Grant's 12-year-old BP (Best Procurable) / 43%/ 0.75l

Wm Grant & Sons is one of the few companies that started out as a distiller and then made a fortune as a producer of blended whisky.

William Grant began distilling at Glenfiddich in 1887, built Balvenie in 1892, and joined the blenders a few years later with Grant's Standfast, in which he used the clan's battle cry, "Stand fast Craigellachie!", which roughly translated meant "We stand together, Craigellachie!". Grant's 12 year old Best Procurable (which roughly translates to the best offer in a given category) was available on the market as early as the 1930s, long before the company built its own Girvan grain distillery (1963). The one presented here, in our opinion, dates from the turn of the 1960s and 1970s and was intended for the Italian market.

Nose : slightly smoky, fruity, ripe apples and pears, peaches, honey, vanilla, toffee, a pinch of black pepper, allspice and toasted oak.

Palate: rich, honeycomb, caramel, milk chocolate, pears, apples, raisins, orange peel, dried herbs, a hint of cinnamon, a hint of leather and oak.

Finish : long, with notes of honey, vanilla, dried fruit, burnt bread crust, allspice, cinnamon, peat and oak.