Have just tried ... Black Bull 12 years old

The Black Bull range of blends is owned by Duncan Taylor & Co, one of Scotland's largest independent bottling companies. They have recently revamped the brand and we have been lucky enough to get a sample of the 12 years old to try (we thank Karen Law at Duncan Taylor for this). The blend has been around for over 70 years since it was originally produced in the early 1930s, with Duncan Taylor taking over the brand in 2001. This new 12 years old version is a blend of 50% single malt whisky and 50% grain whisky and is also bottled at 50% ABV, to carry on the 50% theme! They also release a 30 years old version. A bottle of Black Bull 12 years old should cost around £35 from specialist whisky retailers. More information can be found on www.blackbullwhisky.com.

Duncan Taylor and Co. were set up in Glasgow in 1938 with the plan to bottle and blend whisky for export to America following Prohibition. They are now based in the town of Huntly, close to the Speyside whisky region of Scotland. Duncan Taylor are reported to have one of the largest privately held collections of rare whisky casks in the world and bottle approximately 200 different whiskies a year. Their range is extensive and has numerous branches to it . For more information on their ranges of whisky and Duncan Taylor, check out their website www.dtcscotch.com.

The colour of this Black Bull 12 years old is golden amber and the nose is robust and aromatic. It is packed with clean, expressive notes that fight for your attention and make you want to take a sip - malty cereal grains and vanilla are particularly prominent, with dark dried fruits (think of raisins and sultanas), caramel, woody coconut and a hint of something darker (imagine cocoa powder). On the palate, this feels viscous, oily and little buttery. The malty grains hit first with a lovely sweet combination of the vanilla, caramel and coconut coming through shortly afterwards. There is also a distinct woody spiciness (think of cinnamon with a touch of pepper), some more dried fruit (especially sultanas) and some other fruits that are reminiscent of stewed pears and apples. The finish is clean, long and begins sweetly with vanilla, toffee and fruit before turning dry and slightly bitter (think of the coconut husks here). This leaves your mouth watering and wanting more.

Black Bull 12 years old is a rich, complex and characterful whisky that demonstrates how good blended whiskies can be if they are constructed and married with care and expertise. The robust nature and strength of the alcohol lends itself to adding water to the whisky and this takes away the spiciness and especially the dryness on the finish. This softens it and may appeal more, but in our opinion we prefer at 50% ABV as it is more interesting and flavoursome. A pleasant and enjoyable dram that is well worth a try.

Happy New Year!

We would like to wish our readers a Happy New Year and hope that 2010 is good to you all. We would also like to take the opportunity to thank you all for reading, following and leaving your comments on Whisky For Everyone during 2009. Our readership has grown massively in the second half of the year and December saw us annihilate our previous best month for hits, page views, comments and new visitors. Thank you, keep reading and tell all your friends about us! If you have any ideas or articles that you would like us to write about, then please contact us.

Happy New Year and happy dramming in 2010.

Karen & Matt

Our Top 10 whiskies of 2009 (Part 2)

We have sampled and reviewed many whiskies over the last year at Whisky For Everyone, so we have decided to choose our top 10 of the new releases that hit the market in 2009. With so many whiskies to choose from we have called in the help of Chris Maclean - the esteemed manager of The Whisky Shop's London branch and a selected judge in the whisky category of the recent Spirits Business Magazine Awards.

Top 10s are always contentious issues as everyone has differing opinions. We have tried to select our Top 10 on quality, value for money and availability to the public. To this end, there are not really any single cask or independent bottlings included despite some excellent ones being sampled throughout the year. Some however are limited edition bottlings that are still available to purchase. Here is the second part containing our Top 5, including our 'Whisky of the Year'. If you missed Part 1 (containing numbers 6-10), it can be read by clicking here.

So here goes .... (drum roll please!). Our Top 5 whiskies of 2009 are ....

