and grappa. The top-drawer Polish vodkas of Polmos Chopin and Belvedere are both imaginatively packaged and brilliant to drink. Chopin is an intense, tangy spirit with spicy, anise-like flavours and an excellent grainy palate, while Belvedere is a smoky and mealy, with a drying, savoury sack-cloth taste and long, tangy finish. And, provided somebody in the house has an espresso machine and knows how to use it, or else has learned to improvise with the Bodum, you’re simply going to need a refreshing grappa before turning in come Christmas night. Castelgiocondo’s Grappa ($100) is made from Tuscan sangiovese and has a woody, mushroomy taste. From Friuli, Nonino Ue makes two grappas, one typically perfumed and spicy from moscato ($75, 500 ml) and another more chocolatey from Verduzzo ($70, 500 ml). Questa e Vera’s colourfully wrapped range also includes a grapey, perfumed grappa from moscato ($70) and a nutty, minerally grappa from both moscato and cartizze ($70). These are each very serious, very classy spirits which might yet prove to be the singlemost important ingredient to a highly pleasurable, if not readily memorable Christmas in 1999. Happy uncorking.
