The world of whisky can be a confusing one, and working out which bottle to buy yourself this Christmas, let alone which to get as a gift can be tricky. Should you get an Islay Scotch, or an aged Bourbon, something smokey, or something mellow? Is it worth spending over £100 on a bottle, or can you get something nice for £25? In order to help you find a good tipple, OFM's whisky experts Robin McKie and Rebecca Seal tasted a range of very different whiskies, from a savoury peaty Scotch (his favourite, right) to a sweet Irish single malt, priced from £15.50 to £150. Whisky is a very subjective taste, of course, but there's something for everyone here.
Our best buy
Scotch - Ardbeg Ultimate single malt 10 yr old £27.49, ardbeg.com
This is a very specific Scotch, it's incredibly smoky, probably one of the most intensely smoky things you could drink. It's got a deliciously peat-smoke nose, and then the flavour is soily and strong. Very, very good.
Scotch whiskey
Scotch - Talisker 10 yr old single malt £29.95, widely available
This is a really tasty Scotch. It's very peaty and has a classic Islay nose, all iodine and seasideyness. It's slightly sharp, in a very good way. Fantastic.
Scotch - Johnnie Walker Blue Label £149.99, 020 7436 4763, royalmilewhiskies.com
Nice but lacks something in character - it's very mellow. A faintly oily feel with a slight sweatiness to it. A good, posh whisky.
Scotch - Highland Park 18 yr old single malt £58, highlandpark.co.uk
Soft vanilla nose, then much sharper in the mouth than I expected. It's fairly harsh with diesel-ish notes to it. Enjoyable, but could be smoother.
Scotch - Whyte and Mackay 30 yr old blended £150, whyteandmackay.co.uk
Personally, this is too redolent of the cask it was aged in, presumably madeira or port. It's got a strong fortified wine taste to it.
Bourbon
Bourbon - Bulleit £18.95, thedrinkshop.com, 0845 751 5101
There's not so much going on in the nose, but then there's loads going on in the mouth. It's a bit grassy and there's a wee bit of toffee too. This is my favourite of the Bourbons.
Bourbon - Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby 133 £26.95, thedrinkshop.com
Sweet and woody nose, with just a touch of paint-stripper! Straightforward taste, with a nice dryness - it's less sweet than the nose suggests. Tasty.
Bourbon - Knob Creek 9 yr old £27.45, thedrinkshop.com
Very ethanolic nose - you could get drunk on the fumes!This would be an excellent restorative if you had a cold. A proper, old-fashioned whiskey, all old toffees and just a hint of copydex.
Bourbon - Jim Beam Black £22.45, thedrinkshop.com
Slightly smoky nose, you've got to sniff deeply, though, to get it. It's quite full-on in the mouth - a big hit of sticky toffee pudding. I don't think I'd want to drink an awful lot of this.
Irish whiskey
Irish - Tyrconnell single malt £24.99, stockists 020 7224 5009
Unexpectedly sweet nose, like cheap confectionery. It's honeyed and fragrant and a bit too sweet, slightly cloying.
Irish - Bushmills Malt 10 yr old £24.99, Oddbins
Lemony, herby nose. It's fresher than the others in the mouth, quite a substantial cut-grass flavour. But it is a bit insipid.
Irish - Jameson £15.50, stockists 0800 376 5550
Musky and reminiscent of wet grass, in a slightly dank way. It's rather thin and bitter with a mechanical taste.
On our food blog, the perfect dessert wines - do you drink them?
