The August SMWS previews were an odd mix for me. A fair few drams that were too spicy... good drams, but not my style. But then just as I was starting to think it couldn't be recovered, I found three gems.

The sweet, subtle Glen Grant won't impress those who like big drams, but it's seriously good for those of us who like a light and balanced dram. It scored 4.5, and I wish I could afford a bottle! More affordable are the two peated drams, both of which (unusually, for me!) also scored 4.5. The Ardmore is, to use colloquialism, "delightfully bonkers". It has sweet, savoury, fruit and smoke and it shouldn't work. But sometimes whiskies manage to deliver the flavours in a way that binds it all together, and this happens here and saves the day! And finally my favourite of the evening was the Glen Scotia, which has some tar balancing out fruit and soy sauce, with more going on as well. A great dram to finish on!

You should also try the Glenrothes - a nice bourbon cask that's done a great job, and it really suits this current weather. It scored 4, as did a coupe of other whiskies here, but it was the 4 I liked the most.

As I said, it's a short list so I should have it wrapped up by Sunday. I'm in two minds as to whether I should review the non-whisky spirits, as they're not really my forte... all feedback welcomed on that one!