In all the debate that surrounded the prospect of Scottish devolution no one seemed to raise the one crucial question – would the cost of Scottish whisky go up?

No longer produced inside the UK but outside it, whisky would surely have been a target for all kinds of taxes and charges, ones that would have raised the price astronomically just as it does with booze from the rest of Europe. And as for the cost of haggis, well it would have been a disaster.

However we in England who like a dram could have turned to The One, a blend of British Isles whiskies bottled in Lakeland and so with no import tax.

The bottle of The One is itself is rather tasty, making no attempt at a pastiche of Scottishness but looking more like a designer vodka from Scandinavia ( the Lakes Distillery does in fact also do a vodka). No attempt is made to apologise for the whisky not coming from some romantic, mist shrouded island in Scotland and quite right too.

In fact the whisky needs no apologies at all. Personally I’ve always preferred blended whiskies in general, the single malts often too peaty, too smoky and let’s face it too expensive too. A blended whisky is a consistent product that can be relied on.

The one presents a very light colour in the bottle that becomes almost clear in the glass, just a hint of gold. The nose slightly peaty, not like having your head thrust into a Scotsman’s kilt. Quite hot on the tongue, but not harshly so, it mellows out to be spicy and smoky and with a smooth finish.

If you’re a little bored by the usual whiskies and are looking for something a bit different to offer guests over Christmas and New Year, then this could well be The One.

Order online at www.lakesdistillery.com/shop/