Taster

Nose: Stunningly fresh and clean with gristy, grassy malt, a lovely thread of orange and honey and the very faintest echo of smoke. As mouth-watering as any nose could be.

Palate: Immediately dry with a zesty fruitiness. Deep malty notes do water the mouth but the development seems arrested by a non-specific flat fruitiness.

Finish: Slightly spicy; rather lacking in complexity.

Comment: Gordon and MacPhail has been the purveyor of Scapa's excellent malt far longer than owners Allied, which was slow to wake up to its allure. However, this is not its finest bottling and lacks that lovely cocoa depth of yore.

Score: 7.5

Taster

Nose: Leafy. Slightly sour, herbal note. Peat. Salt.

Palate: Lightly syrupy, nutty, salty.

Finish: Nutty, salty, very long. Appetising.

Comment: A complex, delicate, well-balanced vintage.

Score: 8