Pale straw. This is a classic young Caol Ila, all elbows and knees. There is sweetness, but it’s counteracted by this briny edge and an aroma like firelighters in among smoldering peat. Shut your eyes and it could be mezcal. The smoke envelops the palate while you pick out edible seaweed and smoked oyster on the tongue. Very bright and would make a good aperitif/highball. £50

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Summer 2015)

Huge marzipan/almond notes greet you on the first sniff. This then moves into an aroma like crepe bandage and even a hint of ointment, then lychee and some maltiness. The palate is surprisingly feisty, with a little orange. Water brings out mash tun aromas and a pleasing whiff of sheep pens. When diluted, the palate is very pretty, with the almond returning. Easy drinking. £80

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Fall 2015)

Sweet top notes of brioche loaf with baking spices, but there are savory flavors of pastrami bark lurking deep in the glass. Flavors of golden syrup and butterscotch unfurl beautifully from within the thick texture at cask strength. Roasted spices explode, but as it dilutes, stewed fruits and sucked boiled candy notes are found. Water emphasizes confectionary elements and purple fruits, but kills the spices stone dead. Dry, spicy heat on the finish. (490 bottles) £85

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Fall 2016)

The first thing to note is the strength. It’s surprisingly not that hot initially, rather there are hints of soft orchard fruits, gentle smoke, and seashells. With water, the fruits show up—mango and peach—but the alcohol is still masking things. Water goes in immediately to produce a palate that is cool, slightly sweet, with seashore notes, wet stones, and those fruits, but there’s still a real tension to the whole experience. For the brave. £110

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Spring 2015)

This 17 year old refill hogshead-matured expression of Dalmore was distilled in May 1997, and 237 bottles have been released. It is an interesting example of Dalmore uncut, without the proprietary sherry maturation-spin usually put on it. The nose is sweet, with caramel, tinned peaches and pineapple, and a smearing of honey. Zesty spices open the palate, which becomes nutty, with Jaffa oranges, gingery oak, and dark chocolate. Long and warming in the finish, with more oak and plain chocolate. £78

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Spring 2015)

Pale straw. Light but intense, with some pollen, dusty fruits, baked apple. Water brings out an aroma like a fruit orchard in springtime. Performs much better in the mouth, and although hot, shows good distillery character with some cooked peach, quince jam, and yellow plums. A decent lunchtime dram. £50

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Summer 2015)

This 10 year old peated expression from Tobermory distillery on Mull was matured in a single refill hogshead and bottled in January 2016. Medicine chests, sweet smoke, ginger, and apple on the nose, with damp earth. The palate provides a big hit of peaty spice, seaweed, black pepper, ginger, and dark berries. Becoming slightly bitter in the drying, ashy, medium-length finish. (349 bottles) £48

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Summer 2016)

Light gold. A little shy initially, but Glenallachie isn’t noted for its effusiveness. It has a clean and slightly nutty aroma, with light honey alongside grilled hazelnut. The palate is fairly crisp and slightly bunched up to start, until this nutty sweetness expands in the center. Ever so slightly oily. Water flattens the aromatics a bit, but allows the flavors to spread gently. All in all, a decent example of an uncommonly seen single malt. £85

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Spring 2015)

An 11 year old Fettercairn from Douglas Laing, this is an undemanding but pleasing Highland dram. It comes from a distillery which tends to polarize opinion among drinkers. The nose is light and crisp, slightly floral, with pear juice and a hint of honey. Sweet and spicy on the palate, with hazelnuts and drinking chocolate. Powdery in the finish, with tangerines and a suggestion of Parma violets. £37

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Spring 2015)

Full gold. A solid middle-weight Macallan with some putty/Play-Doh, and even after this length of time, a certain youthful airiness. This slightly lean aspect gives way to an almost suety richness. When neat, the palate is a little jumbled: caramelized cask-derived notes, cereal, oiled jackets. Water improves things, releasing an aroma akin to Chenin Blanc, then cooked pear and a big hit of sugared almonds on the back palate. £69

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Summer 2015)

This single cask (#10328) bottling was distilled in the summer of 2006 and matured in a refill hogshead. The nose is initially slightly mashy, with savory notes, becoming more floral, with caramel. Bold and spicy on the palate, with roasted meat and underlying citrus fruit and herbal notes. Mildly metallic dark chocolate in the medium-length finish.  £42

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Winter 2014)

A broad and humid aroma, like walking through hot bracken in the summer. Quite substantial, with lemon, pecan, and, in time, chestnut. It’s this last aroma that carries through most strongly onto the tongue. There’s light grip, and even at 46% some level of heat. Water reveals oak and pencil shavings/cedar, while the grip has now loosened. Out comes a more crisp attack and hints of delicate top notes. The finish is pretty dry. £56

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Fall 2015)

Douglas Laing follows up its award winning, Islay-soaked Big Peat with this, a sherried Speyside whisky. Just as Big Peat looks like Captain Haddock from Tintin, Scallywag on the label is a dead ringer for Snowy, though the official story is different. Anyway, this whisky isn't a patch on the Islay monster. Rootsy green salad malt is only partially rescued by the trademark Christmas cake and stewed fruits. Likeable, but not a classic. £45

Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow (Spring 2014)

Pale straw. An upfront and quite aromatic nose with hints of a florist’s shop—stems and blooms—with an underpinning of malt. A little gawky perhaps, which water accentuates. The palate, when neat, is clean and mixes those flowers and some stewed apple. There’s a little green chili heat (even when diluted). A punchy little number. £36

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Summer 2015)

Bowmore in unusually oily guise here, with linseed oil, hot seashells, background water mint, completely integrated smoke, and a cooling note that brings to mind a lido (without any chlorine, I hasten to add). The palate has a limey lift which flows into a quite thick, creamy/oaty mid-palate, with the smoke bedding itself on the tongue. Smoky and mineralic on the finish. Water makes it even more gentle. A light expression for the early morning. £98

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Fall 2015)

A single cask (#10699) bottling of Talisker, distilled in the winter of 2008 and matured in a refill hogshead before bottling in May 2015. Initially, a slight hint of new make, soon displaced by digestive biscuits, brine, and black pepper. Sweet oak, earthy peat, and orchard fruits on the palate. The finish is medium in length, with black coffee, licorice, and long-lasting spices.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2015)

Douglas Laing has added a no age statement bottling of Talisker to its Provenance range, tagging it as “Young and Feisty.” It comprises whisky from casks #10227 and 10229. Lively and up front, with bubblegum, wood smoke, and black pepper on the nose. Developing ozone. Zesty soft fruits, emerging dark peat notes, and more pepper on the palate. The finish is quite short, nutty, and slightly metallic. Young and feisty indeed! £65

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Fall 2014)

Light gold. Fresh and clean, with light draff notes. Cool porcelain, lemon, cereal husk. It becomes more expressive on the tongue, though it remains subtle. A bit of a stealth bomb because the palate shows plenty of spice, cinnamon toast, and baklava. The finish reveals some green notes. When you add water, it becomes incredibly minty. Fragile, but if you fancy a Bunna' julep, then look no further. £69

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Spring 2015)