Magnificent, and excellent at cask strength: the coastal, smoky, savoury Brora character is here sweetly softened in a malt that’s courteous yet informal; it has the depth and complexity of age yet also a spicy, lively twinkle, like a favourite uncle.

Antique gold. Bright, with good beading.

Modest but complex. Mild nose-feel, yet with a white pepper prickle. Immediate, sharp freshness, rising over sweet malt with fragrant wood smoke curling in the background. Gradually more fruity (baked apples with red-currant jelly, lemon and lime zests) then waxy (warm candlewax) with a trace of hessian, faint spearmint and creamy vanilla. Late, cleansing notes. Water freshens and sweetens things, liberating fresh menthol and floral notes underscored by soft, lemony biscuit, or Madeira cake.

Dense. Oily and smooth. Medium.

At natural strength, fizzy and spicy. Subdued at first; sweet to start, with subtle smoke followed by sweet, charred notes (burnt fruit cake) then distinctly salty and drying. Smoother to drink with water: lightly sweet, then still salty and drying, with less spice, and now the burnt fruit-cake has become a soft, chewy, iced Danish pastry.

Long and warming, with late smoke and crushed black peppercorns. Later, traces of wood ash. Creamy and cooler with water; sweet with faint smoke and mint.

Deceptively complex, at first hiding all that characteristic CaolIla freshness and vigour under a smooth exterior. Masses of oaky, cocoa character and fruit tartness soon show that peat smoke isn’t everything!

Yellow gold. Light beading

Quiet, approachable. Mild nose-feel, in spite of its strength. A sweet and fruity aroma: fondant and green apples. Hints of pear-drops with sweet and sour notes. No discernable smoke, but just a trace of Virginia tobacco; then the faintest olive brine tang in a room full of creamy vanilla toffee. Dusty cereals, then mint toffee followed by more vanilla and ripe fruit. Soft, fresh and fruity with water: buttery apple pie, now with a hint of breakfast cereal

Medium to rich

At natural strength, the taste is sweet, the texture smooth and light; it’s warming, but not burning, as might be expected. By turns suddenly drying, with burnt fruit cake and complex, fruity chocolate; then richer and honeyed, with lemon curd on buttered toast. Smooth at reduced strength, with reduced sweetness, light acidity and a shake of salt, lending a maritime character. Initially cool; soon hotter, with silky tannins, before chilling again with mango and cream

Creamy and oaky; sweet milk chocolate, then burnt fruit. Hugely elegant with water and astonishingly clean.

A very unusual, rich and deep-flavoured expression of Knockando that is extremely complex and intriguing. Superbly balanced: drying yet with residual malty sweetness: a broad array of magnificent ex-sherry cask notes make an opulent apéritif, appetising with hard, sharp cheeses.

Polished mahogany with crimson highlights

Deeply intriguing; rich and immediate, with no prickle. Dry Christmas cake, with slightly burnt edges, then a hard toffee note. Dry Oloroso sherry. Persistent, becoming more succulent; dried fruits macerated in liquor. Bitter-tinged traces of crystalline sugar, creamy wood oil. Fresh strawberries, and raisins! Water introduces more burnt notes, with chocolate, underscored by porcini and sage. Finally sweeter, with juicy-fruit gum

Medium. Lighter than expected

Mouth-drying and surprisingly harmonious. A sweet start (fresh, ripe grapes and citrus pith), then immediately drying, with distant smoke. Briefly and enjoyably spirity, with masses of dry cocoa; then sweeter, with aged plum pudding. Water makes things milder, smoother and sweeter, reducing the initial dryness. More cocoa and cedar-wood; autumn fruits; burnt croissant

Long and warming. Espresso coffee, with a distant hint of struck matches. Glorious late, winey notes accompany drying tannins. Soft caramel, cleansing tart red fruit. Water removes the struck matches and stirs dark chocolate in the aftertaste.

