Straw color, legs that barely move. Once again I prepare to humble myself thanks to @pkingmartin. The nose is plenty peaty (less smokey) with slight medicinal phenol from feet away. There’s a layer of ash deeper in the glass along with malt and resin. Alcohol is noticeably but not offensive, actually provides some balance. Vanilla paste, oak furniture. The fruit is hard to place, almost a dried banana chip. Hot and ashy. Astringent oak and walnut follow with a burnt green pepper bit of earthy spice. In ways this reminds me of Mezcal but with the wood and bit of vanilla paste to back it up (instead of charred earth and vegetation). Continuing to work through this the ash proves difficult to get beneath. Rubber tire. I’m gonna make the executive decision and add water. That’s really something - honey comes forward and the palate turns slightly more creamy. Maybe there’s some fried plantain (cooked in oil that exceeded its smoking temp). Overall this is really way more ash laden than the nose let on. I hate to say it but this is a bit one or two dimensional for me. I only get this level of ash with Lagavulin but there’s no real sweetness or meaty brine to balance it. The phenol is there but not to the level of Laphroaig. Could this just be too young to have come together and mellowed a bit? It’s just so damn vegetal. Hard to rate because it’s novel, but not my jam. Will forego a rating for now but wouldn’t be especially high…. That’s a lie, I can’t go above a 2.5-3. I’ll split the difference and say 2.75. Answer please - Chieftans 15y single malt. Ardbeg. (Scratches head). I guess I see it now from my limited, but joyful, experience with Cory. This is just nowhere near as sweet. The finish just doesn’t quit, but it also doesn’t change up. It also lacks some of the more resinous notes from the nose, although they do come out a bit with a splash of water. Sadly I’m still too basic for this dram. I want more pumpkin spice and less Ugg boot. Maybe some day.