Peach, blueberry, candied raspberry, and lime lead the way, with marzipan and a background of peppery spice aromas set artfully against soft, subtle wood. A mouth-filling palate offers lemon and raspberry, along with ginger, cinnamon, chocolate, and honey. Water coaxes tropical notes of melon and pineapple. The finish is peppery, with caramel and chocolate flowing over pleasant oak overtones. A rye that strikes an excellent balance between fruit, sweetness, and spice.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Winter 2018)

This is rich in cask characters, with baked orange, pronounced nutmeg notes, mace, peppercorn, and petrichor. The opening flavors of dark orange and syrupy caramel swerve headlong into pepper, root ginger, allspice, and nippy clove. Despite appearances, this is not awash with sherry-dominated fruitiness, but the finish is long, with spice-led dried fruits. £32

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2018)

The oldest bottling in the range, this was aged in a combination of Pedro Ximénez, oloroso, and American oak casks. Farmyard aromas, with oak and dark chocolate. Very smooth and supple on the palate, with orange marmalade, raisins, and old oak. The finish is quite short, with dried fruit and milky coffee. (160 bottles for U.S.)

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Winter 2018)

Black pepper and toasted oak on the nose mingle with deeper aromas of blackcurrant and strawberry preserves. The palate is smooth, showing flavors of vanilla bean, coconut, peppermint, and cinnamon. Dark chocolate emerges on the back palate, along with pepper and tobacco leaf. The finish is long, revealing maple syrup, caramel, and brown sugar. Five years of aging have created a solid, well-constructed bourbon that has impressive depth and complexity.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Winter 2018)

Quite confectionery and billowing with fruity candies—banana taffy, bubble gum, Pixy Stix, red cinnamon gumdrops, and Swedish Fish. The palate offers black cherry soda, more banana, and a bit of grapefruit. Very fruity, with just enough oak to deliver a drying finish. Fans of Jack will be like kids in the candy store, with the added proof and intensity. (Travel Retail exclusive)

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Winter 2018)

Chillingly good bottle for winter, this Game of Thrones tie-in sees a rakish striding man donning body armor, gripping an ice blade, and nodding a frosty greeting through glowing blue eyes. Room temperature aromas speak of toffee, lime zest, menthol, waxy foliage, and pronounced grain notes. Straight from the freezer, there are cornflakes, beeswax, caramel, vanilla, sharp citrus, sugared apple, and a hint of nutmeg. Deliciously tasty dram for your night’s watch. Best Value

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2018)

A well-developed nose of rich toffee, blackcurrant, red apple, and beeswax, which incorporates a mild layer of spice. Mandarin orange shines through, quite a fleshy texture overall, with chocolate buttons, and pepper and clove stepping in from the wings; the clove and a bitter note eventually taking center stage. The flavor development, complexity, and spices are laudable, and the texture and weight are distinctively different.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2018)

Enjoy fresh aromas in multiple ways, like fruit (melon, pear, blueberry) and a sea breeze (oyster shell, salty). Full flavors of tangerine, Bosc pear, salted pistachio, white pepper, dried ginger, and mint are diminished only by the light body. The finish is particularly satisfying, but a little more heft would make it shine. (Total Wine & More)

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Winter 2018)

Triple distilled classic containing a blend of pot still, malt, and grain whiskeys, this layers aromas of spice over toffee, creamy banana, light vanilla, sharp green apple, and zested limes. Aromatic spices quickly beat the established flavors of green fruits, followed by vanilla fudge, malty notes, peppercorn, and even a little oak char. This moreish, well-structured whiskey retains its creamy mouthfeel throughout the active, spicy finish. Best Value

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2018)

Aged in American oak, Pedro Ximénez, and oloroso casks. The nose is nutty, with treacle, and developing geranium aromas. Prunes and dates, plus almonds on the buttery palate. Drying in the finish, with nutmeg and wood spice. (1,200 bottles for U.S.)

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Winter 2018)

Dessert is served. Blueberries and raspberries baked into a sweet pie crust, with pistachio, spiced almonds, and marzipan on the nose. The palate has gentle spice and a heft of deeper flavors—caramel, semi-sweet chocolate, candied berries and almonds, and orange gummy wedges—balanced by vanilla and coconut. Though light, it finishes with a satisfying richness of berry candy and polished oak. (Total Wine & More)

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Winter 2018)

Sliced apple, fig rolls, hot chocolate powder, baked orange, seasoned oak, and a wisp of light smoke like a red glow from burning newspaper. It has a contented, unperturbed, insouciant character. Cinnamon toffee yields to sweeter notes, with vanilla, dried fruits, and baked peach, and then goes long on nutmeg under drifting smoke. The woodiest of Walkers, this concludes with cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, and a catch of smoke. (Travel Retail exclusive)

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2018)

This was aged in refill American oak barrels and bodega European oak butts followed by what Diageo describes as a “unique maturation and marrying process, involving five cask types.” The nose is soft and sweet, presenting malt, ginger, milk chocolate, and vanilla. Orchard fruits surface in time. Supple in the mouth, with toffee, ripe peaches, gingerbread, and old leather. Dark berries, char, and black pepper in the finish. £100

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Winter 2018)

This nose is all dry, earthy oak, tightly wrapped in rawhide, but underneath lurks plenty of sweetness, like overripe bananas, with the slight bitterness of citrus oils or orange pekoe tea adding balance. Pleasing coffee and mocha flavors also emerge on the palate, but the oak feels poorly integrated, with a green-stick quality. Finished for 4 months in a custom grooved barrel. (42,000 bottles)

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Winter 2018)

‘Cairdeas’ is Gaelic for ‘friendship.’ This bottling was aged in first-fill bourbon casks before a finishing period in fino sherry casks. The nose offers lemon cheesecake smoked in peat, with brine, almonds, and oysters. Full and rounded on the palate, with stewed fruits, ashy peat, antiseptic, and more brine. The lengthy finish features licorice, tar, rock salt, phenols, and citrus fruits.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Winter 2018)

A classic rye nose, with aromas of pancakes, butterscotch, vanilla, and baking spices. The palate balances sweetness and spices—a bit tannic from the extra maturation in toasted oak, but well-rounded with flavors of cherries, chocolate, and spice, leading into a gentle, satisfying finish.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Winter 2018)

An array of tropical fruit aromas—guava, papaya, green banana—mingle with incense, fresh herbs, and homemade cranberry sauce. The palate is light, silky, and flavorful: strawberry, pineapple, grapefruit soda, and milk chocolate, with a brief cigar-wrapper finish. A higher proof would go a long way to turn this whisky from merely pleasant to excellent. (Total Wine & More)

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Winter 2018)

Fresh wood, pine forest, and grassy meadow greet you on the nose—followed by lemon, coriander, and some warmer notes of ginger and shortbread. The palate is sweet, with chocolate, caramel, hints of almond, licorice, cinnamon, and clove, balanced against notes of anise, pine nuts, dill, and black pepper. The finish is punctuated by polished oak and spiced chocolate. This craft expression is youthful, but is also dynamic and complex.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Winter 2018)