1/Ten single malts were asked what Talisker Port Ruighe is worth, scored on flavour make-up. The average answer came back around $76. The shelf wants $149 for it this week — a members' price of $133 has just lapsed.

2/So it's back to carrying a big premium. The engine's single closest match on profile, ranked 1st of the lot, is Starward Unexpeated, a port-and-peat Australian single malt, at $75.

3/And $75 is about what Starward should cost: its own jury reads it near $66, so you're paying roughly market, not a premium. Same idea in the glass, smoke wrapped in wine-cask fruit, for $74 less.

4/Not the same whisky, and not a like-for-like pour. It's profile geometry: the model says the two sit in the same corner. Talisker Port Ruighe at $149, or the Starward at $75? What's it going for near you?