Lore pours a deep mahogany, an appearance that fits its name and all that it stands for. Kippery aromas of seaweed waft up from the glass, the leading notes on the nose. That memorable Laphroaig introduction is never far away when sweeter notes of cinnamon candied walnuts and fig tart and richer flavors of capicola appear. There is an unexpected touch of fresh green olives too. A remarkable nose. The taste is too, with notes of smoked cherrywood, plump red wine grapes, and aged Gouda. It’s a feast’s worth of aromas and flavors. The mouthfeel is sharp and yet creamy, like that Gouda note from the palate. The tongue buzzes and the mouth waters. The finish is oaken, smolderingly smoky, lasting and pensive. Impressions of a solitary walk in old woods. The empty glass smells like peppercorns and cherrywood. One to savor, but one that is so good it will be hard to keep for too long. It’s both in the vein and in the league of Ardbeg Uigeadail, Ledaig 18, and Springbank 15. Savored the last pour of this bottle in solitude, at sunset on Calloway Peak in the Blue Ridge Mountains.