Appearance: Semillon Gold. Beautiful legs that stick to the glass and fall slowly. Nose: [The best part of this whiskey.] To the uninitiated, like myself, a first nosing may bring to mind acrylic paints like those used in elementary art class. But after I was able to move past it, and look deeper and try to break apart what I was really smelling I found several things. Smokey aromatic tendrils carry sweet bread, sea spray, smoked meats, and Kompot out of the glass. There is a nice honey sweetness to it all. Chasing these notes was a thrill, there is a lot going on in the nose. Taste: Cracked black pepper flew in a V formation over my tongue and dropped a smokey napalm of lemon rind on my taste buds. There are saltine crackers, Kompot, blistered shishitos, and a faint malty note. The mouthfeel is very smokey and zesty. Finish: The finish is quick and wet, not oily, but wet (if that is a thing). Not much happens past the mid-palate. More smoke, white grapes when chewing, and a smokey vegetal note between my molars. Faint malt. The front of my tongue still feels like I opened the pepper shaker on the dining room table and left it in there for a bit. This was my first Islay, and is by no means a bad whiskey. There is a lot going on in the nose and I thought this was a fun palate training exercise. The taste and finish just aren’t quite up to the hype. Zesty and smokey. I think I might like this more if I were watching the sea from an old wooden bench on a dock in Scotland. Will drink again. [3/19/22] UPDATE: Ardbeg Uigeadail broke my brain and I WILL have to try this again. So good!!