Ardbeg Drum is my 4th bottle of the annual Feis Isle releases, and the first I managed to score as a full-proof “Committee Release.” Your standard Ardbeg aged a little extra in rum casks. It’s a simple formula, but one that I’m looking forward to nonetheless based Ardbeg’s previous performances. Nose: Heavy peat, campfire smoke, brine, sea salt, seaweed, and iodine. Tennis ball and bandaid. Vanilla custard, toffee, and caramel. Sugar cookie/Graham cracker. Banana with some grapefruit and lemon citrus. Agave. Shrimp cocktail and oyster. Grilled pineapple. Black pepper, cinnamon, and oak spice. Smells like dinner on the waterfront. Palate: Vanilla custard, caramel, toffee, and sugar cookie. Banana, grapefruit, lemon, and bell pepper. More grilled pineapple. Campfire smoke, ash, and peat. Sea salt, seaweed, and brine. Tennis ball, iodine, and bandaid, and a little rubber. Agave and celery. Red pepper, black bean chili. Cinnamon, black pepper, and oak. Finish: Lemon and grapefruit citrus. Campfire smoke, ash, sea salt, brine, seaweed and peat. Chestnut and hazelnut. Dark and milk chocolate. Cocoa and pipe smoke. Black bean, red pepper chili. Cinnamon, black and white pepper, and oak. Long as they make finishes. This is peat, sweet, and heat blended into one magnificent bottle. I love the the way the rum casks add those tropical notes to the cold, austere coastal Ardbeg profile. It’s quite a marriage, and the fact that the rum casks aren’t washed out by the peat and ethanol are testament to the distillers. This beats the Perpetuum, Kelpie, and Grooves for my favorite Ardbeg annual release. This had the advantage of being the only Committee Release, so it may be unfair to compare them in this manner. But this is the winner. One of the best whiskies I’ve ever had in fact. Now, I paid $300 for this. I found it years after it was released, and the store knew what they were doing. Had Ardbeg priced it this way at the time of its release, I’d have a bone to pick. But I’m a completionist, and I allowed this particular store to take advantage of me, knowing full well that it was happening. With that in mind, I’m going to ease up on the VFM consideration and view this through the lens of someone who bought this when it was more time appropriate. 5/5. It’s the best of the Ardbeg annual releases. Sensational.