Nose - oily peat, brine, seaweed, brown sugar, leather, caramel, fig, date, ash, apricot, grape, cinnamon, rubber, iodine, cocoa, leather, baked apple, raisin, sweet oak, anise, orange zest, vanilla, tobacco, sawdust, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - juicy peat, caramel, raisin, brine, vanilla cream, plum, fig, peach, cinnamon, clove, leather, apricot, rubber, seaweed, iodine, tobacco, ash, anise, spiced apple cider, orange and lemon zest, rich oak, dark chocolate, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium long with sweet peat, vanilla cream, dark chocolate, and dry spiced fruit flavors. It’s been two months since I wrote my last review and tested positive for COVID, which completely destroyed my taste and smell. As of today, I’m back! Not quite 100% yet, but close enough to feel justified in restarting the reviews. As I recall, I was halfway through my Laphroaig tasting series. Fortunately, the unplanned timeout allowed me to snag this little gem, which just hit the shelves in Virginia. For the price, this is solid stuff. I’d liken it to a poor man’s Lore. The standard Laphroaig ‘burning hospital’ notes are still there, albeit tamed with some nice vanilla, chocolate, and dried fruit notes that accent the profile nicely. The palate is similarly reminiscent of Lore, but a bit thinner and missing that intangible sensation only old age can bring to a whiskey. Overall, this is a welcome addition to the Laphroaig core range. I like it better than the standard 10 year offering, and greatly appreciate that they’re bottling this at 48% instead of the feeble 43% of its counterpart. And at $85 here, I think it’s a decent value for what you’re getting. Thank you all for your well wishes while I was temporarily indisposed and living vicariously through your reviews. Looking forward to getting back into the game.