Moment is a series of special one-off single malt whisky releases, and allows the distillery to experiment with cask types. Some of the whiskies, such as this one, take the distillery back to an earlier, more intense and difficult era. So here we have mushroomy, earthy whisky with damp autumn leaves, artichoke, tobacco, and salted fish in the mix. It's a full-on savory experience, and not one for the faint-hearted. SEK 1295

Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow (Spring 2012)

Youthful, simple, and uncomplicated. Buttered corn, soft vanilla, honey, and bright fruit, with a kiss of spice. Fairly quick finish.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2012)

London-based specialist The Whisky Exchange won’t reveal where its main Islay brand is distilled, though the smart money is on a distillery not that far away from the ferry terminal that gives it its name. This expression is less phenolic than you might expect; there’s more rapeseed oil than smoke, but it does have a nori wrap shoreline character. The palate is discreet, with pineapple and creaminess leading the way toward a bonfire made of old fishboxes. £60

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Spring 2012)

To a great extent, this is traditional blended Irish whiskey by the numbers. Its problem — through no fault of its own — is that it’s bland compared to the wave of full-flavored whiskeys that have been released of late. The twelve years in cask don't add much to the standard Tullamore Dew beyond a sharp note. The apple and pear flavors are perfectly acceptable, however, and the whiskey's pleasant enough; it's just not very exciting.

Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow (Spring 2012)

White whiskey, amazing legs on the glass. Classic white dog nose: green corn, estery fruits, a bit sharp, but not burny hot. Clean taste of corn spirit, no off flavors, and very well-mannered for 50%, unaged whiskey; I can hold this on my tongue easily, and there are some good bits of sweet candy as it rolls off. Nicely done.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Spring 2012)

The second of the duo — destined for the U.S. and Taiwan — is a relative youngster and has been extracted from a fresh Spanish oak sherry hogshead. The combination of first-fill and smaller cask size is immediately apparent. The color is mocha dark and the nose has a distinctly sulfurous twist, behind which are black cherries dipped in chocolate, tonka bean, and leather. For me, there’s too much cask and not sufficient Rothes complexities, especially on the palate.

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Spring 2012)

Since Diageo has included Knockando in its Special Release program it seemed only right to reacquaint myself with the standard bottling. This is Speyside in its maltiest guise. The nose is reminiscent of breakfast cereal: Weetabix and bran flakes, with a whisper of vanilla. The palate is light and dusty, and you get the impression that the malt just wants to scuttle across the tongue and down the throat as quickly as possible. A shy wee mouse of a dram. £30

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Spring 2012)

The first thing out of the glass is bourbon — 80 proof bottlings will do that — followed by a secondary note of strong-brewed tea with a dollop of honey. It's quite sweet, and hot, and the tea largely disappears except as a frill around the edges. This is more a honey drink than a tea drink, and there are better honey drinks out there.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Spring 2012)

A generally sweet palate (a bit too sweet, actually), with vanilla, sweet corn, caramel, marzipan, candied fruit, and a suggestion of red and black licorice, peppered with cinnamon. Slightly harsh on the finish. I wish there was more to balance all the sweetness. (Perhaps some extra aging for some additional dry oak spiciness?)

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2012)

Mackmyra makes no secret of the fact that it borrowed the idea for this release from its American friends. The name means 'white dog,' but the taste is all Scotland. It's sappy, fresh, raw, and vegetal, with some pleasing menthol notes. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of it is how much like scotch new make it tastes, suggesting that Swedish barrels have a very big say in the final product. SEK 319

Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow (Spring 2012)

What a contrast with the standard bottling. Here we have Knockando in a hugely active cask and, sadly, its fragile character collapses under the assault. The nose is oily and sulphury with notes of sealing wax, Turkish tobacco, and maraschino. The palate is dry and tannic, the opposite of what is needed for a whisky that is nutty and dusty in the first place.

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Spring 2012)

Given the Beam house character of cinnamon, I thought this was redundant till I got a whiff of the sweet cinnamon coming off this, like a tea made from Red Hots candies. The drink itself is thickly sweet, and more of the hot cinnamon candy overwhelms anything else; the bourbon is largely lost here. If anything, the finish is even more heavy-handed.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Spring 2012)

Perhaps my least favorite of all the Experimental Collection releases to date. The nose shows nicely, but it comes across as rather aggressive and harsh on the palate toward the finish, which the label describes as being “earthy.” Otherwise, the whiskey is pleasantly sweet, with molasses, date, and fig, plus charcoal, leather, and bitter resin in the mix. Price is per 375 ml.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2012)

Artificial cherry aroma, like cherry PEZ, and barely a hint of bourbon. The taste is not overpoweringly sweet at all, a surprise, and there's a nutty, almost Luxardo-like character in the cherry that would be more interesting if it weren't for the soapy notes and bitter medicinal flavor of the whiskey. A more natural cherry character would net a higher rating.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Spring 2012)

Clear, slight golden hue; as expected from a 7% straight whiskey/93% grain neutral spirit “spirit whiskey.” Faint nose of sweet caramel corn in a hot bloom of estery alcohol. Thickly sweet in the mouth, with barely a hint of whiskey, like a badly-made cocktail or an ill-conceived flavored vodka. While there are no glaring flaws in the make, this is simply a bad idea. Light whiskey failed once, in the 1970s, and for good reasons. Those reasons haven't changed.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Spring 2012)

Does a nose of bright bubble gum and fresh-cut peppers touched by the fermented heat of Tabasco sound good? It comes bursting out of the glass with this one, busy and hot. The taste hits first with the bubble gum blast, sweet and light, even quickly pleasant until the pepper breaks in, twisting and warping this liqueur with a whirl of sweet, hot, bitter, vegetal flavors that turns to a sticky-sweet heat in the finish. A regrettably bad idea.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Spring 2012)