Taster

Nose: Incense, beeswax, cedar, roasted coffee, ripe fruits (kumquats cherries, plums).

Palate: Dense. Slippery. Toasty malt. Coffee, with figs and chicory.

Finish: Black treacle toffee. Perhaps even maple syrup.

Comment: A breakfast malt? Splendidly complex, with Japanese oak adding that extra touch of distinctiveness.

Score: 8.8

Taster

Nose: Complex, head-filling aromas. Perfumed, intense. Walking in a damp pine forest (needles, sap, spruce) pear, spice, malt, toasted nuts, light oak, crystallised ginger, sandalwood, deck varnish.

Palate: Crisp, clean and malty. Mature with balanced oak. Some light smoke in the background. All the flavours on the nose.

Finish: Long and complex.

Comment: A tremendous malt. World class.

Score: 8.8