2nd tasting of this 2 years on - wanted to see where Ballantines ranks in 2022 and if anything's changed with the fresh, post-pandemic batches: Nose - still astringent and young as I'd expect for a £15 blend Palate: smooth milk chocolate, apples, salted caramel, gentle peat smoke Finish: gentle peat smoke This batch seems smoother, slightly less harsh on the smoke note and for a £15 bottle, has an exceptionally well balanced blend, with a much more interesting palate than it's price competitors and even plenty mid range single malts I've tasted. For this reason I'm going to bump up my previous rating of 3.75 to a 4. If your looking for a bargain blend that delivers the absolute max for it's young age, this is the one!