Nose: Pungently malty and aromatically oaky. Fine old leather bookbinding, oatmeal cookies fresh from the oven, orange oil, toffee and nuts. As it opens the nose becomes richer but also spicier, so it all stays very well balanced. With water some light honey and floral tones appear. Palate: A sweet cereal/malt arrival with some peppery spices and dark chocolate. Becoming even maltier in the development with raisins, dates, figs, treacle and a little vanilla appearing. The texture is oily, hearty and mouth-coating with lots of subtle oaky spice notes. Finish: Medium/long. Warming and sweetly cereal, subtle and chewy. A classic dry Speyside sherry nose - not an obvious big fruity sherry-bomb, but one where the tannins speak loud so the sherry asserts an oaky influence but does not impede the core malty cereal character. Mmm - I love this sort of profile. The palate is rich and dry at heart but with an enfolding cloak of semi-sweet, leathery sherry. A dash of water (not too much!) softens the palate wonderfully, adding just a touch of sweetness to balance the inherently dry character, however it does not change the profile much at all - the only downside is a hint of bitterness that creeps into the late palate. What a nice dram - really good, in fact. It's a characterful, textbook old-school malt and although the distillery is in the northern Speyside area this whisky reminds me of some iconic west-coast whiskies (Ben Nevis, Oban - even Hazelburn). Like others in the Distillery Labels series this is one of Gordon & MacPhail's contract bottlings. It is released frequently and is quite consistent in character. Highly recommended - I tasted this from a 30ml sampler and have just ordered a bottle. NOTE: The old green container version has been phased out but despite rumours this whisky has not been discontinued - just repackaged. "Very Good" : 87/100 (4.25 stars)