AFFORDABLE TOP OF THE RANGE WHISKIES

 INDULGE YOURSELF WITH THESE EXPRESSIONS

The world of Scotch is evolving, with restless distillers nowadays playing around with various categories of the whisky, from heavily-peated smoke bombs to sherry-cask whiskies. There is a plenitude of diversity in Scotch, including single malts, which are made with malted barley, and blended Scotch, whose mash bills include other grains. From the Highlands to the isle of Islay, here are some of the best Scotch whiskies to get started. These are mainly priced between the $80-100 mark.

The GlenDronach Revival 15 YO

The GlenDronach Distillery nestled in the valley of Forgue, deep in the East Highland hills near Aberdeenshire, is named after the source of its water: the Dronac burn. Founded in 1826, The GlenDronach was one of the very first licensed distilleries and has a history of enterprising owners, from the flamboyant James Allardice to the ambitious Walter Scott. Allardice was a colourful character and stories abound as to how he promoted his whisky with entrepreneurial flair.

Although times have moved on, the processes used to create The GlenDronach have remained largely unchanged. The GlenDronach is of true Highland style: a heavy and robust spirit, perfect for a long maturation period in sherry casks. Their secrets have been guarded for nearly 200 years by a parliament of rooks who love The GlenDronach so much they try to nest in the warehouses. The distillery folk believe as long as the rooks remain at the distillery, it will be good for the whisky.

GlenDronach was bought in 1960 by William Teacher & Sons. In 1968, GlenDronach was released as a single malt brand for the first time and the brand’s reputation grew from strength to strength. In 2008, nothing less than a complete renaissance began. The BenRiach Distillery Company became GlenDronach’s proud new owner. While time can never stand still, the commitment of the team at GlenDronach will ensure that the distinctive practices that have always defined the distillery will live on – the most influential of these, its return to independent ownership.

After ceasing production in 2015, The GlenDronach Revival Aged 15 years has returned to the core range  of the distillery’s line-up. Aged in the Highlands, the expression embodies The GlenDronach’s signature style of Spanish Sherry  Cask maturation in fine Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks from Andalucía, quietly growing in stature for 15 years in the darkness of our dunnage warehouses.

Poured and sipped, it starts off with a brilliant spiced fruit nose. Drink it neat with milk chocolate or aged cheeses, or drop an ice cube in and let it sit for a few seconds and see what happens.

In flavour, the expression offers sumptuous notes of dark fruits, rich chocolate and manuka honey with  an enveloping, memorable finish worthy of this monumental malt’s history. This luxuriously sherried Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky is bottled at 46% ABV, non chill filtered and natural in colour.

LAGAVULIN DISTILLERS EDITION 2020 43% ABV

There have been distilleries at Lagavulin since the 18th century, though it wasn’t until 1816 that farmer John Johnston founded the first legal operation. A year later a second distillery appeared, this one run by Archibald Campbell. The two were united under a Glasgow trader, and in 1887, Peter Mackie arrived at the distillery, under whose guiding hand the distillery named Lagavulin was to become the last word in Islay malt. The name Lagavulin is an anglicisation of Lag a' Mhuilinn, the Scottish Gaelic for hollow of the mill.

Lagavulin is now owned by Diageo. The standard bottling is a 16-year-old, bottled at 43% ABV. They also bottle a Distiller's edition, finished in Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks. Miles and miles of peat bog in the west of the island provide the raw material which imbues the barley with that distinct smoky flavour; not to mention the rich peaty water that runs down the brown burn from the Solan Lochs and into the distillery. The smoky, peated Lagavulin is seen as the ultimate expression of this region.

Lagavulin's Distillers Edition scotch whisky has a distinctive, terroir-driven character: tarry rope, iodine, seaweed and peat. Smoked, phenolic earth and brine. But the distiller bowls a googly for the special edition, transferring the scotch near the end of its 16 years of aging into barrels that once held Pedro Ximénez, with a new balance created in the arcing nuance of the sherry. It’s a challenge for your palate—the peaty notes come across strongly in the nose, but once you sip it, you’re taken aback by the fruitiness.

Distilled in 2005 and bottled in 2020, this full-bodied Scotch is sweet and has an incredibly long, engaging finish of fruit, peat and oak. This special Lagavulin demands to be served in a traditional whisky glass, neat or with a little water.

