So, after much deliberation between a bottle of Lore, Uigeadail, and a Lagavulin Distillers Reserve which all sit at the same price point for my availability, I settled on this Lore. Having had a figurative smack down laid on by the Laphroig 10 recently (oh lovely Reina), I decided that the Lore was the way to go. Very good marketing here from the Laphroig team “Lore is the passing of a skill or tradition through word of mouth”, the story telling element captured me. Even the packaging and labelling in darkest green speaks of cold winter nights huddled round the fire sharing stories and legends. Wonderful stuff. Aside from the initial wafts of smell (we will get that that) I am struck by the colour of this liquid. Normally the colour doesn’t really interest me too much but cripes, would ya’ look at this stuff! A most beautiful burn amber to copper colour just draws me in further… I am expecting and demanding depth and richness now! N: Oh boy! That is something. Rich, velvety smoke delivers the frigid air of the Atlantic Ocean as crisp sea spray. Oily malt and what I think is a slightest spritz of citrus oil. I struggle to find the whack of medicinal-iodine that is so present in the L10 and was expecting here. There is a gentle sweetness here also, but without being sugary or sickly, perhaps something akin to a dark chocolate fudge. Is there vanilla too? Its subtle if it is. After ten minutes of nosing this I’m still not ready to taste it, the nose is so enjoyable! P: The richness continues. Ashy-dry smokiness upfront, salty brine, and a heavy dose of chilli and fresh cracked pepper. A wonderful earthiness grounds everything delivering bitter notes of darkest chocolate and coffee. Salted vanilla fudge (is that a thing? It should be if not!) adds a full, soft, mouth feel that somehow arrives as if a seperate whisky to the initial ashy, earthy and mineral heavy forward flavours. Delectable. F: Oh wow, very unexpectedly there is an almost bright berry fruit flavour lurking about with more pepper, perhaps something vegetal or herbal and best yet, what I can only describe as the charred base of a sourdough pizza cooked in a wood fired oven on a pizza stone (so toast!). I haven’t had any other Laphroig than the 10 and now this. So safe to say I have no idea what they are doing with their whisky. I think it’s safe to say that they do know what they are doing, that the generations of handed down knowledge, or Lore, have allowed them to craft something truly wonderful. The L10 I knew to be delicate but capable of smacking me about, it was my beautiful little assassin Reina (read my L10 review if this makes no sense). This Lore, I didn’t fully know what to expect, but from the outset it looked impressive, and it had a reputation. I knew it was going to slap. To keep things on par with my Judo analogy Lore is my Peter Cousins. Peter Cousins was a British Olympian Judoka, -100 kg and a beast of a human. I trained with him once. Well, a bunch of local clubs sent their best players up to an open mat session to form a line that Peter could try out new techniques on. We were cattle to the slaughter. You knew he was good, you knew you wouldn’t stand a chance, but you loved being driven through the floor with the force of freight train. Lore, I know I’m probably not good enough to fully appreciate it or know all its secrets. But it’s one hell of an experience, and I can appreciate that much. Distiller whisky taste #65