Aberfeldy 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Refreshing and light-hearted. Almost too playful to take seriously.

Aberlour 12 Years Old, Sherry Cask
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Well-rounded, but the balancing dryness can be slightly bitter.

Adelphi Clynelish 12 Years Old, Cask 3280
Single Malt - Scotland - 57.20% 7 Pungent and vibrant but lacks the beautiful Clynelish style.

Adelphi Highland Park 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 60.90% 8 I like the richness but lacks the balance, roundness and complexity of a great Highland Park.

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.

Antiquary 12 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Feminine. Elegant. Having talked myself into an oriental mind-set, I begin to wonder whether this whisky would accompany some Asian dishes.

Auchentoshan 12 Years old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Good balance.

Auld Reekie 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 8 A drinkable, if relatively undemanding whisky. Perhaps a good introduction to Islay.

Balblair 12 Years Old
- Scotland - 46.00% 7 Another great Balblair.

Balblair 1997 Vintage
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 A stunner.

Ballantine's 12 Years Old, Pure Malt
Blended Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Elegantly restrained. An excellent pure malt for socialising.

Ballantine's Gold Seal, 12 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 43.00% 7 Gold seal is a particularly rich version of Ballantine, but this bottling seems even sweeter and less peaty than I remember. For me, the syrupiness swamps the house character.

Balvenie Double Wood
- Scotland - 40.00% 0 A class act and a finish which works.

BenRiach Over 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 Herbal in the dry way. Leaves a bitter grassy note in the finish. I'd rather have a cup of tea.

Berry's Best Lowland 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 A fine dram to start off a tasting, but not enough interest to engage you the whole night long.

Blair Athol 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 The obvious sherry ageing really suits Blair Athol. It is a malt that matures quickly, and this is very sophisticated for its age. A lovely whisky.

Bowmore 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Glad to see a Bowmore with an age rather than a brand-name.

Bowmore 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 2 Peat is integrated in oak though wood is not overwhelming. Water changes the rules, bringing peat and smoke forward.

Bunnahabhain 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Appetising and remarkably refreshing.

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 12 Years Old Distillery Reserve
Single Malt - Ireland - 40.00% 7 Despite being a malt, it still, somehow has an Irish accent. Slightly more personality than the Bushmills malt at 16 Years Old. Drinkable and sociable.

Cadenhead's Bladnoch 1989, 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 56.30% 7 A neat, summery comforter. Perfect dram for hillwalkers.

Cadenhead's Cooley, World Whiskies 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Ireland - 60.00% 8 This is some bottling; great distillate matured to perfection in excellent casks. One for the Islay bore in your life.

Cadenhead's Invergordon 12 Years Old, Whiskies of the World
Single Grain - Scotland - 65.30% 6 The sweetness on the palate can't tame the alcohol harshness. It has not benefited from the casks as its pale colour confirms.

Canadian Club Classic 12 Years Old
Blended - Canada - 40.00% 7 That medicinal touch gives this whisky an appetising edge.

Canadian Club Classic 12 Years Old
Blended - Canada - 40.00% 7 Oak plays a bigger part there. Spices dry up the demerara sweetness. Nothing much to write home about though.

Canadian Club Classic 12 Years Old
Blended - Canada - 40.00% 7 Again, this rum taste, in a sharper and richer version than the first one.

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 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 3 A balanced expression of peat in this version. A lot of intricate aromas in this dram.

Cardhu
- Scotland - 40.00% 0 Balanced if not hugely complex.

Chieftain's Choice Glenturret 1990, 12 Years Old, Port Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 Refreshing, appetising.

Chieftain's Choice Laphroaig 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 A good, clean Laphroaig. Not exceptional, but true to character.

Chivas Regal 12 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 8 The flavours tail off, as though the whisky is going to sleep. Smooth and easy, but lacks liveliness. Springtime never quite blossoms into summer.

Chivas Regal 12 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Delicately balanced. Clean. Drinkable. There is an element of luxury, but never quite the frisson of luxury that the marketing implies.

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

Connemara 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Ireland - 40.00% 8 This is a bottling of 28 casks of the 1991 vintage, so it is particularly rare an therefore collectible. When it's gone. It's gone.

Connemara 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Ireland - 40.00% 7 That lactic note overwhelms nose and palate. Not sure that a dairy whiskey is something to look forward to! Surprisingly, a dash of water makes more palatable.

Cooper's Choice Bruichladdich 1991, 12 Years Old, Portwood
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 Very appetising. Long, lingering.

Cooper's Choice Clynelish 1990, 12 Years Old, Port Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 Not one of the peaty vintages, and would have benefited from some other element to lift the creaminess.