Lagavulin Jazz 2020 52.6% ABV

Lagavulin Jazz 2020 celebrates the 22nd anniversary of the Islay Jazz Festival, which was held online on Lagavulin and Friends of the Classic Malts Facebook pages on the 3rd of October and hosted in partnership with Jazz Scotland. The Lagavulin Jazz Festival bottling has been much adored since its launch in 2011 and the annual release of the exclusive bottling for the festival has become a key moment in the whisky calendar. This is rather expensive.

The 2020 expression is a 22-year-old Whisky that has matured in refill American and European Oak casks, some of which were seasoned with wine. Exactly what is meant by this statement is not clear, but it is possible there are re-charred / re-seasoned casks in the combine. The mix of casks has given an extra twist of rich, smooth and sweet fruitiness to the palate and finish of the Whisky.

Lagavulin Jazz 2020 comes in at 52.6% ABV; only 2,004 bottles will be made available. The Lagavulin Jazz 2020 Whisky was available to purchase since October 3, exclusively from the Lagavulin Distillery on Islay, and cost £405 ($526 USD) per 700ml bottle.

ARDBEG BLAAACK LIMITED EDITION 46% ABV                                    

There have been many ups and downs on the long road to Ardbeg throughout the years. Ardbeg has been called “as close to perfection as makes no difference,” by whisky connoisseurs. Proof then, that Ardbeg truly deserves its incredible reputation. It’s a whisky that’s worshipped around the world. In the past ten years, six different Ardbeg expressions have won prestigious titles including World Whisky of the Year, Scotch Whisky of the Year and World’s Best Single Malt.

Ardbeg’s story is one of irrepressible spirit surviving against overwhelming odds, finally emerging as, unquestionably, one of the greatest distilleries on Earth. The most phenolic malt in the business, soft pure water from their own water source plus dedication and passion. Making Ardbeg needs a special kind of chemistry – some would say it's a combination of the process itself and the people who make it. In 1997, The Glenmorangie Company purchased the distillery and the Distillery reopened in 1997. Full-time production commenced, with the first bottlings comprising 17 YO, 1978 Vintage and Ardbeg Provenance. In 1998, Ardbeg was voted Distillery of the Year. In a remarkable turnaround in only 12 short months, the 17 Years Old plus Ardbeg 1975 20 Years Old launch proved Ardbeg’s mettle.

Ardbeg Blaaack is the feisty Limited Edition bottled in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Ardbeg Committee, founded in the year 2000.

To mark such a momentous occasion, the Distillery vowed that the casks used to honour their global flock would be right on the nose. For the first time in Ardbeg’s history, they rounded up Pinot Noir casks from the country that lies the furthest distance from Islay – New Zealand, that other remote island nation where sheep have often outnumbered the locals by 7:1.

Ardbeg Blaaack knits together velvety summer fruit pudding and bitter cherry, with a deeper edge of soot and Ardbeg’s hallmark smoke.

Deanston 12 Year Old Distillery Bottling 46.3% ABV

There are many distilleries in Scotland which started life as mills, but none of them had quite the scale of Deanston. This huge plant was constructed on the banks of the fast-flowing River Teith in 1785. It also had what was claimed to be the largest water wheel in Europe.

In 1964, the buildings were bought by Brodie Hepburn who changed it to a distillery to produce Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Production started in 1969, but its original owners only had it for three years before the company was bought by private label specialist Invergordon. It ran for a decade before the ‘80s whisky slump forced its owner to shut it down. Eight years later, it was bought for £2.1m by Burn Stewart.

Even though production started in 1969, Deanston has retained some old-style features in kit and distilling regime. Its mash tun is open-topped for example, while the way it is run – low gravity worts, long fermentation, slow distillation – helps to produce a new make style which is in the waxy quadrant. This represents a switch back to the original style. In the Invergordon era, Deanston had conformed to a modern style of production, making a light dry ‘nutty-spicy’ make.

