Big Peat Blended Malt

The Bottle: Kitschy, but not nearly as good as some of DL's others. Timorous Beastie, for example. Now that's a bottle! In the Glass: Pale straw. I'm the Nose: Smoke & brine with a touch of tar. Alcohol. Youth. Taste: So, this is a "baby" Islay and it makes no excuses for it: smokey, sooty, sweet and salty. This reads as predominantly a young Ardbeg. I know there are some others in the vat, but to my palate, Ardbeg is playing lead fiddle. Not a lot going on in the development, but the arrival and the finish are quite pronounced. Smoke up front, turning to a prolonged "coal soot" sweetness. For the money, I prefer some of the standard single malt bottlings from Islay; but I do not regret my purchase. There are a lot of good things going on here, despite the perceived youth. Worth a look!

Honey, vanilla, an unpinnable smoke and the 46 abv on the nose. Quite flat on the palate. There a wooden cedar notes up front with honey and smoke that ends in a bitter aftertaste. This is a rather one dimensional malt. I like the non chilfiltration but this is not my dram. (70/100)