Tastes

Nose: Oak forward, spicy, citrusy and caramel, slightly sharp Palate: Sweet and spicy with notes of honey, apples, oranges, cinnamon and vanilla, fairly oaky, reminds me a bit of apple pie Finish: Fairly lengthy but not aggressive, baking spices, vanilla and woodiness linger for quite a bit Overall: A fairly beginner friendly bourbon but decent depth to it and very enjoyable, excellent value for money.

Nose: Soft and inoffensive, green apple and melon with a touch of honey sweetness and a hint of smoke Palate: Very light, oranges, lemon, plums, caramel, biscuity malt and grain Finish: Short, some gentle peat smoke appears with a spicy woodiness and citrus Overall: JW 18 is an incredibly easy to drink whisky but it's a bit underwhelming, the flavour that is there is nice but it's too thin and soft, I can appreciate gentle, delicate whiskies but this is a step too far for me; to be honest, it drinks like a £15 budget whisky but with a bit more complexity, Monkey Shoulder is a third of the price and has just as much, if not more body and character than this.

Nose: Fairly light, green apple, oak, malt, vanilla, toffee, grassy and a perfumey floral note Palate: Creamy, malty, oak, citrus, tropical fruits, quite sweet but some spiciness follows Finish: Medium, malty and spicy with some lingering tropical fruit Overall: Deanston 12 is a great whisky that I would happily come back to again and again, sure it doesn't have the most unique flavour profile but they got all the basics right and they've ended up with a very satisfying dram.

Nose: Mild smokiness and peat aroma, fruity, maybe orange peel, then some christmassy spices and woodiness appears the longer you put your nose in. Palate: Peaty, smoky, dried apricots, vanilla and a noticeable but gentle spiciness Finish: Medium, oaky, the smoke and fruitiness lingers and then a herbal note appears right at the end. Overall: Very cohesive and quite accessible for a smoky whisky, it's not the most bold or exciting whisky ever but it's a tasty dram that will always go down nicely, unfortunately as with most Japanese whiskies, outside of Japan it is a little bit expensive for what it is.

Nose: Honey, heather, vanilla and toffee, quite fruity, maybe slightly orangey Taste: Fruity and sweet with spicy woodiness Finish: Long, spice and wood lingers with the sweetness fading slowly Overall: Very enjoyable and perfect for an easy sipper.

Nose: Cigar smoke meets campfire smoke, slightly medicinal, citrusy and perhaps a little vanilla sweetness in the back. Palate: Smoked meats, peppery, peaty, fairly intense but well rounded. Finish: Warm and long lasting smoky finish with hints of sweetness and lingering peat. Overall: Absolutely gorgeous whisky, perfect for a cold autumn/winter night.

Quite thin, mild smokiness, malty and sweet with a slight briny quality, it's palatable and easy to drink but one dimensional and just a little bit dull and boring compared to other islays but to be fair it is very cheap.

Nose: Mild, orange, malty Palate: Sweet and fruity with an ethanol taste Finish: Very short, citrus and a little bit of an astringent and bitter taste Overall: Very one dimensional but the flavour that is there is okay, you can tell it's mostly young grain whisky but it's to be expected at such a low price, definitely not bad but it's boring compared to higher quality whiskies.

Nose: Fairly intense peat smoke, pipe tobacco, toffee sweetness and a touch of a medicinal note Palate: Smoky, woody, citrusy with a hint of a chocolate sweetness and a slight muddy/earthiness Finish: Medium length, residual peat flavour coats your tongue with a peppery and slightly bitter aftertaste Overall: Quite similar to Ardbeg 10 but with more sweetness, an excellent dram but I think I slightly prefer the 10.

Nose: Herbal Rye notes, peppery, honey and cinnamon Palate: Nutty, Cinnamon, Cloves, quite strong and spicy Finish: Medium to Long, lingering spice and a hint of a minty note Overall: Pleasant but not exceptional, good entry point into rye forward bourbons.