An exquisite Irish whiskey, matured in a mixture of Oloroso Sherry and Bourbon casks, before a two year marrying period spent in Madeira casks. Produced in limited numbers, each bottle is numbered.

Nose: Rich toffee, honey, spiced fruit notes and dark mocha.

Palate: Chewy, dates, pecans, grapes and mango.

Finish: Sweet, syrupy pipe tobacco and mint.

The yearly Diageo Special Releases always pack some surprises and it's fair to say an unpeated Caol Ila is probably one of them. This single malt Scotch promotes the distillery's lesser-known side as a sherry-forward Caol Ila that swaps smoke for elegant sweetness. It was matured for 15 years in refill and rejuvenated American-oak hogsheads and ex-bodega European oak butts before it was bottled at a cask strength 59.1% ABV.

Nose: Opens with marmalade-laden buttery toast, milk chocolate and fresh orange notes, before red cherry, strawberry and raisin comes through. Lashes of vanilla and a suggestion of spearmint, too.

Palate: Leads with more of that creamy chocolate, fruity yoghurt and honey. Peach is in there too, and in with all the oiliness is a pine-like quality.

Finish: Yoghurt-covered almonds with some liquorice and, yes, some distant smoke.

Overall: It's an viscous drop that packs a creamy-fruity punch.

Back in the 1880s Alfred Barnard, author of The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom, enjoyed an 8 year old Lagavulin he described as "exceptionally fine". As part of their 200th anniversary celebrations, the distillery have therefore decided to recreate an 8 year old! It's bottled at an exciting 48% abv and was matured in refill European and American oak casks.

Nose: Salted popcorn, honey-roasted nuts, tarry ropes and light hints of freshly-chopped cedar. A touch of burnt sugar sweetness lingers.

Palate: Smokey peat appears first on the palate, followed by coriander seed, barley sugar, cumin powder, smoked kipper and marzipan.

Finish: Layers of apple crumble, toasted almond and ash. Another kick of cooking spices right at the end.

A wonderfully balanced expression from the core Caol Ila range, this 18 year old is malty and thick with notes of Caol Ila smoke and phenols, a lovely Islay single malt without extreme levels of peat.

Nose: Aromatic, darkness. Herbal, vegetal. Grassy, creamy malt.

Palate: Big, refined sweetness, leafy. Well integrated oak, smoke, oily, peat. Barley.

Finish: Long, herbal notes, gentle smoke, soft peat. Oily wood.

Caol Ila is one of Islay's best loved distilleries and this 12 year old is their entry level bottling.

This expression is light and fresh with that distinctive Caol Ila smoke and notes of zesty limoncello. A perfect introduction to the joys of Islay malt and the mercurial qualities of peat smoked whisky.

Big Peat's gone and got himself a trusty sidekick in the shape of a dapper Fox Terrier wearing a monocle! Scallywag from Douglas Laing is a vatted malt made from Speyside whiskies, including Mortlach, Macallan and Glenrothes. Many of the whiskies used in the small batch release come from Spanish sherry butts, giving Scallywag a fab sweetness that's balanced by some "mischievous" bourbon cask whisky also in the blend.

Nose: Sweetness jumps up like an excited puppy. Icing sugar, sultanas and candied ginger. A few hints of grain here and there, but sweetness steals the show.

Palate: The sweetness surprisingly retreats, revealing nutmeg and cereal. Vanilla comes in near the end. Cinnamon too, giving it a prickle of spice.

Finish: A pinch of oak spice joins the vanilla and sherry for the finish.

Overall: Incredibly pleasant, the Scallywag is an absolute treat in every sense.

The flagship expression from the Glenkinchie distillery, one of the stalwarts of the Lowlands. A fantastic introduction to the region, Glenkinchie 12 Year Old shows off the characteristic lightness and grassy elements that Lowland whiskies are known for, with nods to cooked fruit and Sauternes wine along the way. Brilliant single malt to enjoy as an aperitif on a warm evening.

Nose: A light, aromatic nose with hints of barley malt, almonds, hazelnuts and manuka honey/beeswax.

Palate: Very fruity palate with a mix of stewed fruits, dessert wine, apple peels and honey. Becomes quite oaky late palate.

Finish: A medium-length finish with barley and freshly mown grass…

Single malt Scotch whisky from the Knockando distillery in the prolific Speyside region, aged for a dozen years before being bottled. Interestingly, they seem to have done away with including the vintage for this bottling...

Nose: Banana chips, honey'd barley and a few fleeting floral flourishes.

Palate: Cadbury Fingers, brown bread with butter, sultanas and honeydew melon.

Finish: A slow build-up of cinnamon and black pepper.

Stunning complex single malt from the awesome Aberlour Distillery, one of the smallest in Scotland's prolific Speyside region. This expression has enjoyed its maturation in a combination of Oloroso sherry casks and first-fill American oak casks. Dig in to all those fruity, spicy sherried notes that you're familiar with from Aberlour, paired with decadent helpings of rich, creamy vanilla. Highly ideal for somewhat chilly evenings, this one.

Nose: Big aromatics on this one with cloves, cardamom and camphor, and then comes a wave of sweeter notes like toffee, milk chocolate and orange rind.

Palate: Full texture, round and creamy, with sweet dark cherries, fudge, and mocha coffee with a refreshing minty breeze.

Finish: Quite long with lingering honey and wood spice.

A 21 year old single malt, triple distilled and aged in second fill sherry casks, though nothing is lost to the power of the sherry. This bottling stands as the flagship for the core Auchentoshan range.

Nose: Soft and supple. Dry grass. Fruity notes, a citrus edge and very floral honey.

Palate: Oily, nuttiness. Dry and rounded with sugared peels.

Finish: Apricot conserve on granary toast with dry citrus notes.

The third release in The Balvenie Stories range is a particularly rich and exciting 26 year old expression, title A Day of Dark Barley. It sounds quite ominous, doesn't it? Don't worry, here's a spoiler to the end of the story - it results in excellent whisky!

This expression harks back to a day in 1992, when Balvenie mashman Brian Webster and maltman Robbie Gormley took in a delivery of dark barley, kicking of a long experiment. Dark barley isn't a common sight in the whisky world - you're more likely to see it put to use in beer brewing, particularly those yummy stouts we hear people talking about. Turns out, it also makes yummy single malt. Ideal.

Nose: Big malty notes, soft brown sugar, vanilla toffee, blossom honey and a mild oaky spiciness.

Palate: Syrupy with a toffee sweetness, some citrusy notes of tangy orange peel, followed by oak vanilla and a touch of cinnamon and ginger spices at the end.

Finish: Enduring gentle waves of vanilla and oak spices.