The shimmering, shape-shifting nose started with wood glue, then cricket bats, cigar boxes and polished furniture, before soaring into crème caramel, buttered brioche, vanilla and cafe crème – eventually we found tea-smoked duck. To taste, we got Lapsang Souchong and Turkish coffee, banana toffee and ‘licking butterscotch off a polished table’. The reduced nose seemed slightly odd, with initial raisin, Riesling and truffle oil resolving into honey, toffee and crunchy nut cornflake sweetness. The palate became sweet and spicy, ‘curious but good’ – hickory-smoked almonds, toasted hazelnuts, sandalwood, five-spice powder and apple skins in the finish. The Haymarket-based distillery closed in 1993.