Today organic barley is also run through the stills and, in common with all of Burn Stewart’s single malts, it is bottled without chill-filtering or caramel tinting. Although single malt bottlings started relatively early – in 1974 – it is only recently that Deanston has been elevated to a front-line single malt brand. Its more of a relaunch in fancy packaging for Deanston's single malt, previously famous as the whisky used in the much-missed Wallace whisky liqueur. Deanston is the only distillery in Scotland that is self-sustaining for electricity, being equipped with a dam and a turbine. It is the greenest distillery in Scotland. The turbine house processes 20 million litres of water an hour. The excess electricity is then sold to the National Grid.

With a smooth and creamy sweetness, sumptuous hints of fruit, malty honeyed spiciness and soft vanilla, this crisp 12 year old finishes with a satisfying tingle of cloves.

In 1997, The Glenmorangie Company purchased the distillery and the Distillery reopened in 1997. Full-time production commenced, with the first bottlings comprising 17 YO, 1978 Vintage and Ardbeg Provenance. In 1998, Ardbeg was voted Distillery of the Year. In a remarkable turnaround in only 12 short months, the 17 Years Old plus Ardbeg 1975 20 Years Old launch proved Ardbeg’s mettle. 

The Glenlivet 14 YO Cognac Cask Selection 40% ABV

The remote and isolated Livet valley made it ideal for illicit distillation. This is where Glenlivet’s founder George Smith learned his craft. Hidden away from the Customs Officers and soldiers amongst the hills and abundant springs, George had time to distil slowly making a whisky that would soon become world renowned. With the passing of George Smith, the job of continuing his life’s work fell to his youngest son, John Gordon Smith.

When John’s second great-nephew Captain Bill Smith Grant took over the distillery in 1921, he was met by two challenges: The Great Depression and Prohibition in the USA. Captain Bill rose to meet these challenges head on. Even though production dropped during these tough years, the distillery emerged in a great position in the US market after the repeal of Prohibition.

                                     

That was when Americans came forward, thirstier than ever for fine Single Malts. Glenlivet was in the perfect place to serve them a dram. One of their first major customers was the Pullman Train Company, who began serving miniature bottles on their routes, helping to spread this fine whisky across the continent.

Thanks to trains, planes, and automobiles, the middle of the century saw The Glenlivet account for half of the Scottish malt whisky sold in the US. Word soon spread to all corners of the world. To this day The Glenlivet continues George Smith's vision to break traditions, set new standards and move things forward; selecting exceptional unique casks, finishes and liquids and delivering unique serves and cocktails to open up the world of single malt to all.

The Glenlivet 14 Year Old is their newest whisky. Featuring raisin-rich cognac and signature citrus notes married with creamy smoothness, the luscious liquid has travelled from bourbon and sherry casks to a selective finish in cognac casks. Bursting with sweet and fruity aromas, The Glenlivet 14 Year Old shines as a proud celebration of Speyside craft. Wander from the misty glens of Scottish Speyside to the rolling vineyards of France’s Cognac region at every sip.

Its surprising that it took this long for someone to crack out a brandy finish. We’ve seen everything from Chenin Blanc finishes to Mezcal finishes, and yet it took this long for a major market participant to put whisky in a barrel that previously matured cognac. This particular example was aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before being “selectively” aged in cognac casks for around 6 months. The 14 year-old single malt is bottled at 40% ABV, includes added colour and is chill filtered.

Nose: Rich, nutty, and with a distinct brandy note. Not at all shy, but also not particularly complex. Brandy, a hint of green apple, a swath of malt, and middling caramel sweetness is all I can pick up. Still, the whole is round and complete and pleasant.

Palate: Thin bodied. Moderate tongue burn, considering the minimum ABV. Generally a reprise of the aroma, with a distinct grape-y brandy note, mildly sweet malt, a haze of barrel char, and a slight hint of green apple / green grape.

Finish: Medium length. Very consistent, this one. The notes are mostly continuations of the flavors from the palate. The brandy comes to the fore here, with a honey-and-raisin note that fades quickly, leaving barely-bitter tannins. Again, wholesome if uncomplicated.

With Water: A few drops of water initially shut down the aroma, necessitating a rest in the glass. The aroma comes back slowly – first with increased nose tickle and a vague green bramble note, and then a bit of caramel. On the tongue the body is a little weightier and the tongue burn lessened. The finish is a bit sweeter. Water is optional here – experiment if you’re curious.

Overall: A very straightforward by-the-numbers dram with a successful if uneventful brandy finish. It tastes exactly like you expect it to – Glenlivet with an extra couple of years of maturation and a glazing of grape-forward brandy. For $40, that’s a slam dunk.

