Rating: 17/23 N: Ash, smoke, intense peat, a little brine, faint meat. Honestly, this isn't the most complex, interesting, or enjoyable nose. There's nothing actually wrong with it though. P: Tons of peat. Ash, smoke, brine. Some sweetness from a little malt with apple and tangerine. I could say all sorts of things about the herbal, smoky, and slightly earthy characters. There's a little bit of roast pork. Black pepper. It's hot, but the proof is high. There's a little vanilla that borders on sandalwood. A bit of barbecue. F: Lingering peaty smoke with a little malty sweetness, light apple, a touch of vanilla, some black pepper, and roast pork. - Conclusion - This is quite good. Is it blowing my mind? No. It's tasty, but it tastes young. Yeah, it has tons of peat, but it lacks mature complexity and just a peaty punch in the face is pretty gimmicky. Amrut Peated (17/23) has a somewhat more mature character to it, but it doesn't have as much rugged interest to it. These two seem pretty competitive. Laphroaig 10 (18/23) has more mature complexity to it. Sure, its low ABV makes it taste a bit weak, but its flavor is definitely better. This has too much youth and campfire to it. And the amount of peat is a bit gimmicky. There is a fair amount going on here though and it's a tasty dram. There's some nice complexity at the start of The Shin 10 (16/23), but it gets kind of young and sweet as it goes on. It's still a good dram, but I'd probably put this ahead of it. There's some rich savoriness here that The Shin is sorely lacking. Nikka From The Barrel (17/23) has some nice balanced malt and smoke with a more traditional profile. The alcohol shows through a bit and the flavors get a bit muddled, but it's a more cohesive experience. Choosing between the two, I give this the win. I'd been thinking a 17 for this, but now I'm considering an 18 again. Still, I think the Laphroaig 10 is better though. And Amrut Peated is very close to it. I'm going with a high 17. Coming back to this for the last couple of sips, I like how it has so much going on, but there's definitely a barbecue vibe happening here that isn't really my ideal profile. Still, the salt and brine mix with the roast meat, ash, vanilla, and other flavors to create a pretty balanced dram. I think I'd take it over Octomore 11.3, which is more mellow and fruity, but this does remind me of Laphroaig Quarter Cask and Ardbeg An Oa a bit, though it mercifully has less of a sweet barbecue profile. Would I still take Laphroaig 10 over this? Probably. This is fun, but it's still kind of gimmicky. I'll stick with a high 17 for this.