Taster

Nose: Clean and spicy unreduced with roasted toasty notes, citrus fruit/honey. Water brings out a wet grass, sandalwood edge. Good soft grain. Rich with some complexity.

Palate: Well-weighted in the mouth opening into a silky mix of toffee, runny honey, dry spices and a marshmallow-like-mid-palate.

Finish: Well balanced, with unobtrusive dry wood.

Comment: A cracking juicy dram.

Score: 8

Taster

Nose: Soft, rounded. Dry Oloroso sherry. Juicy oak.

Palate: Syrup maltiness. Flavours develop. Vanilla. Fresh, sweet, lemon. Spiciness. Aniseed. Ginger.

Finish: Incredibly long. Tobacco? Underpinning of peaty dryness.

Comment: A superb job of blending. When I tasted this whisky on its own, I thought it was good, but not especially distinctive. Tasted among its competitors, it was one of the standouts.

Score: 8.5