Settling down this Friday. It’s been some time since I actually sat and sampled. Courtesy of @PBMichiganWolverine and my ample backlog of samples, deciding what taste is not a problem. Just the thing we call time. The color shows as lightly golden. Peat is very detectable and forward, but doesn’t dominate the dram. In the subtle peat, sweetness is all around: Vanilla pudding, honey, butterscotch, maple syrup. Of course there is a mix of orchard and tropical fruits. Peaches, pineapple, pears, dried apricots. There is a slight youthful quality detectable to the nose which I would guess to be 8 or 9 years. In a oily, medium weighted body, the youthfulness is also detectable on the palate which provides a edginess of cinnamon and pickled ginger. Amongst the prickly sensation, the sweeter side takes root. Butterscotch, vanilla, sucrose, within a cereal. As you chew, hold or swirl, the sweetness turns bitter leading towards the finish. That finish is lemon oil with charcoal or soot. The citric bitterness fades rather quickly ultimately leaving the palate dry, woody and sooty. All in all, an average with a nice bouquet but lacks a memorable or unique characteristics. The rum finish adds a sweetness that provides some dimension to the body. However, It’s not one I would actively seek out. Worth a try but maybe not worth a buy. [83/100][Tasted: 7/12/19]