Macallan – 18yo / 1995 – DB – 43%

Colour: Dark golden, copper and orange tints.

Nose: Heavy, pungent winter fruits, malt and balanced old wood notes with toffee vanilla caramel coming through after a while. Very pleasant and keeps you sniffing!

Palate: Smooth and gently spiced, light to medium oils with winter fruits and baked cooking apples. Finish: Fairly long and warming, the Christmas cake fruits continuing nicely for a good while. A surprisingly fresh note left with you.

Thoughts: With age stated Macallans becoming rarer this is worth a look, but is an 18yo really worth around £120, especially when only at 43%? People will no doubt buy it anyways! However, that said it’s a wonderful, calming and tasty dram, if it was cheaper I’d happily have a bottle. Score? 89+. It’d be higher at a higher ABV and lower price.

Water: Don’t bother adding anything more than the very smallest drop.

Available from The Green Well Stop for £122.50.