Have just tried ... Benrinnes 15 years old 'Flora & Fauna'

Benrinnes is a Speyside distillery owned by drinks giant Diageo. Originally opening in 1826, the old Victorian buildings were completely demolished and rebuilt in the late 1950s. The majority of the whisky produced at Benrinnes (around 2.5 million litres) is used in the blending of Johnnie Walker red label and black label, which both sell massive amounts each year around the world. The only official bottling from the distillery is this 15 years old, which forms part of Diageo's 'Flora and Fauna' range (this range showcases whiskies from lesser known distilleries in their portfolio). Other independent bottlings are rare.

This is dark, golden brown in colour and the nose is full of maltiness from the barley, dried fruit (raisins and sultanas) and lots of sherry, indicating that it has spent significant time in sherry casks. On the palate, these notes are all as prominent and are joined by something creamy and nutty (walnuts or brazil nuts, I think). There is an element of bitterness as well which reminded me of caramel or burnt sugar and dark chocolate. The finish was short, flat and disappointing with not much going on. This is good and quite complex but may have too much sherry cask influence for some people. It retails around £35 a bottle.

Have just tried ...Auchroisk 10 years old 'Flora & Fauna'

Auchroisk (pronounced ar-thrusk) is a little known distillery based in Speyside. It is owned by multinational drinks giant Diageo and is one of the newest distilleries in Scotland, only opening in 1974. The reason that it is little known is probably down to the fact that most of the whisky produced there (around 3.5 million litres per year) gets put into blended whiskies. The majority of this goes into J&B Rare, which is the second best selling blended whisky in the world. As a result, there are very few distillery bottlings around and this one belongs to Diageo's 'Flora and Fauna' range. The nose smells promising with an aromatic freshness of citrus (lemon zest), caramel, coconut and maybe a hint of liquorice. The flavour is also very fresh with the underlying taste being of the malted barley. On top of this, there is a fruitiness (raisins) and sweetness, some vanilla and toffee plus the zesty citrus notes from the nose. The finish is quite dry with a lasting maltiness and something herbal (freshly cut grass). This is good, it has a full flavour but it is refreshing and I like the dryness on the finish. It is priced around £35 and would be a good whisky to have on a hot summer's day or as an aperitif.

Have just tried ... Rosebank 12 years old 'Flora & Fauna'

This is a whisky from Diageo's 'Flora & Fauna' range. Rosebank is a Lowland distillery that was closed down in 1993. The stocks are slowly running out and therefore are becoming very desirable to collectors. It is rumoured that this is one of the last batches of stock that Diageo have. This one is triple distilled, which is unusual for Scottish whisky. Triple distillation is more common in Irish whiskies and generally produces a light, fresh spirit. The nose is very promising with grassy and fruit notes, especially citrus fruit and lemon zest. It tasted good also, very soft on the palate with those notes coming through in the flavour, along with lots of caramel and vanilla. This is excellent, a very nice tasting whisky that felt creamy and smooth in my mouth. It would definately be worth investing in a bottle, as stocks are starting to dwindle and the price is increasing.

Have just tried ... Bladnoch 10 years old 'Flora & Fauna'

This Lowland distillery has only reopened a couple of years ago, having previously been owned by multi national drinks company, Diageo. the 'Flora & Fauna' range covers a number of Diageo's less well known distilleries. The colour is light and the smell or 'nose' is very good. It smells fresh and slightly grassy with an interesting touch of saltiness. When tasted, it was very refreshing on my palate. I got an instant zingy freshness that was light, malty and fruity (imagine green crisp apples). However, after time there was too much raw spirit coming through, which can happen especially with young whisky. When this happens, the alcohol flavour overtakes or overpowers the other flavours that are being experienced. I added some water to try and combat this but it became too bitter and woody for my taste. A decent, light refreshing whisky (without water).