Aberlour 1976
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 A little more roundness would have been appreciated.

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.

Aberlour 15 Years Old, Sherry Wood
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Complex and sophisticated.

Cadenhead's 13 Years Old, Bourbon
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 65.90% 7 Despite this being older, it is less astringently woody than the similar five-year-old.

Van Winkle Family Reserve, 13 Years Old
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 47.80% 8 Certainly showing its age, but full of character.

Aberlour 1976
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 Had I not known that it was matured in first-fill bourbon barrels. I would have guessed that there was some sherry.

Royal Salute 21 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 8 In the rich, luxurious, style, this is a long established favourite of mine.

Clan Campbell Highlander 12 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Rounded. On the sweet side.

Grand Old Parr 12 Years Old
Blended Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 If you want to taste barley in a blend, look no further than this muscular heavyweight.

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.

Aberlour 1990
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 On this occasion the vintage bottling had the most typical Aberlour character, especially in its spiciness. I also enjoyed its liveliness and complexity. The best Aberlour on the day.

The Macallan Fifties
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Closest to The Macallan of today, appropriately enough.

Virginia Gentleman 90 Proof Small Batch Bourbon
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 45.00% 7 Less characterful than the Virginia Gentleman I remember, but still quite distinctive.

Maker's Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 45.00% 8 This famously smooth whisky seems slightly less sweet than I remember, especially in the nose and finish. Better balanced, but perhaps fractionally less distinctive.

Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 50.50% 8 My descriptors make it sound like a dessert whisky, but it is also very appetising. Just a tad too sophisticated for me.

Gibson's Finest 18 Years Old
Blended - Canada - 40.00% 8 Appetising, Very enjoyable.

Old Overholt Canadian rye
Rye - U.S.A. - 40.00% 7 Originally from Pennsylvania. For years, the only reasonably accessible rye. I would have liked it to be more extrovert, to say: “I'm a rye, whether you like me or not, and I'm coming out of the clo...

Adelphi Knockdhu 1989, 12 Years Old, Cask 286
Single Malt - Scotland - 56.60% 7 Delicious. Perilously drinkable. Drink it with dessert. No, pour it all over the ice-cream.

Classic Malts Glenkinchie Special Edition, Friends of the Classic Malts
Single Malt - Scotland - 58.70% 7 Only two Years Older than the regular Glenkinchie, but much richer. A very good cask.

Private Collection Imperial 1990 Sherry Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 The flavours hang together better in this version, and I favour it over the port finish, but by too narrow a margin to score.

Lombard Glen Grant 1964
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 I usually find delicate old Glen Grants to be overwhelmed by oak. This example makes for a mature dram with considerable complexity.

Lombard Springbank 1965
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 8 Robust, but lacks the delicacy and structure of the best Springbanks.

Van Winkle 12 Years Old, Lot B
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 45.20% 8 This should obviously be an ingredient of all self-respecting desserts. An accompaniment to them, too. And an after dinner drink. You are in a dry county? So what?

Gordon & MacPhail Inverleven 1986
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 6 Light, straightforward. Delicacy without mannerism. Keep it for a romantic candlelit dinner.

Milford 10 Years Old
Single Malt - New Zealand - 43.00% 7 Good flavour development.