Nose - Almost don't even need to nose it in the glass it's quite potent, but getting in there is a very sweet smoked meat, salty, briny, wet ash, burnt/burning wet moss. It's almost like you took a heavily charred piece of sweet smoked brisket and decided to dunk it in a tank of whisky. Taste - Hits you with a sweet heavily smoky meaty bbq, hints of ash, black pepper spice, smoldering wet green hay, this smoky plum/raisin-like sweetness. Tastes kind of like it smells, like if you took a heavily charred sweet smoked brisket and soaked it in a whisky & then drank that whisky after mixing a bit of ash from burning leaves in it. Finish - Lingering salt/saline, ashy smoke, this medicinal-like sweetness, faint black pepper spice that pretty quickly fades. Score - 68/100 Final Thoughts - I know this is a favorite of many people, but I guess I'm just not a fan of this type of peated Scotch? I can see how this might pair pretty well with a cigar or a meaty steak, but I don't see myself enjoying this on a regular basis. I just can't get over the ashy smell and taste I get in this dram. It's like they took a charred, sweet-smoked brisket, dunked it in Scotch, and then since it's fall, they took the ash from burned leaves & steeped it in the Scotch as well. To me, it's unpleasant and a bit off-putting. I've recently tried some Bruichladdich Port Charlotte as well as the Octomore, both of which I enjoyed quite a bit more & could actually see myself enjoying on a semi-regular basis. Sorry Lagavulin, I guess there's a reason why this bottle has remained mostly untouched by me.