40% abv Chill filtered Color added Nose: sweet and sour of red and green apple; cream soda; oak cask; caramel; vanilla; hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and toffee; slight alcohol note. Taste: surprisingly complex! Initially watermelon, apple, pear and a hint of pineapple develops into a medium bodied and rounded caramel, barley/grain and toffee, all backed by a very slight astringency of citrus or alcohol. Finish. Short and mouth watering, with vanilla, chocolate, cola, and a hint of pepper. Value: $60-75 USD. Solid price for an 18 year blended scotch. Final thoughts: I don’t mind this pour one bit. For a blend aged 18 years you can do far worse, and in fact this, may be the best blended 18 from a big multinational “for the masses” distillery you can get. It’s relaxed, has some complexities (which are heightened by a few drops of water) and comes at a decent price. Nothing here will blow your mind, but I can see myself having this on hand for those days where I just need a decent scotch and don’t want to think more about it, or as a pour for mildly discerning guests. As an aside, this could actually be a stellar blend at 46% or, hell, even maybe 43%, but dream on, right? ;) Score: 3/5 Recommend trying out buying a bottle at a good price.