Whisky Magazine Editors Choice - Gold Award

Bowmore 1985
- Scotland - 52.30% 8 Distinct, robust and delightfully elegant in the same glass. A classy offering indeed.

Bowmore 40 Years Old, 1969
Single Malt - Scotland - 44.80% 9 Superb balance. Classic distillery character retained after four decades - no mean achievement.

Bowmore Voyage
Single Malt - Scotland - 56.00% 8 Port often leaves a toffeeish note, but not in this case. Perhaps needs a bit more maturity.

Brora 30 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 52.40% 8 Those startling, appetising aromas and flavours had me cooking in a new kitchen. I must have let the Sabatier slip. Why else the TCP?

Brora 30 Years Old, Limited Edition
Single Malt - Scotland - 55.70% 8 Exuberant interplay of sweet and dry flavours, pivoted on a firm malt background.

Brora 32 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 54.70% 9 An old-fashioned classic!

Bruichladdich 20 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 8 Rounded, balanced and complex. Too expensive to pour on my porridge before an early morning walk on the Big Strand? I'll economise. I'll skip the porridge.

Bushmills 12 Years Old Distillery Reserve
Single Malt - Ireland - 40.00% 8 A leap in quality above the rest on show here. Worth a trip to the still just to buy one.

Bushmills 21 Years Old Madeira Finish
Single Malt - Ireland - 40.00% 8 Good flow, balance and grip. A powerhouse.

Cadenhead's 10 Years Old, Bourbon
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 45.00% 9 I especially like bourbons when they are big and robust. This is both hearty and complex. A wonderful winter warmer.

Cadenhead's Dallas Dhu 23 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 60.80% 8 I think I have discovered a breakfast whisky. They can call it Dallas Dhu. I'll dub it "Death in the Morning. "

Cadenhead's Rosebank 1989, 9 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 All of the characteristic floweriness of Rosebank, but with some roundness.

Caol Ila 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 Of the three expressions in this tasting, this is the most rounded and balanced. All the classic Caol Ila aromas and flavours are there, with no sharp edges. Vatted for drinkability?

Caol Ila Moch
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 Worth a look.

Celtique Connexion Vin de Paille du Jura Wood Finish 1994
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 A rich and comforting character. Complex but not complicated. To warm you up on a dull evening. Play Beethoven Symphony N°7 (second movement) and you'll be in heaven.

Chieftain's Choice Glen Scotia 1974 30 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 42.20% 8 What a lovely nectar. Great fruit and cream combination.

Chieftain's Choice Port Ellen 24 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 59.40% 8 Complex stuff going on here. A really rewarding Port Ellen.

Chivas Regal 18 Years Old Gold Signature
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 9 This jewel is bursting with life and joie de vivre, like a bright aromatic rainbow. Want a wee refill?

Compass Box Eleuthera
Blended Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 8 Hold your glass to your ear and listen to water lapping against the tarred boat hull.

Compass Box The Peat Monster
Blended Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 8 A monster? As compared to earlier creations from the same house, but don't expect mass hysteria on Park Avenue.

Compass Box The Peat Monster
Blended Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 8 A warm, clean and charming whisky. The Islay influence is there but gently flirting with a mainland fellow. An accomplished character.

Connoisseur's Choice Ardbeg 1974
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 Less boisterous than The Young One. The calm of maturity permits all the nuances to be experienced.

Cragganmore 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 It's worth taking the trouble.

Cragganmore 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Very accessible, and not given to grandiosity, but it's one of the Speyside greats. Good with some desserts. Try it with cassata.

Crown Royal Special Reserve
Blended - Canada - 40.00% 8 Much more character.