*Whisky for Everyone's Whisky of the Year 2009*
1 - Benromach 10 years old
This whisky was released in the late Summer by Speyside's smallest operating distillery. This has a surprisingly rich, smoky nose. First comes vanilla and toffee aromas before giving way to an earthy peatiness. These elements combine well and there is also dried fruits (imagine sultanas) and dried grasses. On the palate, this whisky is rich, full bodied and quite creamy with initial sweet malty cereal grains and vanilla notes. Then comes that lovely smokiness again, although it is a bit more ashy and ember-like than before. The cereal, vanilla and smoke mix perfectly with some further dried fruits (add some tropical dried fruits, like mango, to the sultanas), buttery toffee and a hint of dried grassiness. This feels thick in your mouth and is smooth and very well balanced. The finish is reasonably long with the creamy vanilla and sweet smokiness prominent. This offers rich, classic Speyside characteristics but with the smoky twist. A fantastic all round dram and the great value for money that it offers, makes this our 'Whisky of the Year 2009'.
Details - Approx. price £30/ Alcoholic strength 43% ABV/ To read full post - click here


2 - Talisker 30 years old Cask Strength
This whisky from the iconic Talisker distillery on the isle of Skye formed part of Diageo's Autumn Cask Strength limited releases. The nose is very fresh for a whisky of this age and has a complex mix of dried fruit (sultanas and candied orange peel), saltiness (imagine seaweed) and subtle spicy smokiness (think of black pepper and nutmeg). There is also toffee and a touch of earthiness. This feels thin and silky on the palate with a sumptuous vanilla sweetness combining well with delicate light smoke (imagine wood ash/embers), a salty element (brine again) and dried fruits notes (although these are less prominent than on the nose). This drinks very well at the natural strength, although adding a touch of water does bring out some sweet earthiness (reminiscent of damp moss). The finish is long with some honey and dried fruit sweetness with a whiff of smoke and spice. Wow - this is one exceptional and complex whisky.
Details - Approx. price £215/ 53.1% ABV/ only 3000 bottles/ To read full post - click here

3 - Glenmorangie Sonnalta
One of the new releases this year from the famous Highland distillery of Glenmorangie, this has been part matured in Pedro Ximinez sherry casks. It was released in the Spring to the Duty Free/travel retail market and the great news is that it will be on general release in the new year. The nose is fantastic and delicate with a combination of caramel-like sweetness, dried fruits (raisins and candied orange peel), something dark (imagine high cocoa chocolate/espresso coffee), vanilla and sweet malted barley. On the palate this explodes on your tongue and is full bodied, viscous and creamy. An intense pleasant sugary burst hits the front of your tongue, dying slowly to reveal the elements from the nose - a great mixture of vanilla, caramel/ dark brown sugar, dried fruits (some apricot this time), a nuttiness (imagine coconut), bitter dark chocolate, coffee and a tropical fruit element (something like mango/papaya). The lengthy finish is intensely sweet, complex and fruity with some cinnamon spice coming through. Sonnalta is a top quality and well balanced 'try before you die' whisky. A fantastic dram.
Details - Approx. price £75/ 46% ABV/ To read full post - click here

4 - Ardbeg Corryvreckan
This whisky from the cult Ardbeg distillery on the western isle of Islay was released in September and replaced the popular Airigh Nam Beist in the core range. The nose is robust and aromatic yet inviting. There is smokiness and sweetness in abundance (think of earthy peat and sugary caramel). There is also a fresh grassy note, dried fruit (think of sultanas and candied orange peel) and a whiff of bitter iodine. On the palate, this is rich and full of character. Again, there is initial powerful smokiness and a burst of sweetness. The sweetness is more than on the nose but also has a slight bitter edge, like burnt sugar. The dried fruit note is present again and is joined by a hot spicy element (quite peppery and fiery, like a red chilli) and a salty tang. The finish is very very long and full of peaty smoke and hot, spicy heat, feeling drier than the sweeter nose and palate. When water is added, the nose and palate became sweeter (think of brown sugar) with more fresh crisp green fruit (imagine pears and apples). The finish is also sweeter and shorter but less complex and younger. Corryvreckan is a very impressive smoky whisky that will gain Ardbeg further admirers. If you love smoky whiskies, you have to try this.
Details - Approx. price £65/ 57.1% ABV/ To read full post - click here

