Nose: Mild malted cereal with soft orchard and citrus fruits, a smidge of vanilla, honey and a suggestion of cask. There is an overall sweet quality to the nose, like dilute honey, and in general this is very mild and straightforward, but pleasant. It reminds me of smelling a fresh croissant with butter and a smear of honey. Over time as it rests in the glass the honey notes enlarge. Palate: Cereal with a good deal of sweetness – here it reminds me of porridge with white sugar. There are some citrus notes, again a dab of honey and just a pinch of ginger spice but these flavours are subtle. The texture is very pleasant with good weight but I would not go as far as calling it creamy or oily. Silky, maybe? Finish: Short. Un-toasted cereal flavours that fade quickly into a neutral aftertaste with residual sweetness. Aberfeldy 12 is arguably the ultimate easy-drinking scotch single malt, and its character is distinctly noticed in Dewar’s blended scotch, for which Aberfeldy provides most of the foundation. This is an utterly unchallenging and gentle dram, and almost kittenish in its adorable simplicity. However that should not be taken as a criticism. Aberfeldy (and this expression in particular) is hugely popular with good reason. It’s impossible to dislike the spirit or to fault the distillery for presenting such an honest, down-to-earth, approachable refill bourbon matured expression. The price has been rising steadily in our market – not long ago this was only $60 – so it’s not quite the bargain it used to be, and against the competition in the $80-100 niche it is hard to recommend unless you favour gentleness above all else. Then again, that sweet gentle cereal character is compelling and it's certainly worth a try at least once. “Above Average” : 82/100 (3.25 stars)