12 years old, distilled 21st April 2005, 57.1% abv, Refill Ex-Bourbon Barrel, 186 bottles, dram price B

The nose has rum and raisin ice cream, butterscotch, and a hint of chocolate. The mouthfeel is thin with no cling. The body has raisins and pistachio nuts, then a hit of cinnamon and cardamom the builds up gradually. The finish has cinnamon and cardamom with a nutty hint.

Water brings out thing, rapidly expanding whorling that settles into brief mottling. The nose gains a hint of apricot, and loses the chocolate and butterscotch. The body gains peach and apricot, and loses much of the cinnamon and cardamom. It's still there though - it just takes longer to build up. The finish still has the cardamom, loses the cinnamon and gains the apricot.

A fine autumnal dram for hiking and a hipflask.

Technical score: 3.5/5

Personal preference: Just the one dram, thanks.