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.

Antiquary 21 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 43.00% 8 Robust, hearty, embracing. Not much subtlety, but it knows its own mind. Very enjoyable. I imagine this with a decadent meal in Tangier.

Bailie Nicol Jarvie
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Demanding and stern. Take some time to understand it. A complex whisky as it reveals its secrets.

Bailie Nicol Jarvie 8 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 7 A pleasant drink with an interesting freshness. Leaves a burning sensation with a spirity feel back in the throat though. No reason to get excited.

Ballantine's 17 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 43.00% 8 The blending skills at Ballantine have long been renowned. The 17 has always seemed to me the most eloquent demonstration of that. Beautifully composed and mature.

Ballantine's 17 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 43.00% 7 Quite a rustic profile, warmed up when aerated. Seems to have retained the waterfalls from all Scotland!

Ballantine's 21 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 43.00% 8 My personal taste is more robust, but I am in awe of the precision and refinement of the older Ballantine's.

Ballantine's Finest
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Very gentle, but a precise clarity of flavours. Drink while listening to Vivaldi.

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.

Ballantine's Limited
Blended - Scotland - 43.00% 8 Much more sherryish than the colour suggests. Sweet. Sponge fingers. I wouldn't have recognised it as a Ballantine's.

Barrogill North Highland Blended Scotch Whisky
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 6 Not exactly subtle,but one hell of a mouthful. Great blending.

Bell's Extra Special Aged 8 Years
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 8 Assertive but rounded. A wonderfully satisfying whisky. Enormously improved since its (and my) younger days.

Ben Nevis Dew of the Ben 21 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 43.00% 7 Somewhat lacking in complexity. For the drinker who wants an easily drinkable whisky with some maturity.

Black Barrel
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 7 The name does not imply a dark whisky – the colour is a good full gold – but the barrel may have been well-charred. There is plenty of juicy wood-extract there.

Black Bottle 10 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 9 A delicious, appetising, new expression of Black Bottle. As a blend, it is a star.

Black Bottle 10 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 8 An uncompromising Islay blend. Washes along sea fragrances. But reveals a sweet nature on the palate. Grain and malt are well married. A good cure for Islay-sickness.

Black Bull 12 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 50.00% 8 A pleasant dram. On the fruit side.

Black Bull 40 Years Old Batch No. 2
Blended - Scotland - 41.90% 9 A pure beauty. The age without the wrinkles...

Blue Hanger 25 Years Old, Second Release
Blended - Scotland - 45.60% 8 The nose suggests a winter warmer, but the palate performs as a summer refresher.

Campbeltown Loch 21 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 8 A good, solid blend. Serve chilled, neat, with Loch Fyne oysters, pickled herrings and scallops.

Campbeltown Loch 25 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Easily drinkable but with a distinct regional character and plenty of flavour. This could become one of my favourite blends.

Cattos 25 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 8 What a surprising whisky. The nose is so shy that you expect a bland palate. And here you are, with a lovely array of fruity flavours. You definitely can't tell a sausage by the skin (one of my favour...

Chivas Brothers 100 Pipers, 8 Years Old
Blended - Scotland - 40.00% 7 A very gentle and fruity whisky. Would have benefited from a balancing dryness.

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.