Appearances can be deceptive, as this pallid specimen proves. Overripe honeydew melons, lemon cheesecake sprinkled with zest, vanilla pear muffins, cooked apple, spring blossoms, and icing sugar. The sweet, sugary opener is burnt out enjoyably by blistering burnt orange, butterscotch, and lemon bonbons. While the flavor intensity builds commendably, it doesn’t escape without a touch of astringency. Water makes this sing ‘Oranges and Lemons,’ but go easy with it. The finish is like a greedy mouthful of tarte au citron. £80

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2014)

The now-annual unpeated release shows its high strength on the nose, but under the burn is a clean, mineral, and slightly lean Caol Ila with just a tiny whiff of smoke. A mix of grassiness/herbal notes, with delicate white fruits that plump out into tinned fruit salad, gooseberry, and fresh pineapple. The palate is sweet and cake-like, while the heat enhances its salty tang. Delightful, sweet, and long. (10,668 bottles)

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Winter 2014)

Cask # 1013 from Edradour was filled on March 5^th, 2002 and bottled on February 26^th, 2014 at 11 years of age. It has not been chill filtered and is offered at natural color. The nose yields sultanas, cloves, and sherry, plus an earthy aroma and a hint of machine oil. The palate is silky, with sweet sherry, digestive biscuits, soft spices, dates, and figs. The finish is medium and fruity, with dark chocolate-covered candy. £42

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Winter 2014)

Pale straw in color, and while it is clean and fresh, it’s also very delicate, with elderflower blossom, dusty florals, and a freshly-starched linen note. All rather discreet, shy even, but effort reveals a subtly lovely dram. Water adds a perfumed, green note. As the nose suggests, it’s not an immediate thruster of a malt, with some light jasmine tea and a little fleshy fruit on the end. Tread cautiously, lest you scare it.

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Winter 2014)

Full sherry and old leather on the nose. Dried fruits, and finally a hint of meat extract. Rich, sweet, and sherried on the palate, with nutty spices. Medium to long in the spicy finish, with black currant and raisin notes.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Winter 2014)

Initially drier on the nose than the Fino expression, then caramel appears, along with milk chocolate and vanilla. More pronounced leathery notes than the Fino; fuller bodied and fruitier on the palate, with the fruit developing a salty tang. Lingering salty fruit and spices in the finish, with final dark chocolate.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Winter 2014)

Mashy peat notes on the early nose, then sherry, vanilla, and white pepper. Mouth-coating, with new leather and sweet spices on the palate. Gentle smokiness and black coffee gradually come to the fore. The finish is medium in length, with sweet, nutty peat which gradually dries.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Winter 2014)

Light amber with that touch of acetone, along with marzipan, green apple, fruit blossom, and a runny caramel toffee/crème brûlée which adds width, while toasty oak and ginger biscuit give structure and spice. Again, a lovely, almost oily feel — it’s Dewar’s equivalent of Linkwood — balancing fragrance with surprising depth in the mouth. Water brings the oak into play and tightens the palate. (Travel Retail only) £125

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Winter 2014)

Mackmyra has used 30-liter casks held underground in the Bodås mine, the archipelago repository on Fjäderholmarna, and the forest repository in the Whisky Village in Gävle. Bruised banana, ground almond, Horlicks, spearmint, and budding foliage characterize the nose. The fruity whirlpool of flavor includes apple, watermelon, and poached pears, a second wave of dried fruits and fudge, all anchored by a clean edge of Kendal mint cake. Bubblegum on dilution. A final rush of coffee/cocoa before a sweet, juicy finish. €130

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Winter 2014)

The latest batch of single cask releases from Wemyss Malts includes this 22 year old expression of Glen Scotia, matured in a bourbon barrel that provided 304 bottles. The nose offers soft spices, orchard fruits, and a faint hint of ozone. Richly fruity on the palate, with mandarin oranges, vanilla, and a sprinkling of sea salt. The finish is gingery and warming, with light smoke, aniseed, and plain chocolate at the close. £100

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Winter 2014)

This cask strength whisky is malty in the nose, along with peach, nectarine, and subtle oak. The entry is all malt, the kind of flavor that evokes "malt reverence." In the mid-palate it’s cereal grains spiced with allspice and black pepper. The finish is long and slightly salty, with a fair amount of heat from the alcohol, and a touch of oak. If you love the singular flavor of malt, this one may be for you. (U.S. only)

Reviewed by: Geoffrey Kleinman (Winter 2014)

This expression of Aberfeldy fits between the core 12 and 21 year old bottlings, but is exclusively available in Travel Retail outlets. The nose opens with a slightly savory note, rich and spicy, with sherry, Jaffa oranges, and sweet oak. The palate is smooth and rounded, with malt, nutty spice, honey, and milky coffee. The finish is lengthy, with Seville oranges, plain chocolate, dark sherry notes, and licorice. (Travel Retail only) Price is per liter.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Winter 2014)

Mature on the nose, mixing the tropical fruits of age with blanched almond. As it opens, you encounter Moscato grapes dusted with white pepper. Grows in sweetness. The palate continues this theme with the fruits (blueberry, raspberry, and pomegranate) typical of the distillery character, given a waxy coating by age. Unctuous and good. Water rather pulls the flesh from the bones, revealing its age, so leave well enough alone. (3,756 bottles)

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Winter 2014)

This single sherry cask bottling from Arran was distilled on February 17^th, 1997, being bottled on February 5^th, 2014. The nose opens with a hint of malt vinegar, followed by sherry and sultanas. More floral with time. Full-bodied, with spicy sherry, figs, and raisins. Long and spicy in the finish, with fruity sherry to the end. (U.S. only)

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Winter 2014)

Razor-sharp aromas of clove, seasoned wood, and dried grass push firmly out of the glass. Hard-edged grain and spice continue on the palate, but without the harshness you might expect from young whiskey with such a bold nose. It softens toward the finish and becomes sweeter, with a hint of buttery fudge, then develops an oaky dryness at the end. Impressive young whiskey.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2014)

Bold, with a slightly blunt entrance. The cask influence is to the fore, mixing rum and raisin with a slight yeasty/dough-like edge that sits alongside caramelized fruits. In time, there’s sweet draff, malt loaf (with butter), and the smell of old cupboards. It gets creamier with water. Medium-bodied with a light savory note in the middle that then drifts toward Brazil nut, and Assam tea. A solid performer. Bristol Milk sherry rather than old oloroso. £55

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Winter 2014)

Just 450 cases of this veteran expression from Old Pulteney have been released, offered in non-chill filtered format after maturation in a mixture of bourbon casks and Spanish oak sherry casks. Light fruit notes on the nose, notably tangerines, plus vanilla, lemon, and sea salt. Orchard fruits, spicy sherry, worn leather, and cocoa powder on the silky palate. Spicy and drying in the finish, with mild oak tannins.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Winter 2014)

Warm, delicate vapors curl from the glass: dry grain, sweet orange peel, honey candy, but all of it ethereally light. Quick in the mouth, makes other whiskeys seem heavy with wood. Sweet grain is the base of the structure, with a skin of soft citrus candy and custard notes. Wood is mostly present as a lightweight frame, almost like a zeppelin framework containing delicate volumes of flavor. This is craft, charting a new course.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2014)