Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age:  10 years
Abv:  43%
Natural colour

Bottle Notes
“Only ever matured in the finest oak casks, our signature TEN YEARS OLD single malt delivers delicate forest fruits and creamy malt, a touch of smoke and rich, lasting sherry notes.”

Nose
A bit of a buttery malt (okay, creamy, like the bottle says).  Berry fruits – blueberry, mild blackberry, mild raspberry.  Smoke is elusive – the barest hint, a light and sporadic brush every now and then.  However, it does become more noticeable much later in the dram.  I get the occasional sense of leather.

Palate
Full with malt, and the berry sweetness waves from a distance.  Overall a sweet mouthful. Later sips continue to deliver a full mouth feel and a fruit and berry sweetness.  As with the nose, the smoke becomes a bit of a presence near the end.

Finish
The sweetness lingers, leaving threads of a butterscotch candy.  An oily mouthfeel is pleasant, but does not seem to carry the flavours.

Final Thoughts
I picked this up on a yellow tag sale, and overall it hasn’t been a stand-out.  It’s fine, politely pleasant.  However, it doesn’t shine in any one area, and it doesn’t pull my attention when I peruse the shelf for a dram.  I haven’t had an unpleasant dram yet, but also not had a dram of note.  As I tasted tonight, it seemed like the initial (light) strength of the malt and berries faded over time, and then there was a smoky character that came through.  But overall, quite light in nose and palate.  Primarily sweet (slight) and a decent mouthfeel.  The natural color is actually pretty striking, a solid, glinting copper.