Taster

Nose: Medicinal and peaty. Fresh asphalt. Creosote. Smoked salmon. Shortbread pastry. Mint chocolates.

Palate: Smooth at start then warming up with a spicy burst of ginger and chilli. Stewed pears. A hint of toffee.

Finish: Minty, quickly fading with a smoky sweetness.

Comment: Far more interesting than the 10 Years Old versions. It has the freshness and vibrancy of a crisp cold and rainy morning.

Score: 8.3

Taster

Nose: A big sooty, briny, phenolic nose. Liquorice, stove blacking, hot roads in the sun. Long and phenolic. Big phenols, but balanced.

Palate: Drives down hard onto the palate. Coal-like slightly salty. Generous and powerful.

Finish: Coal tar.

Comment: You feel this is old fashioned, coal-fired, steam driven kind of whisky and its none the worse for that.

Score: 8.3