In this one, Jess and I went in completely blind with three Horny Pony scratch-to-reveal samples that have been sitting in a dusty box for (embarrassingly) close to a year. We didn’t pick the bottles, we didn’t peek at the labels, and we tried to call what was in the glass purely off colour, nose, palate, and that very humbling moment where you realise how easy it is to talk whisky… and then forget everything the second the camera’s rolling. Whisky #1 came across light, smooth, and weirdly familiar—lots of American oak-style sweetness, vanilla (yes, vanillin), and a wine-ish fruitiness that had us circling Speyside. The reveal was a Blair Athol 14-year-old North Star with a mezcal finish, which immediately explained why that “vanilla” felt a bit tequila-adjacent. Whisky #2 looked like water but hit like a barbecue: refined peat, smoked meat, and less of that eye-watering punch—turns out it was a 13-year-old “Secret” (Ardbeg) indie bottling at 54.4%. Whisky #3 was the curveball. I got caramel/jammy sweetness and decent mouthfeel, but Jess clocked acetone and a hard sulfur aversion (the coriander/cilantro gene vibe). The reveal: Ned “The Flare” Wanted Series at 42%—a distillery I usually avoid, but I’ll admit this was the best Ned I’ve tried… I just wish it had more ABV to carry it further.