Benromach 15 YO 43% ABV

Benromach, a Forres-based distillery was another late 19th century build. The distillery didn’t start making whisky until 1900. Its production was intermittent after that, with the distillery passing through a number of hands: Macdonald Greenlees, Joseph Hobbs, National Distillers of America and, finally, DCL. The industry giant kept it running until 1983, when it was closed, one of a large number of distilleries which were shut as a result of an industry-wide stock surplus.

After 11 years of silence – during which its interior had been cannibalised for parts by Diageo – it was bought by Elgin’s Gordon & MacPhail. The firm then set about building what was effectively a new distillery in the shell of the old. It took the firm five years of trials before the first spirit was made.

Despite the stills being smaller, Gordon & MacPhail’s new make bore a striking resemblance to that made under DCL’s stewardship. Quite how this happened is one of the mysteries surrounding Scotch and goes some way to adding to the belief that there is something about a distillery’s own microclimate which influences the character of the spirit.

Since then, it has appeared in peated guise, as an organic release, a 100% Golden Promise release, and in a succession of finishes in fortified and wine casks. With more time under its belt extra weight is now being shown by the maturing spirit. 

Launched in 2015, Benromach 15 YO has been matured in a higher proportion of ex-sherry casks than its younger 10 year old sibling – but, like all whisky produced at Benromach since Gordon & MacPhail took the reins in 1993, it’s produced using only first fill barrels. Similarly to Highlander Old Pulteney, the neck of the bottle has been shaped like the distillery stills.

Benromach 15 YO has high complexity, solid balance and a particularly diverse range of flavours which all work together in harmony whilst maintaining the distillery’s traditional spirit character. The additional aging, allows more of the sherried elements to shine here, and likewise reduces the impact of peat smoke. Multifaceted and engaging, but comparisons to the excellent 10 year old are inevitable - this one is 50% older, but it’s also not far off 50% more expensive (around £53 currently). Whether it’s also 50% better is going to be entirely down to penchants of the imbiber.

Nose: Speyside meets Campbeltown – toffee apples, orange peels, honey and beeswax vs. gentle but unclean ashy smoke, surface cleaner and used oil. More overtly sherried than the 10 year old, this delivers stewed red berries, dusty wood cellars as well as some slightly tropicalness from pineapple. Oatmeal, tanned leather, lemon drop sweets and bitter chocolate all provide additional nuances.

Taste: A silky arrival that walks a slightly different path to the nose – toffee apples, orange peels, leather (and leather polish) and walnuts get us started, then things go quite greenhouse with pronounced vegetables – boiled carrots and cauliflower. Bitter spicing is introduced by both pepper and, particularly pronounced anise. In the back palate, things become increasingly herbal – reeds, flax and strong eucalyptus. The smoke here is less discernible than on the nose, and comes across more as a melange of petrol fumes and rusted metal dust. Somewhat surprisingly given this eclectic list everything works together rather well.

Finish: Medium to long, sherried with chocolate, herbal with fresh cut grass.

GAME OF THRONES SINGLE MALT WHISKIES

Winter has come, and with it, the dead… good Game of Thrones-themed single malt whisky range from Diageo. Whiskies from eight of Scotland's best-known and most-loved distilleries have been paired with the great Houses and factions of Westeros, from Clynelish with the verdant, agricultural riches of House Tyrell in the south to Dalwhinnie and the open honesty of House Stark in the northern stronghold of Winterfell, and Oban with The Night's Watch at The Wall, to name a few.

If Scotch whisky is Westeros, then these distilleries are its great Houses. From the sweet, zesty flavours of Royal Lochnagar to the rich smoke of Lagavulin and the coastal tang of Talisker, the ice of Dalwhinnie Winter's Frost to the fire of Cardhu Gold Reserve – here you'll find the character of that world, distilled.

THE WHISKIES

HOUSE TARGARYEN: CARDHU GOLD RESERVE 40% Nas

A Cardhu with the warmth and spice to conquer the Seven Kingdoms, and the delicacy to rule them: this Speyside single malt is a cornucopia of orchard fruit, freshly-baked crumble, a touch of caramel on the side and a drying finish.

