I ended up receiving a rather large pour of this from my NJ connection: @PBMichiganWolverine. I knew my friend @Generously_Paul would get a kick out of this one so I siphoned off a couple of ounces for him and proceeded to enjoy the last 4-5oz for myself. I hadn’t really searched for this one at all, so it came as a surprise when it was included in my last trade with Mr B. This is a TRE that’s a deep, rich gold that makes medium sized droplets and slow running legs in the Glencairn. It’s bottled at 43.1% and I believe it sells for less than $60 online (if you can still find it- it sold rather well). The nose was initially very sherry heavy. The peat and smoke made its way from the glass with a little coaxing after 10-15 minutes and brought some salt and pepper notes along with a decent hit of zesty oak and light citrus. Dark berries and caramel formed a bookend around the nose by showing up early and reasserting itself later on. A truly wonderful nose. The palate was predominantly smoky to me, slightly harsh and dry while allowing a bit of buttery vanilla and salt to round things out. The mouth feel was somewhat thick before turning drier than I’d prefer. The finish was short-to-medium with a nice lingering spice and warmth. Ultimately it ended up oaky and dry with wisps of smoke attaching to the tongue and roof of your mouth. It ends the way you expect an island, peaty whisky should. Overall, it makes the short list of quality NAS, TRE releases that have come out of the islands/Islay recently. There’s definitely good value for the money spent, as well. 4-4.25 stars, easily. Cheers.