The W Club | Whisky wonderland

From one whisky lover to another; members of The W Club give their top tips on how to get into the festive spirit.

Christmas is all about comfort food, earthy spices and pure indulgence. I plan ahead so that I have special treats ready for when unexpected guests come knocking.

I like to make chicken liver parfait sealed with an aspic jelly made from Bruadar Whisky Liqueur and a slice of orange. I also make South African droewors, adding Laphroaig Quarter Cask to the meat for that added touch of smoke. The cloves and nutmeg in the droewors make this a superb snack to enjoy alongside a punchy Highland malt.

— Daniel Durban, The Whisky Shop Piccadilly

Eat this

Being Jewish we don’t celebrate Christmas but that doesn’t stop us being festive and we usually don’t need any excuse to eat or drink!

We have a festival called Chanukah – the ‘festival of lights’ – which normally falls around the same time. It lasts for eight days which gives ample time to get together for parties and family gatherings.

During this festival, it’s traditional to eat fried foods. A nice doughnut usually goes down well with a sherried whisky, or a ‘latke’ – a fried potato cake – pairs perfectly with a peaty dram.

— Jonathan Richman, The Whisky Shop Manchester

I’m a traditionalist and love turkey and its trimmings, but the Brussel sprouts have to be chopped and cooked in bacon, shallots and cream!

— David McCorquodale, The Whisky Shop Edinburgh Victoria Street

Drink this

Every festive season, a group of us usually get together and share something new or interesting – single casks of GlenAllachie are the current favourite or perhaps a new independent bottling. We look forward to being able to get together in person again this year – and we have really missed Phil’s tastings at The Whisky Shop in Manchester!

— Jonathan Richman, The Whisky Shop Manchester

My festive dram of choice is the spicy Glen Scotia Double Cask. Sherry, nutmeg and plenty of dunnage notes; it's Christmas in a glass!

— Daniel Durban, The Whisky Shop Piccadilly

When the weather turns cold, I always go for sherry cask drams such as Glendronach 18 Year Old Allardice or GlenAllachie 15 Year Old. The flavours of Christmas are rich and warming, and these drams certainly deliver.

— Torie Barker, The Whisky Shop Manchester

My favourite Christmas drams are Tobermory 12 Year Old and Deanston 10 Year Old. In fact, the latter just makes me think of Christmas every time I drink it. A glass of Courvoisier – preferably XO, but VSOP is also very good – is the perfect way to round off Christmas lunch.

— Barry Pilling, The Whisky Shop Norwich

Christmas dinner is about having enough room for Christmas pudding and brandy cream. Plus, a Glendronach 15 Year Old or 18 Year Old to finish off the meal. Pure heaven! Santa always has a tipple left for him, and it seems to conveniently coincide with my malt of the moment!

— David McCorquodale, The Whisky Shop Edinburgh Victoria Street

Santa always has a tipple left for him, and it seems to conveniently coincide with my malt of the moment!

Visit this

Lincoln's Christmas Market is definitely worth a visit, taking place this year from 2nd – 5th December. It’s located in Lincoln's Cathedral Quarter, the oldest part of the city, and most of the stalls are in and around the castle and cathedral, which really adds to the atmosphere.

— Barry Pilling, The Whisky Shop Norwich

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a visit to Manchester’s Christmas Market. It really gets me excited about Christmas, walking around, wrapped up warm, eating cheese and drinking mulled wine.

— Torie Barker, The Whisky Shop Manchester

Every festive season I visit Edinburgh's Christmas Market, as well as Kyloe Restaurant and The Chop and Ale House in Linlithgow – they are always decorated beautifully for Christmas. This year, I look forward to visiting the new Johnnie Walker Princes Street.

— Stuart King, The Whisky Shop Edinburgh Waverley

Gift this

I love to share whisky that others might have not tried before, or drams I’ve recently discovered. I put together samples from my own collection, along with other tasty treats.

— Torie Barker, The Whisky Shop Manchester

I deliberately leave out my copy of 101 Whiskies to Drink Before I Die so that my family know which whiskies I haven’t yet tasted!

— David McCorquodale, The Whisky Shop Edinburgh Victoria Street

I usually buy a bottle of Edinburgh Gin for my wife – it’s a fantastic gin!

— Stuart King, The Whisky Shop Edinburgh Waverley