Nose: Starts off with a tiny amount of ocean brine and a bit of smoke and over sweetened (brown sugar), damp Pu’er tea. Fades into honey, caramel apples, and even a bit of oranges. You can smell the grain if you really pay attention. Palate: Full and oily, starts off fruity and sweet, then a tea bitterness (not tea notes, just the bitter finish of tea) crawls up, milk chocolate, then a trace of smoke. Finish: Medium finish, oak and a hint of smoke. Overall: Black bottle is a pretty well-made blend; I buy it regularly in my budget scotch rotation. It’s interesting enough, the notes are well done, and you don’t taste the grain sharpness from other budget blends. But you need to know this: as the bottle says, it is “curiously rich & slightly smoky”. This is not the all Islay blend that it used to be; it has as little smoke as possible while still being detectable. I suggest trying Te Bheag if you want more peat and the sea. I rate this 3, but add 0.25 for the excellent value.