Tastes

One of the best. Enjoyable slight peat, oily and tangy. Always buy this if it's available.

Nose: Fruity and light Taste: Mild spice with some pleasant fruitiness, middle of the road oiliness. Lingering oak mouth feel. A decent choice if you're trying to avoid smokey or peaty whiskies.

In my opinion the Highland 12 is a lovely mellow balanced whisky. Because the peat on Orkney is non-woody, the peat in HP12 is not exacerbated by the woodiness of the smoke. More relaxed flavours are given room to express, like grassy heather and subtle honey. It's a great whisky with a good all-rounder balance.

Colour: light caramel Nose: Pleasantly Fruity with a light smokiness Taste: Mild chocolatey oakiness to start which gives way to a very fruity mixture of pineapples and coconuts. Seems to me like a cheaper, less well developed but comparable version of the Balvenie Rum Cask.

Colour: Pale Straw Nose: White wine, citrus, a little smoke Taste: surprisingly smokey with quite a long fruity finish A youthful expression. Interested to see what else these guys are developing.

Colour: Caramel Nose: Smokey, salty, caramel Taste: Deep smokey oak, with a lovely rolling caramel warmth. Big fan of this traditional whisky, simple yet expressive.

Colour: Straw Nose: Light Oak, Mild spice Taste: Watered down Oak, little peat, little vanilla. A very thin Whisky with little bite.