Cooper's Choice Rosebank 1992, 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 Perhaps 12 years in the cask is slightly too long for most Rosebanks. This does not seem a particularly well-behaved example.

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.

Cragganmore 1984 Distillers Edition, Ruby Port Finish, 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Connoisseurs might miss the austerity of the original – or enjoy the added layer of fruity, winey, sweetness.

Cutty Sark 12 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Clean, fresh and refreshing. A whisky for the beach?

Deanston 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 6 More of a Lowland style. If Deanston were regarded as a Lowland distillery, it would score higher.

Dewar Rattray Bruichladdich 1991, 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 60.00% 8 Savoury. Summery. A picnic malt. Or eating freshly shucked oysters with Jim McEwan.

Dewar Rattray Bruichladdich 1993 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 55.10% 7 Complex, subtle and interesting, but not a dram to stay at home for. Go out, have fun!

Douglas Laing Ardbeg 1992 12 Years Old, Rum Finish, Park Avenue Liquors
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.00% 8 With smoked salmon and a squeeze of lemon.

Douglas Laing Mortlach 1992 12 Years Old, Sherry Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.00% 7 Urbane. Austere.

Dram House Vatted Malt, 12 Years Old, Milroy's
Blended Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 Conclusion: A true and easy-going mariner. Straight forwardness takes the place of complexity. Is Caol Ila a major player in the vatting?

Elijah Craig 12 Years Old
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 47.00% 8 Less structured than might be expected in a 12 Years Old, but a perilously drinkable, appetising bourbon.

Elijah Craig 12 Years Old
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 47.00% 7 Oak (and age) has lessened the creaminess and sweetness of the spirit. Would probably tune in with a cigar, but too oaky for me.

Four Roses 120th Anniversary Barrel Strength 110.8 Proof
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 55.40% 8 The perfumed aspect might not appeal to all,but the balance on this is great. Recommended.

Gibson's Finest 12 Years Old
Blended - Canada - 40.00% 7 Pleasant and well-balanced, with a freshness and confidence.

Glen Darbach 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Approachable – even amiable – but with some substance. Wintery flavours that are warming without being challenging.

Glen Garioch 12 Years Old, National Trust for Scotland bottling
Single Malt - Scotland - 47.40% 7 Approachable and enjoyable, but a little mild-mannered for me. Bring back the peat…please!

Glen Moray 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 A sweet, soft and mellow fruitiness. Too much is too much sometimes.

Glen Moray 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 So beautifully composed that it left me craving some imperfection.

Glen Moray 12 Years Old, Chenin Blanc Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Smooth body, beeswax-like. The wine adds an element, but many loyalists will miss the previous version.

Glen Ord 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Anyone not quite understanding the term "malt" should try this whisky. All will then be clear.

Glen Ord 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 I have long had a sneaking feeling that this malt was underrated. It is: based on my first tasting of the day, in April, 2003.

Glen Spey 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 Definitely Speyside. Elegant interplay between fruit and malt.

Glen Spey 12 Years Old, Distillery Malt
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 Richer and more expressive than any version I have tasted previously. Extraordinary sweetness.

Glendronach Original, 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 A very enjoyable whisky, but somewhat lacking in liveliness.

Glendullan 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 Very pale indeed. Wood a little worse for wear. Has a hard edge, but becomes silky and disrobes quite sexily.

Glendullan 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 Big in both body and flavours, but restrained and controlled throughout.

Glendullan 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 A son of the soil. I would like to pit its spicy flavours against a good haggis.

Glenfarclas 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 Confident. Straightforward. A first-class whisky. Well-rounded. No-nonsense.

Glenfiddich 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 0 Bigger than I recall with better oak interaction and all the better for it. Do not underestimate or dismiss.

Glenfiddich 12 Years Old, Special Reserve
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Glenfiddich has much more roundness of flavour since it switched from 'no age statement' to 12 years.

Glenfiddich 12 Years Old, Special Reserve
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Easy-going, fresh and fruity, but the palate does not reflect the liveliness of the nose.

Glenfiddich 12 Years Old, Toasted Oak
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 A bit of a let down after such a great nose. A very pretty whisky but higher alcohol might have given it better impact in the mouth.

Glenfiddich Caoran Reserve, 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 A more sprightly Glenfiddich than the standard 12. Thirst-quenching. Peatiness and the smoked finish aren't as 'distinct' as the label suggests.

Glenkeir Treasures Ben Nevis 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 A slightly uneasy balance between cereal, fruit and oak. Do not water.