5 - Glendronach 18 years old
Glendronach was restarted in 2008 and the new owners wasted no time in expanding the profile and range of its whiskies. This whisky hit the shelves in early Summer along with a new 15 years old. It isexclusively matured in Oloroso sherry casks and is sweet and malty on the nose with a lot of that sherry cask influence - dried fruitiness (think of sultanas and peel especially), malted barley, warm spices (imagine nutmeg and cinnamon) and oaky woodiness. The palate is thinner than the richness of the nose suggests. Dried fruit and malted barley combine well to give it an almost perfect level of sweetness. Other elements present include some sugary caramel, those warm spices again and a distinct nuttiness (think of walnuts) that gives a slight bitterness to balance the other sweetness. The finish is quite short, woody, dry and slightly bitter with some candied peel coming through (orange especially). A lovely dram that gives everything that you would want from a sherry cask whisky.
Details - Approx. price £55/ 46% ABV/ To read full post - click here

To complete and re-cap the remainder of the Top 10, here is the list of numbers 6-10. These are fully featured in Part 1.
6 - Laphroaig 18 years old
7 - Hibiki 12 years old
8 - Lagavulin 12 years old Cask Strength
9 - Dalmore 18 years old
10 - Kilkerran 'Work in Progress'

So, there we have it. That is our Top 10 of the new whisky releases from 2009. However, there are others that deserve honourable mentions - Ardbeg Supernova, Caol Ila 10 years old Unpeated Cask Strength, Connemara Sherry Finish, Glenmorangie Signet, Glen Moray 8 years old Red Wine Cask, Kavalan Solist and Kilchoman 3 years old to name but a few. Let's hope that there are as many excellent releases in 2010. We would be interested to hear your nominations for the best whiskies of the year, so please add your comments at the bottom of this post.

Our Top 10 whiskies of 2009 (Part 1)

We have sampled and reviewed many whiskies over the last year at Whisky For Everyone, so we have decided to choose our top 10 of the new releases that hit the market in 2009. With so many whiskies to choose from we have called in the help of Chris Maclean - the esteemed manager of The Whisky Shop's London branch and a selected judge in the whisky category of the recent Spirits Business Magazine Awards.

Top 10s are always contentious issues as everyone has differing opinions. We have tried to select our Top 10 on quality, value for money and availability to the public. To this end, there are not really any single cask or independent bottlings included despite some excellent ones being sampled throughout the year. Some however are limited edition bottlings that are still available to purchase. We would be interested to hear your nominations also, so please add your comments at the bottom of this post. Our selections will be split in to two parts with numbers 6-10 below and 1-5 will be posted tomorrow. Here goes ....

6 - Laphroaig 18 years old
This whisky was introduced to replace the popular 15 years old in Laphroaig's core range. The famous distillery on the western isle of Islay took a gamble by doing this but it paid off. The nose is fresh and clean with an instant hit of pungent aromatic smoke (imagine damp moss and dry peat). This is balanced with vanilla, a briny saltiness and honey. On the palate, it is robust and powerful offering early sugary sweetness that combines vanilla and honey with malty cereals and spicy woodiness. The smokiness is less earthy and more like charcoal or burning embers/ash with some saltiness and a bitter iodine twist. The finish is very long with a bittersweet mix of vanilla, honey, warm gingery spices and pronounced smokiness that reminded us of creosote fence paint. A classic smoky dram.
Details - Approx. price £65/ Alcoholic strength 48% ABV/ To read full post - click here

7 - Hibiki 12 years old
A Japanese whisky that was released to compliment to well known and well loved Hibiki 17 years old (made famous by Bill Murray in the movie Lost in Translation). The owners, Suntory, kept the distinctive decanter style bottle but that is where the similarities end. It contains single malts from the Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries plus aged grain whisky. The main difference is that it has been part matured in Umeshu (a type of Japanese plum wine) casks. This has a very promising nose - it is fragrant with fresh stone fruit (like cherries and plums), plus vanilla, honey and hints of peppery spiciness (imagine ground white pepper). The palate is refreshing, cleansing and mellow with lots of fresh juicy fruit notes (especially the plums) combining with vanilla and barley sweetness. It has a crisp, short finish with peppery spice coming through. A lovely clean, fresh whisky that makes you want another sip!
Details - Approx. price £40-50/ 43% ABV/ To read full post - click here

