Balvenie 12yr  Doublewood, 20cl

Combining the same classic ingredients for nearly 200 years, Angostura bitters are a key ingredient in many famous cocktails, often paired with gin and rum to great effect. Despite the name, its flavour is not bitter at all, with the strong aromatic flavour, powerful with gentian and spices. Many cocktails simply wouldn’t be the same without a dash or two of Angostura bitters and it’s the complex herbaceous nature of the product which allows it to offer additional depth and dimension to cocktails.

This classic 12 year old Aberfeldy is a traditional single malt Scotch, distilled up in the Highlands. Rich and malty in character, aromas of cooked cherries, sherry and a light hint of smoke come through first. The flavour is wonderfully sweet with a clean mouth feel and malty notes coming through consistently. Gentle peaty depth reminds you of the quality of this malt and peters off to a gentle finish.

The clue’s in the name with this one, Balvenie Doublewood Single Malt gets its name from the interesting distillation process, involving distillation in two woods. The maturation process involves moving the whisky from a traditional oak whisky cask to a Spanish oak sherry cask, adding more depth to its flavour and creating its warm, rounded character. Sweet fruit and sherry notes are apparent in its scent and the taste is mellow for a single malt, the sherry at work once more, with nuttiness and cinnamon notes building too.

Despite their extensive range of liqueurs it’s the original elegance of their classic Grand Marnier which is the most famous. Made exclusively with a luxurious base of quality Cognac, Grand Marnier has a smooth richness to it and a sharp, vibrant orange flavour. A versatile liqueur which is the base for many cocktails and often enjoyed neat, Grand Marnier is a staple of the classic drinks cabinet and one which will be enjoyed time and again.

MEGA YUM! Sipsmith boys came up trumps with this one. Super silky mouthfeel with notes of lemon barley water and crushed up breakfast cereal from your schooldays. This is followed by a creamy vanilla moment before more lemon and eventually a brief hard boiled barley sugar with orange rind. Finish is  silky and leaves you with a lovely lemon barley note and a desire for more of the same.