Nose - Dark tannic red wine, dark red berries, dark caramel, plums, dried currants, dried cherries (w/ water) Less tannic, dried apples, dark cherry juice, plums, dusty white peppercorns Taste - Gentle white pepper heat, fruity tart & tannic cherry juice, candied ginger, saline, cocoa powder, chili powder, raisins but w/o the sweetness (w/ water) Dry peppercorn heat, unsweetened cherry juice, unsweetened cocoa powder, dried apples, poached pears Finish - Lingering gentle tingle, sweet but tart cherry juice, dark chocolate covered candied ginger, chili powder/sweet paprika (w/ water) Lingering gentle tingle, lightly tart/bitter cherries, cherry pit bitter, unsweetened cocoa powder, light saline Score - 81/100 Final Thoughts - I have mixed feelings about this one because I feel as if I should enjoy it more than I did, but I really can't. There's nothing really bad about it, but it's just kind of boring and I think if I tasted this blind, I'm not sure I'd be able to pick it out as being Bruichladdich. I know Adam had some pretty big shoes to fill, but I have a feeling this one was either rushed or a cat ran through the blending room & just knocked a bunch of stuff into a vat & they just decided to go with it. It feels like they tried to incorporate some very tannic red wine finished/matured whisky with some dry sherry finished whisky and ended up with a blend that pulled only mediocre notes from both. There's none of that rich sherry goodness nor that bright tannic, but sweet lactic funk from a wine finished Bruichladdich. What you end up with is like a dark chocolate covered tart cherry, but they forgot to add any sugar, so you have this sort of bitter, tannic, tart "dessert" that is almost there, but not quite. Water brightens up the nose a bit, but doesn't help it much. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.