Rating: 12/23 Bottle kill. This has had plenty of time in its bottle and I've tried it on several occasions, but I've never been a particular fan. N: Lemon peel and some slightly dirty water, like a kitchen rag that needs washing. Over a few minutes, that rag flavor starts to fade and I get more of that biting grain whisky character with a little manuka honey. Maybe a hint of orange zest. It's still a kind of rough nose, but it's definitely improved. Leaving it for a bit longer, I do start to notice the dirty rag scent again though. P: Lemon peel with very slightly undercooked caramel, a harsh grainy bite, something a little funky (almost hogo), and bitter mocha. A stroke of cherry or something comes out of the hogo. It's an odd combination that isn't as obtrusive as I remembered, but definitely isn't super enjoyable. For me, the biggest problems are the harshness and that bit of dirty rag flavor. If those were both resolved, this would still taste a bit young and funky, but it wouldn't have any actual flaws. With a bigger sip, the grain alcohol really burns. F: The mocha, hogo, dirty rag, and bright lemony grain linger for a bit. The caramel too, faintly. - Conclusion - This has a more interesting profile than Compass Box Artist's Blend (13/23), with a richer flavor. This is, however, harsher with that odd dish rag funk and not the best balance. The two drams are honestly closer than I'd expected. I spent a while before this tasting thinking that this should maybe drop from a 12 to something like a 10 or 11. I no longer think that. Identifying the hogo and mocha here really changed things for me. Those two flavors explain most of the weird notes I was getting before, making them actually kind of good. This is suddenly, a much richer, more decadent dram. Monkey Shoulder (14/23) is smoother than this, with no objectionable notes, but it also tastes watery and surprisingly youthful in comparison to this. At this point, were it not for the harshness here, I'd be considering some higher ratings, possibly even above a 14. As it is, given my past history with this dram, I don't think I can suddenly raise its rating past a 13. And considering the harshness here, I don't really think I can go as high as a 13. It's a shame because this bottle kill was almost a revelation for me.