Aberlour 1988, Distiller's Selection
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 An astonishingly malty whisky. For someone who wants to taste the eponymous ingredient, this shows it at its best.

Adelphi The Macallan 1988
Single Malt - Scotland - 57.50% 7 I prefer my Macallan with its typical sherry character.

Berry's Own Selection Longmorn 1988
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 Well balanced. A real wee sweetie.

Blackadder Isle of Jura 1988
Single Malt - Scotland - 59.40% 6 Nose better than palate. A tired cask?

Celtique Connexion Strathmill Old Spirit Safe and Cask 16 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00%

Chivas Brothers Caperdonich 16 Years Old, Cask Strength Edition
Single Malt - Scotland - 55.80% 7 Promises more than it delivers. Try it with sweet Turkish coffee or espresso.

Connoisseur's Choice Caol Ila 1988
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Caol Ila can be a little gin-like. This bottling could be served like a Pimms. Mind you, no gin has such a long finish.

Connoisseur's Choice Rosebank 1988
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 A deft balance between the whisky's own character and the sherry.

Cooper's Choice Glen Grant 1988, 15 Years Old, Portwood
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 7 The delicacy of the Glen Grant survives here.

Duncan Taylor Glen Garioch 1988
Single Malt - Scotland - 54.60% 8 Has the X factor.

Duncan Taylor Glen Garioch 1988, 16 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 56.10% 8 Very sweet but the classic heather honey is balanced by the gently peaty, smoky dryness that has vanished from most Highland malts.

Glen Spey 1988 21 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 50.40% 8 It has a sweet punch and some will love this overtly oaky style. I'm not wholly convinced about what it's done to the overall balance.

Glenalmond 1998 Pure Highland Malt
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 A light and gentle aperitif.

Glenkinchie 1988 Distiller's Edition
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 Glenkinchie was always robust for a lowlander, and this expression is more so. Again, it works: the typical grassy sweetness brought out by a touch of sherry.

Glenrothes 1988
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 7 A great addition to the Glenrothes vintages. Stands up well among its fellow bottlings.

Gordon & MacPhail Scapa 1988
Single Malt - Scotland - 43.00% 6 I am not sure about that sulphur. Is it from the cask, or is it seaweedy? I usually like seaweed, but am not convinced by this bottling.

Hakushu 1988 Bourbon Cask
Single Malt - Japan - 61.00% 8 Lean, limber and characteristically smoky. A clear sense of Hakushu malt without heavy wood influence.

Highland Park Artist Edition 1988
- Scotland - 46.00% 7 Mellowand balanced.Worth a look

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 1988 Single Malt Vintage
Single Malt - Japan - 56.00% 8 A pungent character. Warm phenolic and uncompromising but hiding a pleasant cereal sweetness. The alcoholic strength is somewhat burning though. Water helps but does not cut all the sharp edges.

James MacArthur The Glenrothes 1988
Single Malt - Scotland - 53.50% 7 Sophisticated flavours in a delicate structure. Like elaborate petits-fours.

Karuizawa 1988
Single Malt - Japan - 59.30% 8 Sherry masks the distillery character. Fine if you are a big fan. That sickening sweetness with water added is questionable.

Karuizawa 1988 Cask 3397
Single Malt - Japan - 59.80% 7 The nose does not say it all. The old man is still sprightly.

Old Masters Glen Garioch 1988, 18 Years Old
Single Malt - Scotland - 53.90% 7 A big warming dram whose generosity of flavour comes as a relief after a couple of meanies.

Private Collection Caol Ila 1988 Cognac Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 8 All the action is in that finish. A clear points victory for the whisky, with brandy going the distance.

Private Collection Caol Ila 1988 Sherry Wood Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 Less complex, with the distillery character coming through much more strongly.

Private Collection Caol Ila 1998 Calvados
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 The Calvados character is almost overwhelming but Caol Ila comes surging through in the finish.

Private Collection Caol Ila 1998 Claret Finish
Single Malt - Scotland - 40.00% 7 The least characterful of the three Caol Ila wood finishes.

Signatory Highland Park 1988
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 8 A lovely whisky. A sweetish bottling. More complex and elegant than the 'official' 12 Years Old, but not quite as expressive as the 18.

Signatory Laphroaig 1988 Unchillfiltered
Single Malt - Scotland - 46.00% 8 I enjoyed this very much, but it does not add a great deal to the canon.

Tomatin 21 Years Old 1988
Single Malt - Scotland - 52.00% 7 The cask has left a dour print on this whisky. Too grumpy for me.

Whisky Galore Mortlach 1988, Cask Strength
Single Malt - Scotland - 57.90% 7 Good weight of spirit, but needs more from the cask to make it great.