Glenkinchie 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 A huge leap in quality from the old 10 Years Old.

Glenkinchie 12 Years old
- Scotland - 43.00% 6 The sulphur knocks it back in aroma erms, but the palate is good. A simple aperitif.

Glenmorangie 12 Years Old, Millennium Malt
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 Very evident first-fill Bourbon character.

Glenmorangie 12 Years Old, Millennium Malt
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 The earlier, and less expensive, of two millennium bottlings. In this one, the emphasis is on first-fill bourbon barrels.

Glenturret 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Crisp. Earthy. After a walk in the forest?

Golden Horse Chichibu 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 50.00% 6 Bittersweet, sophisticated.

Gordon & MacPhail Longmorn-Glenlivet 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 The most honeyed Longmorn I have tasted. A breakfast malt.

Gordon & MacPhail Pride of Islay 12 Years Old
Blended Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 More Islay character on the nose than on the palate. A good appetite-teaser.

Gordon & MacPhail Pride of Orkney 12 Years Old
Blended Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Very fragrant on the nose but more restrained in the mouth. Needs time to perk up.

Gordon & MacPhail Pride of Strathspey 12 Years Old
Blended Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Good introduction to Speyside's generosity. Especially if served with a crème brûlée.

Gordon & MacPhail Pride of the Lowlands 12 Years Old
Blended Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Disappointingly on the wood side. For those who like it oaky!

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.

Grant's 12 Years old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Would take ice and ginger well. Very good blending.

Hakushu 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 7 What you nose is not what you get. The palate is rather coarse as much as the nose is subtle. Water cuts the edges.

Hakushu 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 7 A perfectly balanced dram. Fruit and spices mingle gently.

Hakushu 12 Years Old Pure Malt
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 8 A beautifully structured, appetising, whisky. Captivating.

Hokuto 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 40.00% 8 A wee cracker. Nothing sophisticated. Clean, straight and well combined. Quite cheering.

Hokuto 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 40.00% 7 A pleasant summery dram. Keeps fruity all the way.

Inverey 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 On the bland side. The overall impression is of lightness and sweetness, but a nice touch of balancing dryness in the finish.

Islay Mist 12 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Needs water to open the nose, but the palate is rather simple.

Isle of Skye 12 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 8 The aromas and flavours evoke breakfast, but in a farmhouse kitchen with an open fire, rused and dashed by the winds down the chimney.

James MacArthur Bladnoch 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 Gentle to the point of reticence. Aperitif. Or try it with Morrocan food.

Jameson 12 Years Old
Blended - Ireland - 43.00% 8 The aroma that I associate with a traditional Irish. A superb example for everyday drinking.

Jameson 12 Years Old
Blended - Ireland - 40.00% 8 For the money, this is the best damn blend you will ever, ever taste.

Jameson 12 Years Old, Old Distillery Reserve
Blended - Ireland - 40.00% 8 I find the aroma quite sexy. The palate is big, but the finish leaves me wondering about the casks.

Karuizawa 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 40.00% 6 I found myself writing some of the same descriptors as I did 15 or 20 years ago. That says something for the consistency of this product.

Karuizawa 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 40.00% 7 Reveals more balance on the palate than expected. Certainly on the wood side but in a rich and complex way.

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

Lagavulin 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 57.70% 8 You can see into this like a rockpool. Clean and pristine. Complexity building.

Lammerlaw 12 Years Old, Peated Malt Finishing
Single Malt - New Zealand - 40.00% 7 The peat is so light that it is barely perceptible in the nose and palate, but it's dryness creates a contrast that lifts the sweeter notes.

Lammerlaw 12 Years Old, Special Finishing
Single Malt - New Zealand - 40.00% 6 I thought the earlier, younger bottling had more vigour.

Langs Select 12 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 7 A light, refreshing and aromatic blend. To be enjoyed with light food such as seafood salad or trifle. No water please.

Linkwood 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 Linkwood always evokes thoughts of sweetmeats. This one seems a particularly sweet interpetation.

Linkwood 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 Satisfies nose and palate equally. To be opened and enjoyed at Christmas.

Linkwood 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 A strange fellow. As if all was delivered in a dash. Then the finish seems to never end.

Littlemill 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 6 Marked down for that cabbagey character – right back to school dinners.

Mannochmore 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 Rich, bonnie and complex. Not showing off, just beaming.

Matisse 12 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Quite a complex blend but it takes time to deliver. Well-balanced. Again it would have displayed more at a higher strength.

Matisse 12 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Enjoyable. More-ish. Perfect for lacunae in a busy schedule. Those leather sofa moments in hotel lobbies. Sip it while munching cocktail snacks.

