Islay

Extra ageing has calmed the impact of the phenols, with the peat arriving on the palate late, and tempered by smooth oak. A very mellow, mature Islay malt.

An Cuan Mor (Gaelic for 'big ocean') is a travel retail bottling of Laphroaig. Aged in first-fill American white oak bourbon barrels, it is finished in European oak. Rich and spicy with a maritime character.

The 2001 vintage of Caol Ila's entry in Diageo's Distillers Edition range, taking their regular smoky malt and finishing it in sweet Moscatel-wine casks for an extra depth of sweetness.

The middle entry in Bruichladdich's revitalised line-up, sitting between the 10 and 22 to provide a bourbon-cask-focused slice of unpeated Islay whisky.

Always a staple in Diageo's Special Releases, the unpeated bottling of Caol Ila has reached 17 years of age. Wispy smoke combines with gingerbread, sweet-cured meat and smoked fish, with a refreshing lemony note.

The sixth release of Tempest – Bowmore’s cask-strength 10-year-old. Aged in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels, the emphasis is on tropical-fruit character. A peaty, smoky and fruity dram with great balance.

One of the best ongoing bottlings from this great distillery. This is more lightly peated, allowing its fresh, coastal maritime character to shine through. This is a real gem.

This is the relaunched version of Bunnahabhain 18 year old, with owners Burn Stewart having ditched the caramel colouring and chill-filtration and upped the strength to 46.3%. A triumph for 'naturalist' whisky drinkers and a PR triumph for Burn Stewart – bravo!

2013's unpeated release of Caol Ila is named for distillery manager Billy Stitchell, who is retiring after almost 40 years at the distillery. This year it's been bottled without an age statement and despite being 'unpeated' there's a definite smoky tang to the whisky, although less so than in previous years.