Rating: 8/23 I've heard that this is kind of meh, especially considering how close in cost it is to Ardbeg 10, but I'm still hopeful because Islay scotch often overperforms at young ages. N: Oh, no. Lots of immature sulphur. I expected an absolute herbal peat bomb, but this is not that. Sulphur turning vegetal is the main character. There's peaty brine in the background. A bit of grass and pepper. A hint of hamburger that is just turning gray and hasn't started to brown or char yet. There's more going on here, but frankly the nose is unpleasant enough that I don't want to search for it. P: Thankfully, there is far less of that pure sulphur youthfulness than the nose suggests. I get just straight cigarette ash tray with a big pepperiness. There is some youthful distillate sulphur mixed with slightly sweet seawater and a dash of oily honey that reminds me of the highlands. Some herbal peat is thrown off balance by the sweet brine drawing it in. Some ashtray flavor that isn't quite the usual Ardbeg tar. That sulphuric sweet youthfulness stands out more the more I sip this and it's quite unpleasant. The smoke and pepper are really nice though and I can tell that this is the beginning of a fine dram. F: Ash tray, pepper. Herbal peat turning vegetal and into sulphur and sweet brine. A hint of vanilla. It's a weird and unbalanced experience, much like the rest of this. - Conclusion - Overall, there are moments on the palate that I really enjoy, but there are serious flaws that make me not want to finish a glass of this. The complexity is high, but the balance is totally off, with a couple of off flavors really messing it up. I'm looking in the 7 to 10 range for this. I think that the good flavors are too good for this to be a 7, but I am really seriously thinking about an 8 right now. However, I think that the good flavors are good enough to elevate this to a 9. Ardbeg should never have released this. Actually, coming back to kill this sample, I don't think this can be a 10 anymore. In my final sip of this, I think that an 8 is the most fair rating. Thank you @ctbeck11 for sharing this. I'd strongly considered buying a bottle and I'm really glad to have been spared from figuring out what to do with it.