10 years old, distilled 5th December 2011, 61.9% abv, first fill ex-bourbon barrel, 228 bottles, dram price B

The nose has indistinct herbal notes - fennel, coriander, basil, parsley - and touches of lime. The mouthfeel is thin with no cling. The body has coriander, fennel, green apples and touches of cinnamon. The finish has coriander, fennel and cinnamon.

Water brings out thick, rapidly expanding whorling that doesn’t linger. The nose gains green apple and hints of flakey pastry. The body gains sour apple-flavoured sweets and lime. The finish gains lime, sour apple and hints of pear.

A dram which needs water to make the flavours more distinct, which may or may not be a flaw depending on your point of view.

One for spring afternoons.

Technical score: 3.5/5
Personal preference: I’d have another dram.

This whisky was provided by the SMWS in a preview session - thanks to them for that. Full editorial control has been retained in the tasting process.