In this write-up, I want to take a moment and summarize my experience through the journey of 24 Scotch Whiskies, courtesy of Drinks By The Dram, which I purchased at the end of last year for about £150. This was my very first “Advent Calendar,” offering behind each numbered door a wax-sealed 30ml bottle of Scotch (single malts and blends). I’ve opened one at a time, in order, and paired it with something similar from my own collection to see if it was something else that I’d be into. There were many successful pairings, but I’ll admit a few have failed, either due to my own pour poor selection or a rushed tasting. Nevertheless, I have discovered many interesting things along the way, so let’s see what they are. But first, we need music! Now playing: CEEYS – The Grunewald Church Session.

There were plenty of new samplings on offer. Many of which I’ve heard of before but never had the time to actually try out. As a result, some are now in my collection: GlenAllachie and Fettercairn are great examples. Or, one may also say, as a result, some will never be again – I didn’t like Ailsa Bay, Crabbie’s Yardhead, or Darkness 8 – and thereby, this really saved me money. A few previously unknown and independent labels have turned up, like the Aerolite Lyndsay, which I can’t wait to try again. A big shout-out goes to That Boutique-y Whisky Company, from whom I have now bought four single malts (and more sample tastings, including their own Advent Calendar!) Other drams I tried a long time ago and was pretty happy to revisit in this context (I’ll even say that for Johnnie Walker’s Black Label).

I tallied up all the “winnings” – see a complete table below and my “Final Thoughts” on each particular pairing – and 9 out of 24 drams beat my own selections. I think that’s pretty good if you consider that the ones that “lost” have also brought some knowledge. Out of all the ones I’ve tried, 16 out of 24 were completely new to me – that’s more than half, and surely worth it. And finally, I’ll say that this indeed was so much fun! I really loved the journey through these drams, and yes, I’ve even bought more “calendars”, including Old & Rare, Premiums and last year’s boxes. I guess I am an avid fan, and you will see more musings on this matter. What’s next? I’ve got a lot more drams to log!

Whisky from the Advent Calendar	Whisky paired against	New dram to me?	Won the Pairing?	Final Thoughts and Comments
Aerolite Lyndsay 10	Glenturret Triple Wood	Yes	Yes	This was my very first pairing, and I screwed it up by having two whiskies from the calendar go against each other.
Glenturret Triple Wood	Aerolite Lyndsay 10	Yes	No	As a result of the above, one stood out more than the other. I’ve ordered another sample of Aerolite Lyndsay to try it again. So overall, a success!
GlenAllachie 12	GlenDronach 21	Yes	No	I didn’t win, but I got curious about the distillery and as a result, bought GlenAllachie 32-year-old PX sherry puncheon.
Glengoyne 10	Glen Garioch Founder’s Reserve	Yes	Yes	Another great find. I didn’t buy anything else from Glengoyne yet, but it is definitely on my radar now.
Balvenie 12 DoubleWood	Balvenie Single Barrel	No	No	I’ve had this bottle many times, but it was nice to try it again since in the last few years I’ve “upgraded” on my Balvenie.
Glenfiddich 15 Solera	Glenfiddich 18 Small Batch	Yes	No	Happy to have tried the Solera, which I wouldn’t have otherwise picked up. This will expand all my Glenfiddich horizons.
Johnnie Walker Black	Johnnie Walker Gold Reserve	No	No	I have completely given up on Johnnie Walker Black, but this tasting made me want to revisit it in the context of other blends.
Ailsa Bay Sweet Smoke 1.2	Compass Box Peat Monster	Yes	No	Not sure I liked this one at all. That being said I’m glad I tried it, as it saved me from purchasing a whole bottle.
Crabbie’s Yardhead	Monkey Shoulder	Yes	No	Same as above. In fact, I was a bit disappointed in the overall presence of this inexpensive dram. Nevertheless, I’m glad I tried it.
Tamdhu 12	Tamdhu 1997	Yes	Yes	A surprising delivery from the distiller’s core range. As a result, I bought a few more Tamdhu bottles (albeit independent ones).
BR Speyside Blended Malt	BR Perspective Series 1	Yes	No	It was fun to try a “cheaper” blended malt from one of my favourite independent bottlers, even if it didn’t make the final cut.
Glenfarclas 105	Mortlach 13	No	Yes	It was exciting to revisit with Glenfarclas once again, and as a result, I have purchased more of their expressions.
GlenDronach 12	Macallan 12 Sherry Oak	Yes	Yes	I’ve had plenty of GlenDronach before, but never the 12-year-old and was impressed how well it stood out.
Ledaig 10	Ardbeg 10	Yes	No	Although this Ledaig didn’t win against the Ardbeg, I have become even more curious about it and ordered more!
Johnnie Walker Green	Grant’s Distillery Edition	Yes	No	Believe it or not, I never had JW Green. And even though it lost, it was indeed an awesome pairing.
Highland Park 12	Caol Ila 12	No	Yes	I’ve had plenty of Highland Park in my life, but never in my collection. As a result, I bought the 18!
Benriach 12	Cragganmore Distiller’s Edition	Yes	Yes	I’ve never had Benriach, so this was another surprise. And although I have not purchased a bottle since, I’ll check out other expressions.
Dalmore 15	Macallan Fine Oak 15	No	No	I’ve never had this “middle” Dalmore. I may buy it, but it has definitely piqued my interest in independent bottlings.
Jura 18	Highland Park 18	No	Yes	Admittedly this was a tie. But I was amazed to find an 18-year-old on this calendar. A treat indeed and so I bought another bottle!
Fettercairn 12	Oban 12	Yes	No	This was a ‘failed’ tasting on my part. But as a result, I have tried more from Fettercairn and now own two [older] bottles.
Bowmore 15	Ardbeg Corryvreckan	No	No	It didn’t really stand up against the Ardbeg, but since then I’ve purchased single barrels from Bowmore and am absolutely in love!
Macallan 12 Double Cask	Macallan Edition No 2	No	Yes	The good ‘ol Macallan still stands out, and this bottle remains very accessible, even as the older expressions skyrocket.
Darkness 8	Glenmorangie Milsean	Yes	No	This felt a little gimmicky and slightly disappointing towards the end of this journey, but I may give it another try.
TBWC Speyside #4 (Batch 1)	BR Undisclosed Speyside	Yes	No	I’m quickly becoming a fan of TBWC, but this mystery single malt didn’t hold up. Nevertheless, I’m happy it appeared!

My top 5 selections from the entire batch of 24 Scotch Whiskies, two of which I’ve never had before.

1. Jura 18
2. Macallan 12 Double Cask
3. Highland Park 12
4. GlenDronach 12
5. Tamdhu 12