The setup: rocks glass. Why? I don’t know. Probably because that’s what I used to pour JW Green, HP 12, Lagavulin 16 and then this. So far it’s been a trip through velvety light smoke to maltier smoke to ash and stone fruit and now... This is lighter than I would expect for the proof and being NCF. The nose is much brighter than I remember but not with malt so much as pineapple and banana bread pudding with pecans. There is also plenty of salty sea spray and more peat than smoke. Oh the flavor bomb and finally a bit of heat. Not pain, not sting. Just heavily bodied warmth. Like the nose this is bright with tropical fruits (pineapple, mango) mixed with bits of ash, old wood, coffee and earthy vanilla bean. The finish is long and filled with honey, vanilla, ash and brine with a splash of blonde espresso. Spectacular. Between this and Lagavulin 16 I appreciate the bright and fruity qualities that don’t skip on the ash and peat. I feel like Lagavulin is deeper and darker if that makes sense, as though it pulls you toward a center. This has more breadth but less depth but nothing about it is shallow. Both are fantastic and leave the sensation in the nostrils of waking up from a campfire. Buy both and savor them.