Aberlour 10 Year Old

The nose is vanilla sweet and fruity - I get apples, pears and just a hint of citrus. On deep breaths I get just a tail of spice as I just about finish filling my lungs. For such a cheap whisky, this is genuinely good!

The taste is quite rich, and more complex than you expect. More sweetness - but more toffee-like than vanilla. There are subtle hints of fruitiness, but it's hard to make out individual flavours. Hints of herbs, spices and just a whiff of smoke in the background. There seems to be a fair bit going on here, and it takes a few sips to get everything down.

The finish is very warm, and long, with the toffee sweetness fading to a spicy note that teases your tongue.

While this isn't a top of the range malt, it is a genuinely good dram. More than that it is very non-threatening to new drinkers, and in my experience is a fantastic introduction to single malts, especially for people who are familiar with and enjoy wine. There are a lot of fortified wine-like characteristics with the sweetness and depth of taste.

So, in a nutshell, this dram is fantastic value for money, one of the best introductory malts out there, and still worth coming back to for those with a more developed palate.