HOUSE TYRELL: CLYNELISH RESERVE 51.2% nas

With a dryness comparable to the wit of the Queen of Thorns, a flavourful palate worthy of the The Reach's rich soil and a 51.6% ABV as punchy as the Tyrell armies, this Clynelish offers up an excellent balance of sweet and dry; wood, leather and zesty, tropical fruit.

HOUSE BARATHEON: ROYAL LOCHNAGAR 12 YEAR OLD 40% ABV

A tumultuous dram worthy of the Stormlands, and House Baratheon's internal conflict. At once zesty, citrus and floral, and earthy and lightly bitter, this whisky – like House Baratheon – has two sides to it: the light and the dark; the jovial and the brutish.

HOUSE TULLY: THE SINGLETON OF GLENDULLAN SELECT 40% nas

From Dufftown on the banks of the River Fiddich, The Singleton of Glendullan is, much like House Tully, a product of the Riverlands – just with a lower-case 'r'. A sweet and fruity dram, this single malt is heaving with vanilla, chocolate and cereal notes, all lifted by a lively spice.

HOUSE GREYJOY: TALISKER SELECT RESERVE 45.8% NAS

Talisker is 'made by the sea'; House Greyjoy and the people of the Iron Islands are seafaring folk who worship the Drowned God – the sea is intrinsic to both, and as evident in this whisky as you'd expect. Coastal, briny notes mingle with wafts of wood-smoke, savoury seaweed on stone and a rich, spicy sweetness.

HOUSE LANNISTER: LAGAVULIN 9 YEAR OLD 46% abv

A whisky as rich as the Lannisters, this is a fantastic Lagavulin full of all the thick peat smoke and sweet, chewy, citrus-fruit notes you'd expect from the distillery. Golden caramel and vanilla join the fray, alongside a flash of vibrant greenery.

HOUSE STARK: DALWHINNIE WINTER'S FROST 43% NAS

The Starks embody all the best of the North; full of warmth and honesty, what you see is, for the most part, what you get – and so it is with Dalwhinnie Winter's Frost. Despite its name, this single malt is a warming, summery dram full of bitter-sweet citrus and candied zest.

THE NIGHT'S WATCH: OBAN BAY RESERVE 43% abv

Despite its members' dark demeanours, The Night's Watch is the light of the Seven Kingdoms; the first defence against the encroaching Long Night. This waxy, complex Oban shares that nature: behind this bottle's dark exterior lies a substantial, yet light dram in which berry fruit and cocoa are lifted by an airy menthol note.

SIX KINGDOMS: MORTLACH 15 YO 46% abv

The oldest whisky in the Game of Thrones range, this 15-year-old from Mortlach distillery has been aged in both first-fill sherry casks and ex-bourbon barrels. A whisky with depth to match the roots of the oldest weirwood tree, it combines fresh fruit, vanilla and wood-spice flavours – a trio worthy of the Three-eyed Raven which adorns the bottle.

GLEN MORAY MADEIRA CASK PROJECT 13 yo 46.3% abv

Although now in the midst of housing, Glen Moray originally sat out with Elgin’s boundaries (it was where the burgh’s gallows once stood) and started life as a brewery, taking its water and power from the fast-flowing River Lossie alongside. The downside of this watery proximity is the act that the distillery regularly floods. Its function changed in 1897 as one of the many new distilleries built or converted at a time when the whisky boom seemed never-ending. Like many [Imperial, Benriach] it fell victim to the slump which took place at the start of the 20th century and closed in 1910, being snapped up in 1923 by Macdonald & Muir (then owners of Glenmorangie).

In the latter part of its ownership by Glenmorangie, Glen Moray became the firm’s ‘budget’ malt with a price often the same as standard blends. While sales rose, there was little profit made and the distillery’s image was badly damaged. In 2008, it was sold to French distilling firm La Martiniquaise, predominantly for fillings for its Label Five and Glen Turner brands. Capacity has since been increased by 40% with new washbacks and another pair of stills being installed.

It is believed that the closeness of the river and the high water table produces a slightly warmer and more humid microclimate which assists maturation. Since the La Martiniquaise takeover, a higher percentage of first-fill American oak is used, adding more buttery notes to the mix. It was one of the first whiskies to be ‘finished’ in wine casks – Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay specifically – as well as Port. After a few quiet years, new releases are beginning to appear. Some peated malt is now being run as well.

