Tastes

Nose: Sherry forward with an orange zest tang and some dark fruits giving it a nice bit of depth and richness. Taste: Quite complex for a 40% whisky, spicy, dark fruits and a general sweetness, tastes like Christmas Finish: Medium length, oaky and spicy Overall, excellent sherry forward whisky and I happily come back to it fairly often.

Nose: Oak, Vanilla, Cinnamon and fruity undertones, maybe raisins Taste: Quite spicy and aggressive, mostly Oak and Vanilla Finish: Medium, slight oaky bitterness Overall: simple, oaky bourbon but high quality.

Aroma: Lovely, fairly hefty smokiness that resembles campfire smoke with touches of fruit and peat Taste: A bit underwhelming, silky smoky flavour with a bit of sweetness, very little else going on Finish: Fairly short, mostly just lingering wood char flavour Overall: Decent whisky, it's a bit uneventful on the taste but it's pleasant and for the price, it's great.

Monkey Shoulder is a very consistent drinking experience with the nose, taste and finish all being quite similar, notes of orange, vanilla and honey dominate the aroma and taste but there is some baking spices if you search deeper, very nice but not a whole lot of complexity. It's a great whisky for the price but a little bit too one dimensional for me to consider it an exciting dram, good to have in the house for an easy sipper though.

Nose: Chocolatey, briny and a little muddy Taste: Smoky, peaty, a bit fruity and a touch of sweetness Finish: Peppery, smoky and long lasting, stays with you for a while Overall, the Wee Beastie is a nice islay but it didn't impress me as much as some of Ardbeg's other offerings.

Nose: Orange, Vanilla, Grapefruit and a touch of sweetness Taste: Grapefruit, Honey and Ginger/Cinnamon, pretty spicy Finish: Long and delicate, builds upon the citrusy and spicy notes on the nose and palate. Overall, a damn fine whisky that's fairly complex, worth it's price point in my opinion.

Nose: Pleasant but subdued, floral, honey and toffee but I also got a little bit of vanilla. Taste: Quite standard Speyside flavours, honey, sweet and malty but there's really not that much depth. Finish: Short, slightly smoky but mostly malty finish. Overall: Decent Speyside but didn't blow me away, would happily drink a bottle but it is far from the most exciting or unique whisky.