Nose: An immediate sooty, lemon/orange punch that takes no prisoners. Not harsh, but uncompromising. Wet sand and mud - the smells of a seaside field on a squally day with an oily, citrus tinged smoke to windward. A lot of brine and peaty aromas. This particular expression is not soft - it's rather angular and brisk like a blustery, chill morning. How invigorating! With water the nose opens up beautifully, but don't overdo it and soften it too much - just a few drops is all it needs to relax. Palate: A briny and spicy dark jaffa cake and chocolate arrival with bitter citrus fruits, green olives, dried muscat grapes, ash and smoke. The development brings out sweetness all through the palate whilst the salty umami foundation perseveres. With water the sweet character is intensified, but so is the spiciness, all in perfect balance. Cloves and a touch of cinnamon in the background and the texture is excellent. Finish: Long. Lemon peel and smoky, earthy, phenolic characteristics slowly dying away, like the embers of a beach-side barbecue the morning after. With water the sweetness and smoke are both intensified. The best Loch Gorm yet, in my opinion. There are features of something from all the previous expressions, but in balance. This would be one to collect, if one did such things ... nah, just enjoy it. I've rated this one just one percentage point lower than the current Sanaig. In the past I've generally found Kilchoman whiskies to be too young and undisciplined to be really enjoyable but this is changing, and has been for a while now. This and Sanaig are the high points for me now, but I bet in the next year or two we'll be hearing great things about the whole range. I predict 12-14 years will be the magic maturation time for this distillate. Recommended. "Excellent" : 88/100 (4.5 stars)