8 - Lagavulin 12 years old Cask Strength
This bottling by the iconic Lagavulin distillery on the western island of Islay formed part of drinks giant Diageo's annual Autumn Cask Strength limited releases. The nose is intense and full of peaty, earthy smokiness (reminiscent of wood embers and ash). This is joined by a mix of caramel, vanilla, toffee, some saltiness and a citrus element (imagine lemon zest). On the palate, this is full bodied with smokiness marrying perfectly with sweet barley, briny saltiness, caramel and something nutty (imagine hazelnuts). With water, the whisky opens up releasing more smoke and salt with a pepperiness coming through. The water also brings out fruity elements (think of tinned fruit, pears especially). The finish is long, drying and intense with that earthy, peaty smoke fading slowly. An excellent and complex whisky that is a real bargain for the price.
Details - Approx.price £55-60/ 59.9% ABV/less than 3000 bottles/ To read full post - click here

9 - Dalmore 18 years old
Released in the Autumn and was long awaited as it represents the first time that the Dalmore distillery have officially bottled an 18 years old. The nose is very pleasant, sweet and rich with plenty of malted barley that is quickly joined by the classic sherry cask characteristics - dried fruits (think of raisins and sultanas), candied peel (especially oranges), nuts (imagine walnuts and almonds) and caramel. On the palate, this is full bodied and silky with plenty of sherried dried fruit, especially raisins, and this is complimented by a lovely woody, nutty spiciness ( a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and walnuts). There are also other elements - slightly bitter candied orange peel, caramel, vanilla and a hint of dark plain chocolate/cocoa powder and roasted coffee. The finish is rich, fruity (the dried fruit/candied peel again) with warm spiciness (imagine cinnamon and cloves). This is a lovely, rich and smooth whisky.
Details - Approx. price £75-85/ 43% ABV/ To read full post - click here

10 - Kilkerran 'Work in Progress'
Kilkerran is the first official single malt release from the new Glengyle distillery in Campbeltown. The whisky may only be five years of age but we believe it shows great potential and had to have it in our Top 10. The colour is light and straw-like, with a nose that is highly aromatic and full of promising youthful vibrancy. There is a mixture of sweet cereal grains, fresh green fruit (think of pears and apples), something powerful and herbal (imagine dried grasses) and a whiff of peppery peat smoke. On the palate it feels creamy in the mouth and the cereal, green fruit and grassy elements from the nose are joined by a sugary sweetness (imagine icing sugar), vanilla and zesty citrus (think of lemon and orange). The finish is long with a hint of earthy smokiness and woody oak coming through, before turning slightly harsh and spirity right at the end. A very pleasant and highly characteristic whisky that may be robust, youthful, vibrant and not to everyone's taste. Watch out for future releases with interest!
Details - Approx. price £30-35/ 46% ABV/ only 12000 bottles/ To read full post - click here

Part 2 will reveal our Top 5 whiskies of 2009, as well as others that just missed out but are deserving of a mention. It will be posted tomorrow.

Have just tried ... Johnnie Walker Blue Label

Johnnie Walker is a world famous range of blended whiskies. The Johnnie Walker brand is currently owned by multi national drinks company Diageo, who blend whiskies from across their portfolio of 28 Scottish distilleries. Some of these only operate in order to supply the Johnnie Walker range. The core range consists of the Red Label (which carries no age statement), Black Label (minimum age of whisky in this is 12 years), Green Label (minimum age 15 years), Gold Label (minimum age 18 years) and this legendary Blue Label. No age stated on the Blue Label but the youngest whisky included is rumoured to be 28 years old, with some of the whisky from rare or closed distilleries such as Brora. It contains over 20 rare single malts and superior grain whiskies in total.

The Johnnie Walker whiskies are the best selling series around the globe with the Red Label forming the cornerstone of this success. The combined sales of all Johnnie Walker whiskies in 2008 totalled 17.2% of world sales (source - Euromonitor International 2009). Therefore, that equates to the fact that for every six bottles of whisky sold during 2008 in the world, one was either a Johnnie Walker Red, Black, Green, Gold or Blue Label. The iconic Red Label is by far the biggest selling of these, contributing almost 10% of all worldwide whisky sales on its own!

