Taster

Nose: Spirit and toffee, this must have water added. When it is, there is even more toffee, big oak notes, spiced almonds, chopped hazelnuts and saffron.\n

Palate: Quite delicate at first, the flavours grow to become a complex tapestry of meaty notes (think roast duck) and sweet fruits (think apricots) with an element of honey too.\n

Finish: A little more spice and fruit, with the honey lingering longest.\n

Comment: An odd, youthful mix which needs a lot more time to settle down and refine.

Score: 7.8

Taster

Nose: Intense, juicy, syrup coated red fruit and primal, earthy peat. Hints of malt, herbs, and treacle with nose tingling alcohol. Water emphasises the earthiness and the peat.

Palate: Sweet, syrup coated red fruit, straw and barley, then treacle, tar, earthy peat and not forgetting the alcohol! Diluted, it’s rounded with citrus and tannins.

Finish: The alcohol flagellates the tongue, but it’s juicy and herbal at the same time with lingering peat and fruit.

Comment: A touch of genius or madness about this whisky. Possibly both!

Score: 9