Extremely well constructed and highly complex: full of wood smoke, peppery and spicy, this 12 year old shares much with its immediate predecessors - not least the capacity to instantly defibrillate the taste buds: the texture and taste, both straight and dilute, are splendid.

Pale gold. Good beading, with oily legs.

Mild nose-feel. Starts oddly rounded and well-mannered. Soon grows increasingly complex. A waft of linseed oil, then newsprint splashed with vinegar, and fragrant, sweet wood smoke, with carbolic notes rising, then falling. Struck matches. Later, beeswax polish meets rich fruit mincemeat and coal tar, as chocolate and cumin tease. With water: more of the same, but greater clarity, a fabulous subtle interplay of tastes, and a little more smoke.

Rich, firm.

Pleasing texture, lightly oily. At natural strength, the taste starts sweet, and is then dominated by wood-smoke. Charred newspaper and aniseed balls. Red berry notes. More powerful, with a dusting of pine shavings, then cooling, carbolic and herbal. With water the texture is smoother still; the taste long and slightly sweeter, with some fresh acidity; still herbal, with notes of aniseed and wood; so savoury, great to enjoy with juicy meats (sausage, kebab).

Char-grilled fennel with lashings of peppery olive oil; powerfully bitter-sweet. Lengthened by adding water: drying and warming, with elegant savoury notes again and a late whiff of lingering, fragrant smoke.

Rich, dense and seemingly impenetrable: an unusual and hugely challenging whisky whose very elegant complexities are only fully revealed by adding water. Like a fine, aged rum dancing with an elegant, oily Riesling.

Deep polished chestnut. Fine beading.

Mild, drying nose-feel.Vinous, with traces of cherry (kirsch-filled dark chocolates), well-worn leather and pencil shavings. Opens slowly, revealing woody, spicy aromas (black tea, molasses, dates and linseed oil) then delicate sweet notes of ripe banana, chocolate and vanilla cream. Finally turns fresh, resinous, herbal. Beautifully coherent with water, which lifts the wood-notes (fresh-cut sappy pine), until it becomes the inside of an old school desk (and all its contents) fusing with vanilla ice cream.

Dense, liqueur-like.

Initially languorous; varnish, linseed oil. A smooth, rich texture and a sweet taste, growing into a compelling, layered, waxy, nuttiness (brazils, walnuts). Poppy-seed? Silky smooth with water and altogether more rounded; the texture smooth, the taste sweet. The wood cuts through; sandalwood (pencil box), white pepper and hints of vanilla.

Glorious, lingering and complex. Simultaneously drying yet coating, with notes of liquorice, aniseed and burnt sugar and oak-wood in the aftertaste. With water: beautifully smooth, long and rounded, with velvety tannins.

An excellent example of the make that will be loved: extremely fresh, light and delicate yet immutably Port Ellen. Long maturation has brought charm, good manners, assured self-confidence and understated elegance, without losing any of the underlying personality.

Golden clear honey. Good beading for its age

Mild nose-prickle, crisp and mouth-watering.Sweet, buttery, smoky and savoury (warm croissant with honey, a wood-burning stove briefly open). Dense, in time showing barley sugar and caramel sweets above a light charred note (wet sand and crushed charcoal) that at last reveals the place of origin. A little water increases the charred note, now faintly smoky, then indulgent marzipan or toffee notes grow, yielding lemon zest, cloves and rich vanilla

Medium

Smooth, chewy, and sweet overall. Cooling and slow, with clean, fresh summer fruits and waxy, creamy biscuits. Later, chewy, with rich fruit-cake. When water is added, still oily, full-bodied and deeply characterful: sweet, with a trace of salt. Pine resin cavorts with honey and light eucalyptus before a faint backdrop of tropical fruitiness

Long, warming, smooth and sweetish (Pecan nuts) then lightly astringent, before billows of ‘welcome home’ coal-smoke and late charred notes. Water softens the smoke and introduces elegant, late tannins and tartness.