10 years old, distilled 29th August 2008, 61.6% abv, First Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel, 232 bottles, dram price B

The nose has toffee, fresh oak, marzipan and hints of cinnamon. The mouthfeel is thin with no cling. The body has toffee, oak, vanilla, horseradish and star anise. The finish has oak and horseradish. Fine at first, but it builds the heat with each sip, rapidly becoming untolerable.

Water brings out thin, rapidly expanding whorling that has no chance to settle into mottling. The nose gains star anise and more cinnamon, with hints of apple. The body gains baked apple and loses the horseradish, replaced with cinnamon and more star anise. The finish has baked apple and the horseradish is replaced with cinnamon and star anise.

Very spicy. It’s good that there are other flavours in there, but this was never going to be my favourite. It is, however, well constructed and balanced, so gets a decent score for that.

One for spring afternoons.

Technical score: 4/5

Personal preference: Just the one dram, thanks.