The first of three Iron Dram single cask Amrut whiskies released for the European market. The Pedro Ximénez cask certainly has the upper hand here. Black cherry, dried cranberry, blueberry, and mixed peel mingle with apple peelings, baked pear, thick-skinned sultanas, and chocolate frosting. Tart piquancy to the fore on the palate, but it melts to show glacé cherry, baked apples, pear, and ground almonds. Water brings the childhood sweetness of old-fashioned Kola Kubes. Oodles of character. £77

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Summer 2014)

We can thank Bangalore’s climate for the arrival of this 2009 distillate. Honeycomb, vanilla shortbread, crispy tart shells, graham crackers, and malt extract make for an attractive proposition. It tiptoes onto the tongue, but within seconds you get the thundering sense of its full strength approaching. Dried fruits, wood spices, malt loaf, chewy caramels, shortbread biscuits, with Horlicks malted milk on the finish. A dash of water triggers a sensation of plump raspberries dipped in chocolate. £59

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Summer 2014)

Full port maturation has been tried by distilleries great and small. What does the cask contribute to the spirit beyond being soaked in port? Empress plums and bramble jelly meet smoke in the form of snuffed candlewicks and smoldering cedar sticks. At cask strength, it’s sharp and puckering but after the plummy opener fades there is rosehip, licorice, zested lime, and a squirt of lemon. Water keeps the licorice, but bottoms out the sweetness for a mouth-filling dram. £82

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Summer 2014)