Tastes

The nose is a little shy, and while there’s fruit and a wisp of peat smoke it doesn’t give much away, even with a little water. The arrival however is a honeyed fruit-bomb made of waxy apples, pears and peaches. There’s citrus fruit in the mix too. Oak spice and peat emerge in the development. Sweet vanilla and ginger linger in the finish. This is really good example of how to balance fruit and peat. And it’s very, very tasty.

The nose brings a gentle minty peat. Theres some dark fruit and a maltiness that presents as damp, days-old grass cuttings. The arrival is sharp, spicy and dry. The peat starts to assert itself in the development, with wood spice and ginger. The mintiness returns on the finish. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad blended Japanese whisky. Maybe I just need to try more! But this is a solid and affordable blend that can definitely be sipped on its own.

The nose is like an orange, lemons and vanilla cake with hazelnuts sprinkled on top. There’s an old uk brand of sweets called Refeshers, and I get a strong reminder of those. The arrival is big and bold, toffee, spice and sweet fruit. It quickly develops into something tart and smoky - like having a cigarette over a glass of freshly squeezed grapefruit. The mouthfeel is dry and waxy, and the finish is clean and medium length. An under-appreciated gem.

The nose is quite restrained, even with a drop of water. There’s lemon, cucumber and vanilla. There’s a dustiness too, like old wood shavings. The arrival is a lot more boisterous, with apples, toffee, ginger, baking spices and a touch of aniseed. The whisky is mouth-coating and the finish is of a decent length but there’s not much of a development. A solid malt whisky.

The nose is full of tropical fruits and citrus fruit - mango, kiwi and limes. Oranges, honey and a little spice. It really is lovely. The youth of this whisky shows on the arrival, coming in a little hot and lacking a little depth. The development is pleasant though, with the orangey citrus notes continuing to the finish where cocoa and salt appear. With a few more years in the cask this is going to be a really excellent whisky.

The nose is brimstone and flower blossom. Salty sea shells, red wine and onions. The arrival is tart apples and rhubarb, with a long minty development. Strong notes of earthy citrus fruit. The unique thing about Longrow is that there’s a lot of peat here, but it’s somehow always in a supporting role. Springbank continues to produce some of the best malts in Scotland, but it’s the outliers in their range like Hazelburn and Longrow that really stand out. This is a superb whisky that can go toe to toe with the best Islay has to offer.

A delicate and beautifully balanced nose, with smoke, fruit and cream in perfect harmony. There’s no Islay drama here - the peat is in a supporting role to sweet strawberries, apple, pears, honey and ginger. The arrival has more bite, if not quite the same complexity. White pepper and orange. There’s a dryness on the palette that’s a nice contrast to the sweetness of the nose. This is superbly executed peated malt, and a perfect dram for introducing friends into the world of smoky whisky’s.

The first thing you notice is the glorious colour - deep gold and bronze. The nose is all fruit cake and treacle, and is pleasant enough but doesn’t prepare you for the intensity of the arrival - summer fruits, spearmint with a hint of banana and wood spice. Almonds. The finish is long and dry, with dried fruit and a returning and lingering sweetness.

Like all Glen Scotias this has a nose to die for. Cinnamon, nutmeg, Cigarette ash, wet cut grass. Orange peel, brown sugar. The arrival is thick and oily, and you feel the cask strength in the initial bite. The same baking spices and hint of barrel char arrive and soon develop with notes of juicy red berries. This is a complex and heavy dram, and as good as anything in the Glen Scotia core range.

Yes, there’s a lot of peat smoke on the nose, but it doesn’t overpower the delicate notes of summer hay. Dig deeper and you’ll find bacon, pears, spearmint, sour cream and coriander. The smoke also dominates the arrival but sweet banana and seaweed come through in the development along with dried fruits. The finish is long, like licking a burnt wet pine log. This is an outstanding whisky, a perfect winter dram.