Whisky Magazine Editors Choice - Gold Award

Gordon & MacPhail Mortlach 1971
Single Malt - Scotland - 0.00% 8 Magnificent in every way, especially the finish.

Gordon & MacPhail Mortlach 1938, 60 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 A great age, but it has matured beautifully.

Hibiki 17 Years Old
Blended - Japan - 43.00% 8 An elegant and satisfying dram. Well educated, in good quality casks for sure.

Hibiki 17 Years Old
Blended - Japan - 43.00% 4 Relaxed and laid back. This is excellent blending.

Hibiki 505 17 Years Old, Non chill filtered
Blended - Japan - 50.50% 8 Virile. Rich display of flavours. If I was to climb up the Fujiyama, I'd take a flask with me.

Highland Park 18 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 9 If I smoked I would have a cigar with this one.

Highland Park 1970 Vintage
Single Malt - Scotland - 48.00% 9 A slow, learned intellectual of a malt. If you are going to put out a 40yo, here's the benchmark.

Highland Park 1973
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.60% 8 Sheer classiness and head and shoulders above the rest for me.

Highland Park 1977 Bicentenary Vintage Reserve
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 4 A great malt: luxurious, profound, full of the flavours of Scotland

Highland Park 1977 Bicentenary Vintage Reserve
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 9 After that voluptuous dinner.

Highland Park 40 Years Old
- Scotland - 48.30% 9 A stunningly great whisky. One of the finest I've had for a considerable time.

Highland Park Earl Magnus Edition 1
Single Malt - Scotland - 52.60% 8 A refreshing and enticing dram. Charming. an easy-going complexity. Water gives it a lovely silky feel.

Ichiro's Malt 1988 King of Diamonds
Single Malt - Japan - 56.00% 8 Water undoubtedly tames the alcohol but alters the freshness and enticing natural sharpness of that bold whisky.

Ichiro's Malt King of Spades, 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 57.00% 8 A liquid dessert. Reminds me of a rich Balvenie. Superb dram.

Invergordon CI5517
- Scotland - 50.20% 8 That rare commodity...a mature grain. Snap it up quick the industry is in short supply!

Jameson 18 Years Old Master Selection
Blended - Ireland - 40.00% 9 Robustly sexy. I always enjoy Jameson, but I really relished coming to grips with this one.

Johnnie Walker Black Label
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Is Black Label a great whisky? Was Dizzy Gillespie a great musician?

Johnnie Walker Black Label
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 9 Deceptively gentle at first. I have on occasion been completely led astray by what seems to be mildness of this whisky, then taken on a journey of rediscovery. I find new flavours every time.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 9 A lovely, luxurious whisky. I imagine a restaurant called café Opera. First, a little foie gras, then a couple of Maine lobsters, Marron glacé....and Blue Label?

Lagavulin 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 57.80% 9 Complex, sophisticated heavyweight. The one they all have to beat.

Lagavulin 16 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 9 The driest of Islay malts, and an established classic.

Lagavulin Distillers Edition, Pedro Ximenez Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 9 What it loses in character it gains in a different dimension of distinctiveness.

Lagavulin Limited Edition 2010
Single Malt - Scotland - 52.50% 9 As good a Lagavulin as I've tasted. Hie thee to Islay!

Laphroaig 17 Years Old, Feis Ile 2004, Cask Strength
Single Malt - Scotland - 55.20% 8 A touch sophisticated for the likes of me. Where are those stinging iodine notes? They are in there somewhere, but beautifully balanced and rounded.

Laphroaig Quarter Cask
Single Malt - Scotland - 48.00% 8 Seems to hesitate between sweetness and dryness. Give it time to open, you will not regret it.