Surprisingly prickly for its age, with sharp, citric notes, but warming – ‘like opening the door of an oven’… Appetising food scents immediately crowded us: apple and pear crumble with brambles; pork sausage casserole, with mushrooms, apples and red wine; a taste both sweet (honeycomb) and savoury (Twiglets, minty Mohito). Becomes more waxy with water, but still sweet and savoury – rosemary potatoes, parsnips, buttered carrots – and these features reflected in the taste. Is this a rare example of umami, the fifth primary taste? This malt is currently the fastest-growing in Taiwan, where it is branded as The Singleton.