Another one of the awesome bonus samples from the SDT group, this one provided by @PBMichiganWolverine. To echo the specifics already laid out by @LeeEvolved this is a malt blend composed of 75.5% Ardbeg, 10.6% Caol Ila, 13.4% Clynelish and .5% of the Compass Box secret ingredient, Dailuaine, Clynelish and Teaninich blended together and aged in French oak. Marketed as the peatiest CBW yet, this is presented in a beautiful and bad ass black accented bottle. Bottled at 48.9% ABV and as all CBW whiskies it is non chill filtered and natural color. This is a pale straw color not unlike its core range cousin, Peat Monster. The nose is a little flat at first, but give it more time and it really shows it’s true colors. Of course it’s smoky, but it’s also very floral, much like Peat Monster. It’s also quite fruity with raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and a bit of ripe red apples. A hit of candied bacon, sticky sweet smelling, like coating your fingers in bacon grease and plunging them into a bag of sugar. The Clynelish comes in with a waxy note. Vanilla and cream. The smoke comes back around, but it’s overshadowed by the fruitiness. Polished oak, more floral notes and a little honey with a light lemony citrus. Dark chocolate and sea salt, apricots and a far off rubbery note. The palate arrives sweet but quickly turns peppery. Layers of smoke rather than the blast you get from sticking your face over a dying fire like you might expect from the high proportion of Ardbeg. Smoked brisket and over cooked BBQ chicken. Grilled stone fruits than were then chilled in the fridge. Not super complex, but very enjoyable. Medium-full bodied mouthfeel. Oily and dry at the same time and a little waxy. The finish is medium long, smoky, meaty and dry. While I am certain that this is a cut above the Peat Monster, I’m not quite so certain that it’s twice the price better. The overall peat/smoke feel makes it seem like there is a higher percentage of Caol Ila than what’s actually in there. While this may be the peatiest CBW ever, I guess I was expecting something more along the Ardbegian levels of intense peat. Still, it’s very enjoyable and another testament to the blending genius that is John Glaser and the team and Compass Box. A solid 4.5 that I am rounding up to 5 because simply giving it 4 is a disservice. We are all going to have to update our many many ratings once we finally get our half star increments, hint hint @mikael Cheers 🥃