Nose contains several of the traditional Ardbeg notes: smoldering campfire, burning tires, brine, with a bit of mild fruit bouquet and funk notes--particularly bandages, mushrooms, and cottage cheese. Subdued relative to other Ardbeg offerings are the nutty and oily characteristics. The peat, while strident for any single malt scotch, is a notch down from most Ardbegs. Palate is dry, with far more brine than typical Islays with a taste like salted caramel with black pepper, salted pork, and mild vanilla. Here this dram is extraordinarily sharp: an effect only enhanced by the brevity of the finish. For a distillery with offerings whose finishes seem to last for days, this Ardbeg cuts off almost immediately, causing the punchy salt and pepper note to be the last impression...akin to what would happen if you took applewood smoked bacon and then suffocated it in table seasonings. There are some mocha and bitter dark chocolate notes if you look for them, but they are getting pushed around by the strident pepper.