Tastes

Peat smoke, apple, seawater, honey, blackberry, and white pepper on the nose. The palate is on the thin side, with sweet smoke that blossoms into a roaring fire as the heat comes in behind it. The heat from the fire brings the honey and apple with it, roasting them to bring out darker notes from both. The sweetness doesn't last long as a wave crashes in and douses the fire bringing the briny sea water to the fore. The tang from the salt dies down in a few seconds to leave the guttering fire giving off ash and a little bit of salted pork. A couple drops of water made the dram a lot more pretty, with more fruit ending in salted pear and a bit more salty overall. I tried this side by side with the Laphroaig 10 and found this to be the more challenging dram, presenting a journey as you drank it. I found the Laphroaig 10 a lot more pretty and easy going on it's own terms but generally preferred this one.

Apple, honey, orange peel, and dark fruit underlie some minty chocolate. The palate is thick and sweet. The red apple is quite forward, bringing along cherry. The apple ditches the cherry fairly quickly to hang out with sweetened cereals and a bit of walnut. The mint joins in as the apple swings back, bringing along a creamy blend of berries and a nice, round, smokey finish. The finish lasts a decent amount of time as it plays through the apple, darker fruits, and walnut on a loop, held together by the lazy smoke.

Oak, brown sugar, salty caramel with a bit of pine, and a touch of vanilla and clove on the nose. Noticeable alcohol keeps you from going too deep on the nose initially. Hot oak and baking spices rush in on the palate before being blunted by vanilla, caramel, and dark fruit. The fruit notes have a subtly earthy aspect that stays on the sweet side with cinnamon, vanilla, and fruit. The finish includes a subtle smokey note behind the spiced fruit. The finish stays awhile, giving a slightly dry barrel char and vanilla that slowly tapers into a slightly peppered oak as it fades. This is definitely a barrel-forward bourbon with a lot of alcohol. A drop or two of water blunts the alcohol on the nose and mellows the hotness on the palate.

Black tea and wood sap on the nose, with slight crème brûlée and caramel. Not a very strong nose. The palate is pine and sharp citrus with a decent amount of alcohol. It mellows into oak and black tea before finishing with warm vanilla caramel that settles with an accent of oak. A drop of water turns the pine into baking spices and mellows the citrus, while the oak and tea in the middle became a bit more oak and leather. The finish with the water had some cinnamon apple. I would rate this 3.5 with a drop of water.

The nose is a bright, sunny Spring day. Honey and apple in abundance with florals and grain behind. There is a hint at darker fruit playing in the background. The palate is thin, grassy with the honey apple muted underneath. A crisp, drying astringency follows with the foral notes and grain taking center stage before the thin palate rounds out into the darker, earthier fruits. These darker fruits have a splash of sea salt air behind them and leave you with your mouth watering as the spring day you started with begins to turn into a cool fall evening.

The nose is a generous amount of apple and orange marmalade, slightly spiced with cinnamon. Some subtle wood notes behind the bright fruit with other baking spices hinting of their presence. A rich dark fruit with the quickest flash of vanilla greets you before quickly bringing in some campfire smoke. The bright orange peel and apple come back a few seconds later with pepper and oak. A pleasant, warm, round burn settles in the back of your throat giving off campfire smoke while the fruit settles in the front of your mouth and begins smoking a pipe in front of that campfire. The finish is long and unmistakably fruity despite the dark notes of charred wood and a bit of worked leather settling in at the end. You’re ultimately left with a dark, fruity vanilla that still has pipe tobacco and campfire clinging to it.

This is an incredibly nuanced Scotch and I can already tell repeated visits will be very rewarding and insightful. The nose is bright and cheerful with apple, honey, pear, and a slight eucalyptus with a subtle background of toasted barley and salt sea air. The palate is richer and darker than the nose would suggest. A pop of nuts and rich citrus explodes at the front, transitioning into grain before the apple from the nose returns with caramel sugar to play with and draw out the subtle smoke as the bright citrus dies down. The smoke is only ever a suggestion and has a sea salt quality to it, a far different experience than a dense peat smoke gives. The finish is fantastically long with transitions that tease you before snapping strongly into focus. The sweet apple lingers on the finish and ultimately joins the sea breeze smoke to leave you savoring black tea and pipe tobacco in front of a smoldering campfire on the beach.