Colour: Golden Brown. Tasting notes, undiluted: Nose: Rich, fruity character with floral notes. Palate: Spices initially – peppery with a toffee sweetness developing. With water: Nose: Sweet and perfumed with a peaty/smoky note. Palate: Sherry notes with spicy elements and hints of dry grass. Body: Full & rounded. Finish: Lingering. Cask type: First fill sherry hogsheads. Style: Balanced and mellow, a pleasant dram. scottish whisky

Described in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2006 as ‘A big, sweet, chunky, gawky, grainlashed but hugely enjoyable blend.’ Pigs Nose is an exceptionally fine five year old blended whisky, created by Richard Patterson, Scotland’s only third generation master blender as a companion for Sheep Dip – for week days but not for the Christmas Cake. The blend contains a high percentage (40%) of malt whiskies, principally from Speyside imbuing the product with their characteristic softness; the name comes from the farming expression ’soft as a pig’s nose.’ Colour: Rich, golden copper highlights. Nose: Delicate and refined. Soft sensual floral notes arise in perfect harmony supported by an attractive array of complex fruit flavours. Melon, pear and orange with a hint of almonds conclude this profusion of charming nuances. Taste: Finesse and elegance gives way to a majestic assertion of pure malty flavours drawn from the four distilling regions of Scotland. Each area forges and makes its own inimitable contribution to this outstanding pure malt – the main accent being expressed from the Highlands and Speyside Valleys. scottish whisky

Colour: Pale gold. Tasting notes, undiluted: Nose: Sharp, perfumed with hints of dry grass. Hint of lavender and heather. Palate: Sweet and cloying with spicy flavours – cumin. Hay and pine wood elements. Warming. With water: Nose: Spices and aromatic – coumarin with herbal notes. A touch of coconut and a toffee sweetness developing. Palate: Sweet with smoky hints. Some ripe fruit notes – bruised apples. Drying with some floral flavours. Body: Strong – needs a little water. Finish: Dry grass and floral notes. Cask Type: Refill Bourbon Barrels. Style: Powerful – a dash of water reveals the true distillery character. scottish whisky

Colour: Yellow straw. Tasting notes, undiluted. Nose: Spicy with slight oily notes. A floral pot pourri note emerges with a cedar wood edge. Traces of fruit – pineapples and kiwi fruit. Palate: Spicy with earth and moss – like flavours. Rich, fruit flavours develop with a drying smokiness. With water: Nose: Floral notes with sweet perfumed aromas. A little fruitiness – oranges/tangerines. Palate: Dry and spicy with hints of oak and earth. Some liquorice and dry sherry notes, Body: Medium. Finish: Dry with a hint of mustard. Cask type: Refill Sherry Casks. Style: Aromatic – would go well with food (meat dishes especially). scottish whisky

Colour – Straw. Nose: Floral notes with malty and cereal aromas. Toasted oats. Spicy with citrus fruits also present. Palate: Soft with spicy elements – cumin. Charred oak flavours with a rounding sweetness. With water: Nose: Hints of green apples with sweet, malty aromas. Some floral and cedar wood elements. Palate: Cedar wood and liquorice sticks. Some caramelised sugars with plain chocolate flavours developing late. Body: Soft and delicate. Finish: Slightly sweet with a touch of chocolate. Cask type: Refill Sherry Hogsheads. Style: Light in style – an aperitif. scottish whisky

Colour: Light straw. Tasting notes, undiluted: Nose: Lavender with citrus fruit notes. Some malty, cereal aromas present. Palate: Sweet, floral and dry grass flavours. A spicy, liquorice note develops. With water: Nose: Cereal and hessian with hints of spices. A delicate sweetness – milk chocolate. Palate: Sweet and spicy – hints of cedar wood. The floral notes slowly emerge. Body: Light Finish: Delicate with fragrant notes. Cask Type: Refill Bourbon Casks. Whisky Style: Classic Lowland malt, delicate with subtle aromas and flavours. scottish whisky

Colour: Pale yellow. Tasting notes, undiluted. Nose: Perfumed with a slight waxy note and some green, leafy aromas. Palate: Cereal notes initially with spicy, fragrant flavours. Drying – peppery. With water: Nose: Husky – grist, the floral notes are again present and a slight nuttiness – coconut. Palate: Creamy with delicate spices, floral and malty flavours. Body: Light. Finish: Drying, grassy. Cask type: Refill Sherry Hogsheads. Style: A delicate dram – enjoyable as an aperitif. scottish whisky

Colour – Pale Amber. Tasting notes, undiluted: Nose: Cedar wood – pencil shavings with dry grass and floral hints. Palate: Sweet, roasted malt with subtle fruity elements. With water: Nose: Malty with a sweet chocolate edge. The floral notes are still present. Palate: Sweet with spicy, malty elements. Body: Light. Finish: Malty. Cask type: Refill Sherry Butts. Style: A versatile dram – one to be savoured before or after dinner. scottish whisky

Colour: Intermediate Nose: Full bodied, malty and sweet, without being sherried. An initially fruity nose develops toffee notes with a hint of vanilla. Palate: Medium sweetness, becoming creamy before evolving into a sweet nuttiness, reminiscent of coconuts. Finish: Medium length finish, leaving sweet floral notes on the tongue. scottish whisky

Caol Ila (pronounced ‘cull-eela’), is considered to be one of the lighter of the Islays. Medium-bodied with a rounded flavour. Pale in colour with a greenish tinge. This malt has a peaty nose, with distinct floral notes. It is described as tasting slighty of seaweed/iodine, lightly medicinal, smoky, salty, sweet with a dry peppery finish. scottish whisky