All Reviews

Islay · Single Malt

Lagavulin 16

Lagavulin Distillery

Nose. Lapsang souchong, seaweed drying on a fence, sweet vanilla underneath the smoke. Palate. Thick and oily. Peat smoke wrapped around dried fig, dark chocolate and a saline edge. Finish. Enormous. Tarry rope and sherry sweetness trading blows for a full minute.

Islay · Single Malt

Ardbeg 10

Ardbeg Distillery

Nose. Tar rope, lime, smoked pear. Palate. Black pepper and bonfire toffee, with a citrus lift keeping it honest. Finish. Long, briny, argumentative.

Steve scored it 82 — see the head-to-head

Speyside · Single Malt

Balvenie DoubleWood 12

The Balvenie Distillery

Nose. Honeyed cereal, sultana, a rub of cinnamon bark. Palate. Soft toffee and orchard fruit, sherry cask arriving politely halfway through. Finish. Medium, warm, gently spiced — like the last third of a good crumble.

Islands · Single Malt

Highland Park 18

Highland Park Distillery

Nose. Heather honey, aromatic smoke, beeswax polish on old church pews. Palate. Silky. Marmalade, dark cherry, a curl of floral peat that never overstays. Finish. Long and layered — honey first, smoke last, both perfectly mannered.

Highland · Single Malt

GlenDronach 12 Original

GlenDronach Distillery

Nose. Sherry-soaked raisin, cocoa, a hint of forest floor after rain. Palate. Christmas cake in a glass — dried fruit, walnut, burnt orange peel. Finish. Rich and drying, with lingering oloroso and old oak.

Campbeltown · Single Malt

Springbank 10

Springbank Distillery

Nose. Damp rope, sea spray, vanilla custard with an engine-oil funk. Palate. Salted caramel, smoke, and that unmistakable Campbeltown 'dunnage' character. Finish. Maritime and mineral, drying to salted butter.

Alan scored it 74 — see the head-to-head