Family owned and run for over 170 years, the Glenfarclas distillery has produced a slightly smoky, spicy Scotch with a rich long lasting finish. The 15 Year Old is golden amber in colour, the nose shows rich oak and a hint of peat smoke, with soft fruity characters. It is firm-bodied with a luscious glorious oaky finish, with a touch of smoke and sherry sweetness.

LARK DISTILLERY Limited Release Christmas Cask Finish Single Malt Whisky 44% ABV, Tasmania

A beautiful Scotch showing a magnificent balance between malt and peat. Aged for 14 years, slightly longer than most at the same price point, Oban is a whisky for those who love their Scotch's rich, smooth and intense.

Glenlivet is a Sherry-finished Speyside malt Whisky. Honey in colour, spiced on the nose and a smoky palate make this a gorgeously luxurious Scotch.

Cosseted away in the finest, hand-selected oak casks and allowed to mature at its own sedate pace, this is one of the most remarkable, perfectly balanced malts of its kind. One of our rarest most exceptional bottlings, the stocks of Bowmore 18 Years Old may be limited but there's no end to its enjoyment.

To create its well rounded flavour, Glenmorangie 18-Year-Old Extremely Rare Malt spends fifteen years maturing in American white oak casks, then approximately 30% is transferred into Spanish Oloroso casks for a further three years. Then both elements are blended back together to create a whisky with a rich bouquet and full, rounded flavour.

Matured exclusively in the finest sherry oak casks. Vibrant summer fruits burst on the palate, followed by a rewardingly long finish. Natural colour and un-chillfiltered.

Appearance: Oloroso, brilliant clarity, 8/10 viscosity.Nose: Big baked stone fruits and dark vanilla, old oaked sherry, and warm caramel with crisp toffee. Very old oak and sweet tobacco.Taste: Very big, round and smooth, concentrated dark malts with sherry, a hint of dark chocolate, brittle toffee and licorice.Finish: Long, warm sherried and old oak

Note: New blue packaging, not old brown packaging. While the twelve year old is a relatively non-descript malt, older Glenfiddich bottlings are now gaining high praise including one award as the world's best single malt Scotch whisky. However, as a representation of the house style, the 18 year old pretty much nails it. Always a centre-piece of the portfolio, the company has further emphasised its place by redesigning the packaging to give it a more superior look than its 12- and 15-year-old stablemates. The Glenfiddich distillery lies on the river whose name it bears. 'Fiddich' refers to the fact that the river runs through a valley inhabited by deers – hence the company's logo which features a stag. A proportion of the whisky in this version of Glenfiddich is supposedly even older than the label suggests. Tasting note: Deep gold colour. Moderate aromas include honey, clove and vanilla laced malt. On the palate, dried apricots and spice are augmented by soft peat, adding depth to the toasty malt. Plush mouth feel. Clean, dried fruit and spice finish. Rich and round, in the mainstream of Sherry influenced malts. 40% Alc./Vol.

Ardbeg's latest annual offering comes with a curious title that's due to a production modification. Head of Whisky Creation, Bill Lumsden removed the purifier, which typically catches the heaviest vapours from the distillation process. The purifier is also responsible for Ardbeg’s balance between extreme peat and floral fruitiness. The resulting whisky is "all peat". In fact, Ardbeg says that it's their most full-blown expression ever with an intensity of flavour that's unmatched. A spokesperson for the brand describes the flavour profile as, "Defined by a distinctive pungent earthiness, aromatic clouds of dark chocolate, a billow of aniseed and cinnamon, and a lingering tang of sharp peppermint." Dramface.com add "According to an interview Lumsden participated in for WhiskyCast, the experiment which gave birth to this year’s release was conducted 12 years ago. Even allowing for time of year and the time taken to dump casks, blend, package and distribute, it’s safe to assume this bottling is at least 11 years old, given that Lumsden claims the experiment was only ever conducted in one batch." We've just received our allocation. The whisky's unusual conception is brought to life with accompanying graphics created by celebrated comic artist and illustrator, Dilraj Mann. The nose is slightly reticent while the flavour profile leans towards smokey dark chocolate, oily malt, chimney soot and white pepper followed by a dried herbal quality. The aftertaste is ashy, drying, medium long and vaguely fruity in a mezcal kind of way. Like last year's Ardbeg Day release (Ardcore), Heavy Vapours is not quite as intense or complex as anticipated, although it does taste slightly more mature and feels like the texture is amplified, particularly at the finish where cured meats and a salt'n'pepper tang recall middle-weight Caol Ilas. In a word, more elegant than "extreme". 46% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered.