Nose: Mild sherry, rich full malty notes, a little dark fruit - it's a surprisingly subtle and mature nose for a NAS blend and there is no overt ethanol. Over time there is even the faintest possible hint of smoke detected, but it's the sooty sort of smoke and nothing like Islay peatiness. Palate: Sweet and mildly fruity, with demerara sugar and sherry. The development shows some delicious, almost chewy maltiness with a lot of caramel and brown sugar and the spirit expands to fill the mouth in a pleasant manner. The texture is OK, maybe a little watery, but there are no unpleasant notes. Finish: Medium/short. The central sherried malt character fades into a dark sugar aftertaste. This whisky surprised me. I was not expecting anything of note, in fact I was prepared for the worst as I had assumed it was just a domestic bottom-shelf blend. However it exceeded those expectations and turns out to be very palatable and enjoyable, if a little too much on the sweet side. It's clean and full-bodied and whilst not remarkable is what I'd call a "perfectly decent blend". It has an old-school balance and is akin to Haig Gold Label or a lesser Old Parr in profile (very much your grandpa's blended whisky). It's very palatable taken neat, fares reasonably well as a mixer but to truly enjoy this it needs to be tasted as a generous pour over ice with a splash of soda water or ginger ale. It then instantly transports you to a moderately good restaurant or club in the 1980s. It doesn't go so well with cola as the caramel notes become cloyingly sweet. The alleged foundation malt is Cragganmore, and the flavour profile certainly bears that out, but the most noteworthy features are that the blenders were not stingy with the malt, and the grain component is of good quality. This blend was apparently once big news in the UK but while it has disappeared from that market it retains a faithful following in Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and some of the Caribbean Islands. At the asking price it represents fair value and I'd rank it as one of the better lower-priced blended scotches. Oh, and the label is gorgeously old-fashioned and naff :-) "Average" : 75/100 (2.5 stars)