The success of the brand is built on the original Johnnie Walker blends being exported around the world during Victorian times. As the British Empire expanded, more people enjoyed the range and brand has never looked back. This is shown in the fact that Johnnie Walker whiskies were already exported to 120 countries before Coca Cola had even left America in the 1920s. The brand and its famous 'walking man' logo are embedded in world culture and pioneered sports sponsorship in the 1960s by sponsoring a motor racing Grand Prix team and other major events, especially golf.

The Blue Label is packaged in a blue glass bottle and the whisky has a golden amber colour. The nose is surprisingly subtle with distinct cereal grain (imagine the husks especially) and vanilla notes appearing first. These are followed by some caramel/toffee and a herbal grassy note (think of dried grasses). Through these comes a whiff of soft peat smoke that is reminiscent of bonfire smoke. On the palate this is very soft and silky. It feels rich and very grainy (those husks again), with the beginning being sweet before turning drier. The sweet elements include vanilla, soft dried fruits (imagine sultanas and raisins) and honey. The dryness comes from an oaky woodiness that appears and this feels a little spicy in nature (think of a woody spice like cinnamon). All the flavours on the palate are backed up with that lovely smokiness again, although it seems more earthy than it did on the nose. The finish is of medium length and again starts sweetly (particularly the caramel and grain notes) before becoming dry and slightly spicy (imagine ginger and cinnamon).

Johnnie Walker Blue Label is a lovely, mellow, soft whisky that is clearly very intelligently blended. It is easy to see why it is so popular and is one of the most aspirational whisky brands/status symbols to have on your whisky shelf in certain parts of the world . A bottle costs between £140-170 for a 70cl bottle in the UK. Whether it is worth the price compared to cheaper (and equally as good quality) premium blended whiskies such as Chivas Regal 18 years old, only you can decide. Or do people willingly pay extra due to the 'aspirational' marketing and Blue Label's legendary status/kudos in the consumer world. Again, only you can decide! All we can say is that it is a lovely dram that should be tried so that you can see what all the fuss is about.

In the whisky cupboard ... Benriach 10 years old 'Curiositas'

The 'Curiositas' is a peaty, smoky whisky made by the Benriach distillery in the Speyside whisky region of Scotland. The production of a smoky whisky is an unusual practice for a Speyside distillery. Smoky whiskies are more commonly produced on the islands around Scotland, especially the western isle of Islay. Benriach release two - this 10 years old called 'Curiositas' and a 21 years old named 'Authenticus'. These two whiskies form part of one of the most innovative ranges of any Scottish distillery - the expansive regular range is matured in ex-bourbon casks, with an additional range of different casks finished whiskies adding to these two smoky ones. They make peaty whisky at Benriach for roughly three weeks every year.

Benriach is located approximately 3 miles to the south of the city of Elgin and the distillery was founded in 1897 by John Duff & Co. They had already built the Longmorn distillery on a neighbouring plot of farmland in 1894. The original name was the slightly unimaginative Longmorn 2, before changing to Benriach in 1899. The distillery currently has a production capacity of 2.8 million litres per year, with most being released as single malts.

Benriach had a very short early history – it was closed and mothballed in 1903 and not reopened until 1965, when it was bought and restarted by the Glenlivet Distillers Ltd. It was closed and mothballed again in 2002 by Pernod Ricard, who were the owners at the time. In 2004, an independent group named the Benriach Distillery Company took over the distillery and all of its maturing stock. This group was headed by Billy Walker, a former director of Burn Stewart Distillers, and this makes Benriach one of the few remaining distilleries in Scotland that is independently owned.