In June 2020, Glen Moray introduced a new expression to its Elgin Curiosity Range – the Glen Moray Medeira cask project. The whisky was fully matured in ex-sweet Madeira hogsheads for 13 years and 10 months, making the expression a rich combination of Glen Moray’s classic Speyside style mellowed with the sweet fruit and toffee influences of Madeira. Just seven of these casks were laid down in 2006, tucked away undisturbed in Warehouse 1 – home to the Elgin-based distillery’s maturation experiments over the years.

On the nose you’ll find toffee, dark chocolate, fig, and dates balanced with sweet pears, berries and subtle exotic spices.

The taste is sweet, syrupy, with deep notes of toffee, chocolate, black coffee, and figs, developing to sweet oak, poached pears, and soft fruit, and the finish is rich, lingering, and sweet with gentle exotic spices and dried fruit.

Glen Moray Madeira Cask Project is bottled at 46.3% ABV at its natural colour and is non-chill filtered. It is a UK exclusive, available in 70cl in specialist whisky shops, with a RRP of £65.

Glengoyne 18 YO 43%

A small farm-style distillery located under Dumgoyne, the most westerly extrusion of the Campsie Fells, Glengoyne has long punched well above its weight. It runs a combination of long (and very long) fermentations, while distillation in its three stills (one wash, two spirit) is extremely slow. All of the stills have boil bulbs, which increases the amount of copper availability, while the gentle heating of the wash and spirit also helps to maximise the amount of time the alcohol vapour can play with the copper. This maximising of reflux produces a gentle, sweet, and fruity new make.

There is however sufficient weight in the spirit to be able to balance with maturation in ex-Sherry butts – a signature of Edrington’s distilleries – which has been retained by Ian MacLeod.

Glengoyne distillery makes a point not to use any peat to dry the malted barley. As a result, its offerings tend to appeal to folks who like to avoid smoke, as well as peat. You’ll get none of that in here. What’s more, the whisky is quite dark for an 18-year-old, and there is no artificial coloring, whatsoever, indicative of the high quality sherry casks used. This said, this Glengoyne 18-Year-Old would be even better without chill filtration. Why? Because chill filtering tends to remove some of the more rough-and-tumble eccentricities in the wash that can actually be quite interesting, at least to whisky mavens.

Glengoyne distillery is a hop, skip and a jump north of Glasgow, and the destination is popular with tourists who are passing through Scotland and want to visit something close to the airport. Single malt bottlings began in the early 1990s, when Glengoyne was sold as 'the unpeated malt', while much was also made of the fact that, geographically, the distillery is in the Highlands while its warehouses, directly across the road, are in the Lowlands. Edrington considered it surplus to its requirements in 2003, selling it to Ian MacLeod for £7.2m. Its new owner has subsequently (and successfully) focused on developing the brand as a single malt.

Nose: Madagascar vanilla, honeycomb; butterscotch; cardamom; cocoa powder; orange gumdrops; Granny Smith apple skins; banana chips; white mustard seed. There’s also a bit of grassiness like in a Lowland whisky.

Palate: The mouth feel is better without adding any water. A big fudgey note right from the start – far more chocolate than is present in the nose. There’s a seamless integration of sherry and spirit, which combine to deliver a uniform malty sweetness that runs the gamut from toffee to marzipan to some pepper from the oak. This malt presence is far richer than one usually encounters in a whisky of the same class. A bit of potpourri comes through on the finish with a lovely spiciness, along with a milky Ceylon black tea tea note.

Finish: Medium in length, but would be longer at 46%. No matter. That Ceylon tea note lingers on the tongue (without milk), together with some white bread toast, and mild pepper. An herbal finish flirts with honey and toffee, and then goes green at the death, with thyme and nettle.

The cask presence waves in the direction of a Springbank’s dunnage warehouse dankness, before retreating back into dry, sunny, autumnal fields of a more rarefied spirit with an altogether cleaner composition. The combination of tastes and scents in the bottle is quite enchanting. The last wee bit of finish cannot help but reveal its Highland breeding. The rather solemn and circumspect finish is what boosts this dram up a little higher in overall estimation. There’s really nothing to dislike, and much to enjoy.