The nose holds a heavily yet somehow delicately peated opening, with a whiff of sea air, subtle grassiness, slight sweetness, and mild spiciness. There’s a barnyard funkiness to the peat smoke at first that calls to mind wet hay and oily wool. Given time to breathe this gives way to vanilla sweetness, apple perfume, a touch of lemon, a pinch of pepper, stale cinnamon stick, cocoa dust, and just a hint of licorice root. On the palate it is initially malty sweet, then quickly becomes spicy and smoky with sharp orange citrus, cracked pepper, cayenne, and ash. Then the apple and vanilla take over while the heat subsides. Light to medium bodied, with sufficient viscosity, the whisky recedes in the glass like waves from the beach, leaving no legs behind but just a smattering of droplets. The finish is semidry, and slightly metallic at the start. Then the peat smoke returns, along with spicy oak, some more cocoa, cool slate, lingering malty sweetness, and finally oily hazelnuts. Nose: 9 Palate: 9 Body: 7 Finish: 9