This 'Curiositas' is bottled at 40% ABV and should cost between £25-30 a bottle. It has a golden amber colour and the nose of the whisky has aromatic sweet peat (imagine damp moss or earth) combining with fragrant hints of honey, cereal grains, citrus fruit (think of lemon zest especially), something herbal (imagine dried grass or hay) and oaky vanilla. On the palate, there is a complex mix of honey sweetness, heather, nuts (think of almonds), malted barley and those citrus and grassy notes from the nose . Then comes the peaty, slightly phenolic and salty smokiness - the marriage of all the elements is lovely and balanced with a lighter, fresher feeling than expected in your mouth. The finish is long, clean and fresh with vanilla, honey, dried grass and a hint of something reminiscent of liquorice or menthol. The sweetness creates an enjoyable combination with the lingering smoky peatiness

Benriach 10 years old 'Curiositas' is a very good whisky. It is well balanced and fresh and offers a fantastic and unusual alternative to the heavier island and Islay smoky whiskies. It also offers great value for money compared to these competitors. We had heard that it was an interesting and pleasant whisky, but that description doesn't really do it justice. We opened our bottle on Christmas Day and it was a welcome surprise that it was so good (it goes very well with blue and goats cheeses we also discovered!). 'Curiositas' is a cracking dram from an under-rated distillery and is a 'must try' for all fans of smoky whisky.

Christmas mystery dram revealed

Merry Christmas and thanks to everyone who read and left comments for our recent ‘mystery dram’ challenge. It has been an enjoyable day for us and we have just finished a huge meal of traditional English roast and bottle of Aussie red wine. The dram has proven to be a welcome diversion after the excesses of all the food we have had.

The mystery bottle has just been cracked open and we can reveal that it is BenRiach 10 years old 'Curiositas'. Congrats to Pocket Rocket for being the only one to guess correctly.

The tasting notes provided did not quite do the dram justice but were temptingly close. It was as delightful as we had hoped. Full tasting notes will follow shortly to give you the full description.

We are now retiring to another dram and a mince pie or two. Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas

We would like to wish all our readers a Happy Christmas and a good festive period. We would also like thank you all for continuing to read and add your comments to Whisky For Everyone and hope that you enjoy whichever whiskies that you choose to celebrate with.

Happy Christmas from us both!

Karen & Matt

Christmas mystery dram ... what is it?

The festive season is not just upon us, it is all but consuming us. To keep the smiles on our faces while we wait, we have set aside a bottle of (hopefully) delicious whisky to be opened on Christmas day.
We thought 'what a great idea for a mystery dram as it's a mystery to us as well as to you!'.

We have looked at all the great things written about this particular bottle but we won't actually get to try it until Christmas Day, when we open our bottle and taste a dram or two. We will then reveal to all what it is and just how good the tasting notes we have found prove to be.

The tasting notes are below and we invite you to try and guess what the 'mystery dram' is before the bottle is opened. This can be done by clicking on the 'comments' section at the bottom of this post once you have read the notes, following the instructions and leaving us your guess/answer. So here goes...

On the nose this rich amber coloured whisky should have a aromatic peat with fragrant hints of honey, fruit (citrus seems to be the suggestion) and gentle oak woodiness. The taste on your palate should be noticeably peaty yet balanced with oaky woodines and warm peppery spices. An 'extravagant and complex' mix of honey sweetness, heather, nuts and barley. The finish is due to be long and clean with vanilla and a hint of cocoa and 'near perfect' bitter sweetness lingering alongside the peatiness.

This is a distillers bottling at 40% ABV. It is not from an overly famous distiller but should not be a name unfamiliar to many of you. We are keenly looking forward to the 'Mystery dram' as it has received many good reviews and has a small clutch of awards against its name.

Now is the time for you to have a guess. Just let your imagination run wild. The answer will be revealed on Christmas Day along with the names of anyone who made a correct guess.

Have just tried ... Whisky liqueurs (Part 2)

The Christmas festive period is a time when the sales of whisky liqueurs goes through the roof, so we have decided to review a few of them in the lead up to the Big Day. In this second part of our review, we are concentrating on the cream based whisky liqueurs. The first post - Have just tried ... Whisky liqueurs (Part 1) - has proved very popular and featured some of the non creamy whisky liqueurs available in the UK market. It also contains further general information and facts about whisky liqueurs, so please click on the link above to read it.

