Nose (neat): Warm, soft, pillowy peat smoke supported by sweet fruity aromas of berry compote, rhubarb jam and stewed peaches. There is not the slightest hint of alcohol prickle on the nose. Fresh, maritime gusts from Loch Indall at low tide, carried over freshly-turned soil with a hint of a diesel tractor engine idling in the fields. A pinch of sweet citrus (orange? mandarin? tangello?) some lemongrass tea and a little coconut. Over time the nose becomes thicker, richer and more enticing. It’s damn near perfect for a peater with the sharp, forceful elements perfectly balanced by sweetness. Nose (watered): As above, but water initially unleashes the ethanol presence and sends the dram a bit berserk so if diluting give this a good swirl and 10 minutes to regain its composure, which it most certainly will, and it will come back even better than ever. Palate (neat): Sweet elegant and powerful, it’s a bewitchingly plush arrival. The peat smoke billows into sweet fruits, vanilla and gentle cooking spices (cinnamon, vanilla, clove, preserved stem ginger). There is an unctious brininess that reminds me of matjes herrings in oil (drool!) sprinkled with iodine and orange liqueur. The texture is creamy, mouthcoating and velvety like baked egg custard with stewed peaches and apricots. Cask notes are present, but very contained, and they form the foundation character of robust mature fruit that is the heart of this dram and the ideal vehicle for moderately high peating. Palate (watered): As above, and like the situation with the nose, dilution initially sets loose the sharper spicy notes in this whisky, but that is really nice as they balance the softness of the plump neat palate and then over time combine to create one of the best peated whiskies I have tasted. Finish: Long. Sweet lemon, ashy peat smoke and a hint of Laphroaig-esque iodine all lazing on a divan of stewed fruit. The aftertaste is soft, earthy, leathery and demi-sec. With dilution the sweet fruity notes become more prominent. Marvellous. An exquisitely deep, soft peated whisky. I understand this was aged in ex-cognac casks which is a treatment that can be amazing or just as easily go badly awry, but in this case the maturation was textbook. If this was the only whisky I was able to drink for the rest of my life I would not be sad. It is absolutely the sort of peated whisky profile I most enjoy and there is little more I can say other than to thank @DrRHCMadden for generously sharing this sample. It is unobtainium now but when it was first released in Australia you could buy this for AUD$170 a bottle. How I wish I had bought several cases at the time. I have no hesitation in giving this whisky a rating of … “Outstanding” : 91/100 (5 stars)