Nikka Single Coffey Malt
- Japan - 55.00% 7 Layers of seductive soft fruitiness. A malt made in a Coffey still? Why the hell not.

Nikka Single Coffey Malt
Single Malt - Japan - 55.00% 7 Layers of seductive soft fruitiness. A malt made in a Coffey still? Why the hell not!

Old Charter 12 Years Old
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 45.00% 7 A good, substantial bourbon.

Old Charter The Classic 90, 12 Years Old
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 45.00% 7 Biscuits and gravy and a shot of Charter 12. The breakfast of champions.

Old Course Hotel 12 Years Old Speyside Malt
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 6 The sweetness fails to mask a whisky that hasn't matured. All rather flat and plain.

Old Fitzgerald 12 Years Old
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 45.00% 8 Characterful, but not an easy whisky on the basis of this bottling. Bitterness seems to have gained a notch at the expense of the fudge flavours. Water brings it back, but not all the way.

Old Malt Cask Bowmore 1991, 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.00% 7 Lightweight, but very drinkable.

Old Malt Cask Caol Ila 1991, 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.00% 8 Conclusion: Another perfectly fine Coal Ila, but nothing to blow the mind.

Old Malt Cask Glen Grant 12 Years Old Wine Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.00% 6 Seems cobbled together.

Old Malt Cask The Macallan (Rum Finish), 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.00% 7 All rather insubstantial but attractive enough though.

Old Masters Bladnoch 1992 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 56.10% 7 Quite assertive for Bladnoch. Not keen on the papery character. Quality of wood?

Old Masters Bowmore 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 57.80% 0

Old Masters Bruichladdich 1991 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 58.70% 7 The Laddie in austere mood. Best before dinner.

Old Pulteney 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 A complex and distinctive malt.

Old Pulteney 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Forget about the first nose and enjoy that luscious exotic profile. But no water, thank you.

Old Pulteney 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 A full bowl of stewed and dried fruit. For a breakfast treat?

Pittyvaich 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 6 Pittyvaich has always seemed a bit spirity to me, like a Scottish grappa. This version is softened slightly by the sherry.

Pittyvaich 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 6 You need to be sherry-mad to love this. Water releases more pleasant fruitcake notes on the nose but more harshness on the palate.

Queen of the Moorlands 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Has nothing to be ashamed of, but could do with more action at the front end.

Redbreast 12 Years Old
Blended - Ireland - 40.00% 9 Delicious, soothing, contemplative. A great whiskey. Makes me want to get on a plane to Dublin immediately.

Redbreast 12 Years Old
Blended - Ireland - 40.00% 8 Those oily, cakey aromas still have me hankering for a weekend in Dublin. Tea and cakes at the Shelbourne, then off to the Horseshoe Bar for the first whiskey of the evening.

Redbreast 12 Years Old
Blended - Ireland - 40.00% 9 This is what real pure pot still whiskey is all about, a glorious contradiction of soft fruit and firm grain, oily seeds and sweet wood. World beating stuff.

Rosebank 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 Relatively young, but beginning to weary nonetheless. Perhaps this tiredness is caused by worry about the future. A feminine whisky that has lost the first bloom of youth. Snatch a kiss while you can.

Royal Lochnagar 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Complex, beautifully rounded and soothing.

Scapa 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 Scapa can seem a delicate whisky, but it is full of flavours, and deserves its growing following.

Scottish Leader 12 Years Old Blend
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Very mild, but a blend assembled with great skill and subtlety.

Sendai 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 45.00% 8 A totally different style from Yoichi malts. A very enjoyable, sweet, pick me up. After a round of golf?

Singleton of Dufftown 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 A perfectly pleasant dram, but lacking the finesse and complexity of the best on show here.

Springbank 12 Years Old, Rum Cask
Single Malt - Scotland - 54.60% 8 More rounded and elegant than the earlier, 10 Years Old rum cask. I enjoy the Springbank rum cask whiskies very much, though not at the expense of the more traditional expressions.

Strathisla 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 A malt that dares to be truly oaky. Thank heavens for boldness and individuality in a world where blandness is always an easier option. This beautiful old distillery is Chivas' showpiece, but it is mo...

Strathmill 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 A dessert malt, perhaps, but for that purpose I prefer sweeter bottlings.

Stronachie 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 On principle, I have misgivings about private bottlings of unidentified malts, but this is an excellent dram.

Taketsuru 12 Years old
Blended - Japan - 40.00% 6 Beautifully presented with fruit and barley working together. But a tad polite and falls just short of superstar status.

Tambowie 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Starts interestingly, but doesn't seem to go anywhere.

