Speyside, Spey Exotic fruits flattered our noses (mango, rhubarb tarts, cherry pies, sherbet lemons, jellied fruits) but it had interest and weight too – brown sugar, craft workshops, sandalwood and perfume samples in women’s magazines. Even more fruits arrived on the palate – strawberry, blackcurrant, kiwi, fig and plum – all held down to earth by deeper notes of fortified wine, dark chocolate, Strepsils and sugar-coated fennel seeds.