Second taste edit: compared to the 18, it’s not as rich, it’s less mature (by that I mean sharper edges), and the oak comes through more. It’s not quite as complex either, but although it plays fewer notes, it played them damn well.
On the nose, you get smoke and pungent fruit. Think prune or raisin. On the palate, it’s a savory, briny, chewy iodine note. The finish is quick, as far as the whisky oiliness is concerned, but the smoke lingers on the corners of my tongue. It tastes like a smoked turkey sandwich on some kind of rustic, home-baked bread.