Taster

Nose: Relatively chilled, with Christmas pudding notes, maple syrup and some orange zest.

Palate: All gets a little smokier here, like your clothes after a bonfire, with malted milk biscuits, banoffee pie and some sage peeking through the ginger spice.

Finish: Dried dark fruit appears with some more of that orange peel lingering.

Comment: It’s a good winter warmer that’s helping me cling onto Christmas.

Score: 8.2

Taster

Nose: Beef roasted with pears and red wine. Bay leaf, pipe tobacco and delicate curry powder. Cracked black pepper, cocoa and black treacle. Subtle dried rose and coal smoke.

Palate: Medium bodied. Concentrated bramble and oak leaf wine, walnut liqueur and apples slow cooked in savoury beef gravy. Burned beef fat in Moroccan spices. Caramel sweetness and subtle cumin.

Finish: Medium length. A delicious winter stew.

Comment: A wonderfully complex and mature blend.

Score: 8.5