A gentle and inviting malt forward nose. Top notes are crisp green pears and underripe stone fruit lightly seasoned with white pepper, cinnamon, plus sea salt. Beneath these are heartier layers of honey, malted barley, and butter cookie. The base is a modest note of clean earthy peat, plus a nearly imperceptible oak vanillin. The taste is well balanced, sweet, spicy, smoky, and salty. Orchard fruits amid butterscotch give way to cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, some licorice root, and a drop of brine. Medium bodied, with a comfortable slickness on the tongue. However, in the glass it’s as legless as a serpent. The finish is ashy at the start, with some lingering warming spice and salinity. Eventually, it fades to a very soft honied woodiness with black tea tannins and green citrus notes landing it somewhere between vanilla chai and Earl Grey. Aroma: 8 Taste: 9 Body: 7 Finish: 9