Nose: Leather, lemon, honey, a light waft of wildflowers. Some furtive sherry cask aromas in the background. After resting in the glass I noticed hay, earth, machine oil and a briny maritime quality. Nosing this is like walking through a newly harvested field beside the sea on a sunny day. Palate: Sweet, malty arrival with morello cherries and papaya. A touch of ginger together with grassy herbal notes in the development. A scritch of black pepper and smoked capsicum, and towards the finish the sweet character returns. Whisky with progression – yay! There is a zesty citrus and spice quality and the texture is lightly oily. Finish: Medium. Black tea with a mild spicy sweet citric aftertaste. This one flew right under my radar when it first came out and I've ignored it for a decade, but I’m very happy I finally got around to tasting it, and even happier that it is still available as a core-range product. The nose gains a dusty floral aroma with water but it loses more than it gains. The neat nose on this is lovely so don’t bruise it. Water develops a creaminess on the palate but it also elevates the spice notes above the base malty character, which is a pity. All in all, take this one neat. A word to the wise … are Hazelburn, Kilkerran or Ben Nevis scarce in your neck of the woods? Give this a try. Tasted from a 30ml sample. My glass is empty now and I want another pour – bottle ordered without hesitation. “Very Good” : 87/100 (4.25 stars)