Johnnie Walker Green

It is a blended malt, which means malt whisky only, with no grain whisky added. Green Label combines four single malts, Talisker from Skye, Caol Ila from Islay, and Cragganmore and Linkwood from Speyside, and each has spent at least fifteen years in cask. It is bottled at 43 per cent.

In the glass it reads as cut grass and fresh fruit, then wood smoke, pepper, vanilla and sandalwood, with a long, earthy finish. The smoke is clearly there but sits inside the fruit rather than over it, which separates it from the plain sweetness of a grain blend.

Serve it at room temperature in a tumbler, adding a small splash of still water if the pepper feels sharp. It goes well beside grilled fish or a smoked cheese, which echo the peat without competing with it.