*Score* 94 *Color* Deep amber, brass. Coppery bronze. The corners fade out to gold. *Nose* You could have someone pour this five feet away, and still be struck by the peat smell. There’s also some heavy sulpher and burnt rubber. *Palate* Deep and rich and fills your mouth with earth and soil and the smell of wet leaves when it rains. *Finish* Very long and very strong. *Notes* A truly unique scotch, this transcends the typical experience of merely tasting a dram. If you’ve ever stood on a mountaintop and enjoyed the lush green beautiful endless landscape with fog clouds floating low above the trees and a thin mist tapping you lightly across your face, this is what the scene would taste like. I may be influenced by the green and white packaging, but all I can think of is deep dank foggy rains on a cold spring afternoon in Central PA. Enjoy this by the fire when it rains. This punches you in the face a lot harder than the 10. This tastes like you’re eating grass or seaweed, and the smoke lingers on as long as you let it. A few drops tones it down a little, but doesn’t exactly change anything. This is not an overly complex dram, but they’re not trying to be complex – they just want to smack you in the face with peat. The finish is so long, it lends itself time to evolve and almost shifts gears to tasting like cigarette smoke after 30 seconds and then to a sweet savory smoky barbecue sauce. Laprhoaig loves to be divisive, and I’m lucky to say I’m on the love side. I give this a loud 94 and believe it may be Laphroaig’s best expression.