‘Sweet’, ‘salty’, ‘resinous’ - some of the Panel’s utterances on first nosing; far-away fish smokehouses, sweet barbecue sauce on baby-back ribs, Manuka honeycomb, maple syrup and caramel soon emerged. The taste was full on – ashy, smoked fish, crispy seaweed, earthy, salted caramels, sticky ribs. The addition of water brought out pomegranate molasses, blackened pineapple, sweet leather and tobacco, burning herbs over pine, sweet & sour sauce, smoked gammon, caramelised ribs. Spicy to taste – green ginger, cloves with tobacco (Davidoff we were reliably informed), toasted marshmallows, Highland toffee, barbecue sauce, walnuts covered in honey and the ubiquitous lavender. From the Japanese owned distillery dating to 1779.