Octomore 10.3/114 Islay Barley

I'm struggling with this review. Nose - This is a bourbon bomb. Just over powering with the vanillas and caramels and bourbon barrel oak. The peat actually is taking a back seat to a degree. There's also just a huge amount of earthy elements, much less smoke, and heavy peat and more that earthy note. Then there's a bit of alcohol on the back end as well. Taste - Just like the nose it's bourbon, almost bourbon candy, with bitter oak and then a wave of that earthy smoke and peat. It's deep and rich throughout. There's a bit of a wet oak note in the middle that's pretty interesting and it finishes with a lot of oak and and vanilla along with the ocotmore peat profile. The 9.3 was to me a showcase of the natural spirit and it was an incredible tributes. This is more a tribute to what I can only assume were very good bourbon barrels and a mix of sources to give it a more interesting bourbon note. It however somewhat under minds the spirit. 3.5 but I'll come back to this one as I wonder if it will open up with time.