Rating: 17/23 I'd convinced myself that I was done with this bottle, but I'm coming back for a bottle kill because I've given it a fairly wide range of ratings. It's had quite a lot of air at this point (a LOT), but not quite to the point that I think it's absurd. N: Apple, dry smoke, roast pork loin, minerals, heather, a hint of blackberry, vanilla, a touch of oily nut. It's youthful, but without youthful flaws and it's fairly nicely balanced and complex. P: Dry smoke and barrel spices (ginger, clove, cinnamon). Some malt and apple come out, as well as occasional large breaths of vanilla. There's a bit of hickory to the smoke, but not as much as I'd expected, and fortunately there's no mesquite. There's also some very faint roast pork loin making me think of a campfire a bit, but not too much. Minerals really do come out, but they're more like an extra layer on top than a factor that makes the flavor seem weaker. I'm getting a bit of a Laphroaig vibe here, albeit fruitier and without the peat. The spices, smoke, fruit, malt, meat, vanilla, and whatever else combine nicely here to make a tasty youthful dram. It's a touch light, but it mostly tastes like it's happy being how it is and it doesn't have any rough edges. F: Vanilla, hickory smoke, apples. Maybe faint spices and pork loin. Some minerals. It's a fine enough finish. No problems here, but nothing that exciting either. - Conclusion - This is really tasty and gives me a lot of faith in Corsair. They have some great creativity over there and it works a decent amount of the time. That said, side by side, I'd take Laphroaig 10 (17-18/23) over this. The Laphroaig is bolder (despite being lower proof) and it has some greater maturity that I enjoy. The Laphroaig may be a bit more muddled (if only it were a few percent higher proof), but it's overall profile is more appealing to me. I don't know though - there really is some nice flavor here. That layer of vanilla adds some hedonism that helps this retort to the smokiness of the Laphroaig. I'm a bit more torn than I initially thought. Compared with Amrut Peated (17/23), it's a tougher call. I think that the two are about neck and neck, but I'm really going back and forth. Corsair Hydra (19/23) seems surprisingly closer to this than I feel like it should. The Hydra is less malty with more of a focus on leather and dark fruits. I get some more complexity here and the higher proof does show (I wish that the Hydra were bottled at a somewhat higher proof), but I find the Hydra's profile somewhat more appealing. I have no doubt that the Hydra is better, but is it really 2 points better? I'm inclined to say yes, but I could be convinced otherwise. Well, I'm going with a 17 for this. It's very good, but it could use some work. I'd like a version with a but more depth from more time in somewhat mild barrels (not first fill). Some time to interact with the air. I'd be interested to taste what a touch of peat did too. Regardless, this is getting a 17.