Tastes

The nose is restrained and has toasted nuts, oats and cornflakes. The arrival is fruity but the wood spice soon takes over, with sweet honey, vanilla and caramel in the brief finish. A pleasant if unambitious dram, it succeeds in what it sets out to be.

The nose is immediately appealing with honey baked banana with toffee and fudge. Vanilla and custard. There’s a cinnamon and nutmeg arrival with spiciness and grapey cognac undertones. Christmas fruit cake lingers on the finish. I’m mainly a single malt drinker but was surprised by how good this was. It’s elegant but not restrained. Pairs really well with a nice bit of chocolate.

Nose: Hazelnuts, vanilla and a slight fusile background. Arrival: floral honey and ginger giving way to red fruit and a chilli heat and brown sugar. Finish: A medium-long malty finish.

Not much of a nose. A malty sweetness and a slight hint of peat. The arrival has a pleasant creaminess but the accompanying flavours are very muted - sweet ginger, vanilla, coffee. The finish is short. An extremely inoffensive but rather bland blended malt.

A beautiful nose. Chocolate and stewed pears. Vanilla custard. A wisp of smoke. The arrival is slightly delayed, coming with a nicely balanced mix of tart citrus and sweet dark fruit. Theres a lingering woody bitterness in the finish. This is definitely one of the more interesting blends that I’ve tried.

The nose is beautiful. Salted caramel, orange peel, green salad leaves, rhubarb. The arrival is far less pretty, but equally interesting. Sour edges over sweet. Under-ripe green apples. Wood spices and pepper. The finish is long, fruity and dry. This whisky might not be for everyone and is certainly expensive for a 12 year old, but the presentation in this expression is superb and the unique character and complexity make it worth the money.

The nose is nutty and malty. Not complex but certainly pleasant. The arrival has a nice balance between sweetness and saltiness, with toffee and vanilla notes taking centre stage. Black pepper and a strawberry note emerges in the development. Again, nothing too complex presents itself but this is certainly one of the more satisfying blended whiskys that I’ve tried. When first opened the youthfulness is more evident and grain spirit more dominant, but once it has some air in it and settled down there’s plenty to enjoy here.

Interesting nose. Sandalwood. Dry grass and celery. Strangely, I also get a blue cheese note. The palette is restrained, even with a drop of water. It's dry and warm, with grapefruit, a subtle vanilla and a malty funk. The finish is short with a lingering sweetness and a wisp of smoke.

The nose is sun-dried hay. Oats and cereal. Hazelnuts. Sweet bread. Wild flowers and freshly dug turf. The arrival comes with tart pears, caramel, honey and vanilla. Grapes. White pepper. It tastes like a summers day.