Tastes

That funky, chocolatey Glengoyne nose is here in full effect. More chocolate in the big, sweet arrival which turns spicy with a dry, oaky finish. This is a tasty and approachable but very characterful malt. It’s an unfashionable view but I think I like the 10 year old even more.

Milk chocolate, dried herbs and oats on the nose. A full vanilla fruitcake arrival and a long sweet finish.

What a nose! Custard. Orange peel. Tins of paint. Blackberries. Almonds. Chocolate cake. Sticky toffee pudding. Rubber. A rush of caramel as you taste, and a long steady finish of ginger, orange zest and chilli. This is a serious whisky.

This is a beefy dram that earns its reputation. A really unique nose of party balloons, coal fire and celery. A nicely balanced sweetness on the arrival with an oily mouthfeel and a long earthy finish. This can be hard to find but it’s one to track down. One of the definitive Campbeltown malts.

Dark fruits, cereal and classic single pot still shortbread biscuit on the nose. Rhubarb. An intense spicy arrival. Sweetness and wood trail into a long vanilla and honey finish. Doesn’t carry it’s 46% proof lightly.

A floral nose with a pleasing rubbery funk to it. Sweet cream and white chocolate arrival and a long peppery finish. A full, oily mouthfeel and a hint of coconut. An incredible value whisky which holds its own with bottles twice its price.

Toasted almonds, oranges, mint and a pleasant mustiness on the nose. Vanilla ice cream arrival with a citrus and spicy wood development. A long white chocolate finish with a gentle peat undertone. A creamy, oily mouthfeel. This is a complex, beautifully balanced dram. One of the most exquisitely executed blends I’ve tasted.

Not my favourite Cotswold release, but the quality of their malt spirit still shines through a rather underwhelming cask finish.

This malt bursts with flavour. Coconut, toasted almonds, muscavado sugar, cereals and toffee on the nose. A fresh but oily mouthfeel with a strong, sweet but peppery arrival of vanilla cream and ginger, and a long dry minty finish. There’s a pleasant salty tartness. Despite being an unpeated whisky, I definitely detect a delicate background smoke. This is a truly superb whisky. Springbank have pulled off a magic trick here - a triple distilled single malt that brings the fresh creaminess of a great Irish whisky but sacrifices nothing in terms of complexity.

Treacle, oats and lemon zest on the nose. Sweet ginger, peardrops and vanilla arrival, a short apple pie and black pepper finish.