Tastes

The nose is full and luxurious. Tobacco and hazelnuts. Creamy vanilla custard. The arrival comes with sweet fruit and brown sugar - oranges, plums and green apples. Strawberry sauce on a soft ice cream cone. There’s an nice earthiness than stays on in the finish, possibly a resukt of a good dunnage warehouse storage. This is a top drawer bottle from Cadeheads. Very drinkable without water despite the high ABV. Highly recommended.

This has a very laid back nose indeed. Adding water doesnt bring it out of its shell. There’s the faintest hint of smoke. The arrival is a cascade of fresh orchard fruit, with vanilla and some dark chocolate in the development. The finish brings lingering banana notes. This isn’t a complex whisky but it’s a great example of that great japanese speciality - the blend. They really do do it better than anyone else. I’m not a big fan of grain whisky but this is a solid (if unspectacular) dram where the malt takes the lead. There’s plenty of better blends out there, but none at this price. Would buy again.

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.