Rating: 15/23 N: Damp socks, a bit of sweet, watery mineral, the faintest of tangerine with a floral character to it. This nose is really lacking. Gradually, some meat and spiciness come out. I'm really struggling to find much here. This nose is not appealing. Eventually, I get spices (black pepper, white pepper, cinnamon, ginger). Vegetal character builds, but it's restrained and there's a crisp herbal profile balancing it. I get A touch of menthol and maybe a hint of just the rindiest melon rind. P: It starts fruity and a bit light, but then smoke and funk come in and make this a lot more interesting. A bit of sulphur does come in, but it isn't too much. This tastes a little youthful with that initial lightness and the later sulphur coming in. Flavor-wise, I get malty sweetness, cinnamon, black pepper, some vegetal character, white pepper, vanilla, a bit of tannic wood. The malt reveals a bit of melon and a little glacéd apricot at times. Dry grass, a bit of toastiness. Some sort of mild dirt. This reminds me of Springbank, though it doesn't go all of the way there. The flavors here are less crisp and that sulphur does come in. F: Vegetal, wood, spices, a little vanilla. Kind of numbing and flat, aside from the sweet, prickly spices. Some lasting sulphur. - Conclusion - This is some nice competition for Springbank. It tastes quite good and has some really enjoyable complexity. I'd give the win to Springbank 10 here and I'd certainly take Springbank 15 over this, but this is no slouch. The extra time aging has really show when putting this side by side with Craigellachie 9 (2004) (Hepburn's Choice) (13/23), which is less refined and more fiery. This has a good amount going on, but Loch Lomond 12 (16/23) seems better put-together than this does. Highland Park 12 (12/23) has a nice spicier boldness than this does, but it doesn't have as much of that nice funk and certainly has a lot more sulphur. I put this close to the level of the Loch Lomond, so it's either a 15 or a 16. If it weren't for the sulphur, I think this would get the 16. Sadly, because of the sulphur, I'm giving this a 15. Thanks for the sample @ctbeck11 and a happy New Year to all!