I have used Fawcett Spring Pale malt (aka Optic malt) twice now, once on an American Black IPA and again on an ESB. Both times, this malt yielded base malt character that was aromatic, but not in a way that overpowered the hops. It is less toasty/bready than Marris Otter, less nutty than Propino, and less sweet than Golden Promise. In terms of flavor, it is somewhere between 2-row and Maris Otter, with a lean towards Maris Otter. I love it and it is my favorite base malt, period. Always fresh from MoreBeer.

Specifically sought out this base grain to use in my ESB. Guy at
my LHBS tried to convince me it was the same as a regular two row. No thanks, if I want to make an authentic bitter then this is now
my go to base malt. Pretty sure our friends across the pond are not using American two row as their base malt. Great aroma and
flavor and worth the effort to acquire.