Taster

Nose: Intriguing mix of sweet and dry. Raisin, some carbonised notes. Dried tangerine peel, chocolate, fruit loaf and some earth. Development shows a slight falling off.

Palate: Sweet start, some clove, treacle toffee. Has sufficient weight to cope with the oak. Has some light tannins.

Finish: Fruit peels, bitter chocolate.

Comment: Well balanced, just decays a little over time in the glass.

Score: 7.8

Taster

Nose: Perfumy. Luxury soap. A country house hotel. Polished oak. Beeswax.

Palate: Nutty. Honeyed. Suggests baclava, but not quite so sweet. Belgian wafers, interleaved with chocolate.

Finish: Liqueur-ish. Concentrated. Intense. Serve it with the petit-fours.

Comment: Perhaps too sweet for some malt lovers but packed with flavour. Bland it ain't.

Score: 8.5