Like a buttery shortbread biscuit by a campfire on the ocean. The peat is perfect on the nose and palate... nothing else can transport me to another place quite like the aroma of an Islay peat. The lower age of the 8 obviously tones down some of the oak flavor that comes with the 16, letting citrus (particularly orange) come through much stronger on the nose and palate. I would rank this equal to the 16 overall, but it distinguishes itself as a crisper alternative for warmer evenings, whereas the Lagavulin 16 is pure comfort at a hearth. A staple in my cabinet!