Black Bottle Blended Scotch

$25, very peaty especially for a blend....blended from multiple islay distilleries...great bang for the buck..ralfy first review #16, 3/6/09, blend mark 89 re reviewed #450 blend mark 83

This starts out with a sweet nose of ripe pears, black tea, honey and a slight amount of vanilla and orange zest. As it opens, a brininess and smoke make their way onto the aroma profile. On arrival, the soft, mildly dense body delivers an initial current of honey tea, a bit of smoke and ground cinnamon. The finish is a bit hot and spicy and slightly bitter and oaky with a hint of a mild cigar. A smidgen of water enhances the black tea and honey characteristics of the dram. A good dram at a fantastic price. I am searching for a JWB substitute (I have a place in my heart for it, however price creep has tended to keep this out of my collection) and this could be it. This is a great, cheaper alternative to JWB and one I will be sure to have around when I am looking for a quality blend. [$18][86/100][Opened: 4/19/15][Revisited: 11/1/15; 1/24/16]

A good amount of smoke up front which is great but isn't followed up by much.

*note: this is for the prior bottling not shown in the Distiller profile* The mouthfeel of this scotch is thick and oily. It carries some smoky attributes but the star here is a briny flavor that rides into a great finish. To describe this in one sentence: that refreshing feel of ocean spray after a day on the water.