Tamnavulin 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Very much as I remember it. Fresh, attractive.

The Balvenie 12 Years Old, Double Wood
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 9 Yet richer, and fruitier.

The Balvenie 12 Years Old, Double Wood
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 Delicious.

The Balvenie Signature
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Best neat and further proof of Balvenie's premier league status.

The Dalmore 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Said to be married in sherry butts. In this instance, marriage certainly works.

The Dalmore 12 Years Old, Black Pearl
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Good balance. A fruity profile. To be enjoyed with a lemon-meringue pie or a syllabub.

The Glenlivet 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 A pleasant anytime dram. Very refreshing.

The Glenlivet 12 Years Old
- Scotland - 40.00% 0 Seems a little fatter on the palate than in the past,and none the worse for it.

The Glenlivet 12 Years Old American Oak Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Lacks the subtlety of a more conventional Glenlivet, but will charm some consumers with a richer, creamier, style. Very drinkable indeed.

The Glenlivet 12 Years Old First Fill Sherry Cask
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Not much middle palate. Lacks roundness.

The Glenlivet 12 Years Old, French Oak Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 The oak does not dominate, but is quite powerful for such an elegant malt.

The Macallan 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Can a malt be both popular and good? Of course, but not if your taste is determined by elitism. (The same applies to musicians, writers, etc).

The Macallan 12 Years Old, Fine Oak
Single Malt - Scotland - 0.00% 8 Starting to get there now. The qualitative jump from 10 to 12 is exactly parallel to that in sherried expressions. I'd buy this one!

The Macallan Gran Reserva
- Scotland - 45.60% 7 Good balance of high-impact oak and rich spirit. A powerful Macallan.

The Wee Dram Caol Ila 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 I like this young man: he's showered and shaved, suited and booted, and off for a night on the town.

The Wee Dram Mortlach 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 8 The first bottling from The Wee Dram. A promising debut.

Tomatin 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 More delicate than I remember.

Tomintoul Oloroso Sherry Cask 12 Years Old
- Scotland - 40.00% 7 Very shy almost embarassed. Don't be, Tomintoul.Shout it out!

Tullamore Dew 12 Years Old
Blended - Ireland - 40.00% 7 Flirtatious, but not a lot to say for itself.

Tullamore Dew 12 Years Old
Blended - Ireland - 40.00% 8 Sophisticated and seductive, but I always find it a little lacking in substance.

Tullamore Dew 12 Years Old
Blended - Ireland - 40.00% 7 This is a super little whiskey; a premium Jameson clone. And a good one too.

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?

Van Winkle Special Reserve, 12 Years Old
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 45.20% 7 Well balanced. Easy to drink. Not especially complex.

W.L. Weller 12 Years Old
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 45.00% 8 Lots of layers. A great dessert whiskey. Thanksgiving dinner?

W.L. Weller 12 Years Old
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 45.00% 7 Plenty of dimension. The acidity makes it especially appetising and drinkable, and potentially an accompaniment to food. Bring on the barbecue.

W.L. Weller 12 Years Old
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 45.00% 8 Would I take a bath in this? Well, perhaps a shower.

W.L. Weller 12 Years Old
Bourbon - U.S.A. - 45.00% 7 The nose delivers more than the palate. Once more, oak overwhelms fruit and bitterly dries the finish.

Whyte & Mackay 12 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Do you have a sweet tooth? Verges on the liqueur-ish.

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.

William Cadenhead Craigellachie Glenlivet 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 58.30% 7 Saved by the water and though too insubtantial to get a high mark would make a good aperitif.

Yamazaki 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 7 This was a pioneering malt in Japan, for which Suntory deserve great credit.

Yamazaki 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 7 A pioneering malt in Japan, for which Suntory deserve great credit. In its early days, it was rounded and delicate, as though wary of offending anyone. Now it is more intense, confident and elegant.

Yamazaki 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 7 An open and conversational whisky. Does not boast complexity but has a vibrant fruity aromatic profile. Tastes stronger than 43%.

Yamazaki 12 Years Old
Single Malt - Japan - 43.00% 7 The palate does not keep what the nose promises. Disappointing. Sweetness does not make up for flavour.

Yoichi 12 Years Old, Peaty and Salty
Single Malt - Japan - 55.00% 8 An interesting combination of fruit and peat. They don't mingle, they keep playing hide and seek. More complexity than it appears. Water makes it caressing.

Yoichi 12 Years Old, Woody and Vanillic
Single Malt - Japan - 55.00% 8 Soft and smooth whisky which seems tired. Not particularly exciting.