1/A supermarket blend and one of Diageo's malt blends, rated near-identical by the choice engine. Label 5 Classic Black is the well-stocked grocery Scotch. Copper Dog is a Speyside blended malt, all malt and no grain. Fifth-closest pair on the whole shelf.

2/"Close" here is the model reading their flavour coordinates, not anyone tasting the two side by side. Both land light and soft: orchard fruit, a gentle sweetness. The Copper Dog carries a tropical, rum-cask lilt; the Label 5 shows more of its grain, corn and a little spice.

3/Timing is the interesting part. The Copper Dog is the clear buy right now, under its cohort's floor and at the bottom of its own recent range at the same time. $57 on a My Dan Murphy's member price, $65 on the shelf. Two separate reads calling it cheap, which beats one.

4/Label 5 is the split verdict. It's at its own recent low too, $63 on member and $72 for the full litre, but its two reads don't line up the way the Copper Dog's do. Same corner of the engine, one clean value. Which would you reach for: the litre of blend, or the malt?