Well, hello eclecticism! There's all sorts going on here, starting with some fruity goodness: (acidy) apples, orange peel, pear drops, strawberry-centred banshees and strawberry ice cream. Then the flower-power brigade hits full swing, bringing up the rear with a mixed bunch of geraniums, fuchsia and daffodils, held together with a bundle of grass. It all goes a bit mad from here with some staleness creeping in in the form of ink pads, wet ash and fag ends in a can of Tennents on the morning after. Things get a bit more explosive now, with petrol, hairspray and fireworks all making an appearance. It's hard to categorise the last few nosings, but it would no doubt be a crazy party: bubblegum, Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors, white wine vinegar and leprechauns.

Definitely spicier than the nosings, with pepper, chili, smoked paprika and cloves coming along to the party. There's a varied garden-influence: canary melon, apple, bell pepper, turf and green herbs. Again, a distinct sweetness hangs around, giving you toffee, gomme syrup and chocolate. Things get a bit more abstract at this point: empty space, McNulty from The Wire's guilt and the salt of the sweat of the Taoiseach before a general election. And finishing the whole thing of are perhaps the less-desirable flavours of melted plastic, yellow snow and oil.

The finish seems short, maybe just sneaking in to medium. It's sweet: creme brulee, toffee, millionaire's shortbread, banana, raisins and Christmas. It's nutty too - maybe hazelnuts? - and it's finished off with the 70s folk duo of charcoal & rosewater.

~£30 (70cl)

Whisky Magazine: Redbreast 12yo   |   http://www.whiskymag.com/whisky/brand/redbrea
Wikipedia: Pure Pot Still Whiskey   |   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_pot_still_w

We've always scored out of 10 in our group (see number in red box, below), with scores regularly given across that spectrum. The value out of 100 below is adjusted to the scale most commonly used for whisky reviews, to allow for better comparison.

50 / 100