Nose: An initial gust of ethanol dissipates quickly, uncovering a mixture of sugary notes - brown sugar, barley sugar, maple syrup, toffee, etc. These are supported by some light sherry and fruit aromas. Palate: A sweet, warm and easy arrival with light fruit, sherry and sugar flavours. Lots of barley sugar and dilute malt syrup with just a hint of warm ginger spice and a little citrus. The texture is a bit watery, but that's actually not a bad thing as it balances the overall sweetness. Finish: Short. Crisp and gristy sugars fade away leaving a dilute syrup aftertaste. "Impeccably innocuous" is probably the best way to describe this very old-fashioned style of blended whisky, although if you were being mean you could also describe it as "blandly inoffensive". At first glance it might be tempting to dismiss this as purely a novelty, given the golf ball design of the bottle and all, but that would be a little harsh (but not totally inaccurate either). It's smooth and sweet and is never going to win any prizes for strength of character, but you can be equally certain that there is not one single off-note of bitterness or sourness about it. It's probably the perfect souvenir from St Andrews for a golfing friend who doesn't normally touch whisky and would be ideal for novices who don't really want to get into spirits. In many ways this is almost identical to Haig Gold Label, and like that blend it's one that would have delighted our grandfathers. Acceptable, verging on average, but not quite getting there. There are many much better blends out there for less money. *NOTE: This is a 500ml bottle, so the price for 700ml would be over AUS$70, which puts this squarely in competition with Compass Box Spice Tree. Laughable. "Adequate" : 73/100 (2.25 stars)