VAT 69

Nose: Hints of spice and caramel, notes of barley malt, with a soft wheat character. A touch of pear juice.

Palate: Ground almonds and barley malt. Slightly biscuity, more of those pear notes, a little pepper. Sweet, rounded.

Finish: Woody, spiced finish. Caramel.

Overall: Simple, easy-going stuff. If you're looking for a dependable blend, this is an excellent choice.

A famous and very popular blended whisky, Vat 69 comes with a great deal of history. It was first made in 1882 by William Sanderson - a liquor manufacturer from Leith, Scotland. To create the perfect blend, Sanderson made up 100 different vattings of whisky and hired a panel of expert whisky tasters to select the finest one. They chose the 69th vatting, thus the name, Vat 69. Blended using forty different malt and grain whiskies, this is a smooth, balanced spirit and a perennial favourite with blend drinkers.