Taster

Nose: Ginger cake and dried fruits meet fresher flavours of mango and redcurrant coulis, laced with leather and hot cross buns.

Palate: Fun at first – cooked red fruits drizzled with salted caramel sauce and nutmeg. Turns bittersweet, as if the caramel sauce has burnt. Leather and cigar-box spices take the stage.

Finish: Toasted walnuts, nutmeg and barley.

Comment: Chef got carried away in the kitchen and walked off leaving a right mess after that caramel mishap.

Score: 7.8

Taster

Nose: Raisins and prunes, with thick sherried notes. A bit of orange beneath, with traces of sauternes wine and Madeira. A slight mustiness. Heather honey. Dreamy!

Palate: Gloriously silky delivery of raisins, figs, plum sauce, and tiramisu. Feints with buttermilk and yeast. Assam tea manifests, then redcurrants and lighter apricots.

Finish: Medium length, with tart cranberries, coffee, dried apricots and echoes of the yeast.

Comment: A wonderful whisky, classically styled – the sort of thing one needs in the cabinet.

Score: 8.7