distillery

It frightens me to write this post. It really does. How – I wonder – is 2012 almost nearing its end?

The year has gone so quickly and the drams have kept on coming. As such, I thought I’d look back at this year of whisky greatness to choose my favourite drams of the past 12 months.

While most lists put together the top 5 or top 10, I’m going somewhere in between and choosing my top 7 drams.

But the question is, do you agree?

I want to know if you’ve tried these drams (or if you’re keen to) and – if the former – what you thought of them. Did you taste others that beat these ones? Get in touch on Twitter (@themisswhisky), in the Comment section below or on email at info@misswhisky.com – and let me know what drams really rocked your 2012.

Without further adieu, here are my first four favourite drams (in order of when this year I sampled them):

Dram #1. – Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy: 46%:

I managed the chance to try this whiskey twice this year – once at an Irish tasting with The Whisky Exchange back in March, and the second time at a dinner (again with The Whisky Exchange) in September. It really stands out in my mind as a perfect all-rounder and a showcase as to why whisky (or, in this case, whiskey) doesn’t only have to come from Scotland to be dram good.

The first time I sampled it, I said the following:

“This was an exceptionally interesting dram to me, especially because it was near the end of the tasting when I find my nose and tastebuds numbing slightly. Notes of citrus fruit, black pepper, lime, crunchy Granny Smith [...]