Mogwai RockAct81W

Nose: Sherry-soaked raisins, prunes, creamy butterscotch, thick honey, baked apples, cinnamon and lots of fruit jam. A few teaspoons of water brings out a huge dollop of vanilla custard, along with spicy baked red fruit and orange oil.

Palate: Thick, sweet and mouth-coating and that fruity jam note is pushed right to the fore. There's also honey, vanilla, golden fruit and a sliver of raspberry.

Finish: Vanilla. sweet apple, dry wood, custard, tobacco leaf and a slight sponge/biscuit note.

Notes: As a huge Mogwai fan, I had to get my hands on a bottle of this nine year old whisky, which was unveiled to mark the release of the band's new album, Rave Tapes. And, as it was being sold exclusively at The Good Spirits Co. in Glasgow - right beside my office and ahead of their gig at the Royal Concert Hall - I was lucky enough to be able to get down there on Tuesday morning before they sold out - which they did in just three hours. The 324 bottles are all from a single cask from the Glenallachie distillery and bottled at a hefty 57.1% - my bottle in number 149. This was my first taste of Glenallachie as it's really not a malt you see very often - most of the whisky they make is used in blends. On this showing, they should be doing a lot more with their product. While many will have bought the Rockact81W to keep safely unopened for the future, I'm not a collector so I was more than happy to crack it open. After all, isn't that what whisky is all about?