Cream based whisky liqueurs contain two obvious ingredients - whisky and cream! Other than this they can be sweetened with sugar or syrup and flavoured with almost anything, with the most common things being fruit, nuts, honey, spices and herbs. They generally have a lower alcoholic strength (this is called the ABV - alcohol by volume) than the non cream liqueurs and are usually have a strength of 15-20% ABV. Most are recommended to be served chilled or with ice, although they can also be used in desserts and other sweet recipes. We are trying all of these samples chilled from the fridge.

NEW - Bailey's Coffee
This product has just been launched for Christmas 2009 and we have just received our sample from Diageo, who currently own and market the brand. Bailey's is the most well known cream based whisky liqueur and is made with Irish whisky, caramel and cream. The regular Bailey's is the biggest selling liqueur of either type in the world and they also release other bottlings in the range that are flavoured with mint, chocolate and orange. All are bottled at 17% ABV. The Original was released in 1974 and was the first whisky liqueur to be made with cream.

The colour of this new Bailey's Coffee is like that of a milky coffee/hot chocolate and the nose is reminiscent of instant coffee and hard boiled coffee caramel sweets. On the palate, this is very viscous and has the feeling of condensed milk. It has butter, toffee, coffee (instant coffee again) notes and a touch of alcohol burn in the background. The finish is short and sweet but leaves your mouth covered in thick buttery liquid. Ice would definitely help to stop this being so cloying but the flavours are pleasant and enjoyable. A 70cl bottle should cost £10-12.

Columba Cream
This liqueur is a mixture of single malt whisky, honey and cream. It is named after St. Columba who arrived on the western Scottish isle of Iona in 563 AD. The link is that the single malt included is made at Tobermory, a distillery on the neighbouring island of Mull. It is bottled at 17% ABV and is available in 70cl, 35cl and 5cl bottles (a 70cl bottle should cost £15-18). The colour of Columba is reminiscent of latte coffee and the nose smells incredibly sweet with lots of sugary honey coming through. On the palate, this is rich, creamy and extremely sweet - there is a lot of caramel, honey and toffee-like notes present and it sticks to your mouth and it is hard to shift! No whisky is detectable. The finish is short, very sweet and cloying. Keep a glass of water handy, your palate may need it!

Drumgray
Or to give it its full name Mrs. Walker's Drumgray Highland Cream. This liqueur follows an original recipe that a Mrs. Walker used to follow on her central Highland farm. It is made using single malt whisky from the Deanston distillery and cream. Drumgray is sold in 70cl, 35cl and 5cl bottles (a 70cl bottle should cost £10-12) and has an alcoholic strength of 17% ABV. The liqueur has the colour of a Cappuccino coffee and the nose has some malted barley, toffee and caramel notes. It gives the impression of being rich and sweet. This is backed up on the palate - it is rich, almost sticky and coats the inside of your mouth. There is again toffee, caramel and cereals but the silky, velvety nature is tainted by some harsh alcoholic burn. The finish is long and sweet with the alcohol burn particularly prominent.

Heather Cream
This liqueur was first produced in 1980 and is a marriage of Balblair single malt whisky and fresh cream (it is one of the few to be made with fresh cream). It is marketed as the 'Cream of Scotland' and is released in 70cl, 35cl and 5cl bottles at 17% ABV (a 70cl bottle should cost £12-15). Heather Cream has a very pale colour (think of very milky tea) and the nose is subtle and delicate. There is some sweetness (imagine toffee) and cream with some maltiness from the whisky coming through. On the palate, this is fresh, clean and not as cloying as some of its competitors. It feels silky and light with some lovely caramel, toffee, cereal and vanilla notes present. The finish is pleasantly long with the caramel note coming through well.

Merlyn
This is a cream based whisky liqueur made by Penderyn, the only Welsh single malt whisky distillery. It is named after the famous Welsh wizard who features in the Legend of King Arthur tales. The liqueur is only made in small batches and is only sold in 70cl and 5cl bottles (a 70cl bottle should cost around £15-18). The colour is very light and milky and the nose is light and subtle but with some interesting elements - caramel, honey, malty cereal grains and a touch of grassiness (imagine dried grass). This is delicate on the palate with the fresh cream, honey and whisky combining well. The finish is short and refreshing - the honey is predominant but the cereals and grassiness of Penderyn's whisky comes through. Definitely our favourite!