Rating: 18/23 This is a Drammer's Club pick, with higher ABV (55.6%) than the usual distillery release (46%). N: Quite funky. It's not just smoke - there's some worty grain along with chalky minerals, faint sea spray, and mild apricot. There's a lot more nuance here as well, but it's hard to pick out. My overall impression is that this is nicely aged, but not aged so much that it's lost its original grainy character. P: Full flavor, with an alcohol bite and a big sweetness. The sweetness shows off caramel maltiness with a thorough dusting of apricot and then some floral vanilla. Bits of minerality come out as well here. Light notes from that original wort still make it through too, but they're not vegetal. Well, maybe a tad grassy. They actually add to the profile really nicely. A restrained woody backing with some spices is here as well. Cinnamon, ginger, white pepper. There's a maybe a faint soapy bitterness, but it's not too bad. I'm actually getting very little smoke here. A bit, but honestly you could have convinced me that there wasn't any here. Maybe a hint of blackberry in here as well. F: The grain kind of lingers, along with some flat bitterness, probably from a mix of the grain and the wood. Faint apricot and vanilla sneak in briefly, along with a touch of that caramel maltiness. - Conclusion - This is a really nice dram. It's easy to drink and has an interesting funkiness and nuance. Somebody did a good job picking this age for this barrel. This is pretty competitive with Strathmill 24 (1993) (Cadenhead's) (17/23). This is fuller, but it's less sweet and approachable. The Strathmill has almost a melon fruitiness in comparison. This has more nuance though and maybe a bit less bite. Overall, I'm inclined to give this the win. It isn't massively better, but it's an improvement. I'm thinking an 18 for this, but it could be a 17 or 19. Coming back to the Glen Scotia, I'm liking it better. This is also striking me as a little bit less complex, though with more of a sweet apple flavor. It's reminding me of Westland Peated (15/23) now. I'm looking at more of a 16 or 17 now. I think I'll go with the 17 because that's the part of the range that overlaps with my prior tasting. Thank you @PBMichiganWolverine for sharing this rare bottling!