Having cut my teeth on Speysides, I felt it was time to put on my big boy pants and pay a visit to the peaty, smokey, land of Islay. And since I'm a "jump in to the deep end of the pool" type of guy, I went straight for the Laphoraig Cast Strength. Go big or go home I say. So....let us not mince words: newly opened bottle greets your senses with all the subtlety of a Howitzer Cannon shell landing in your lap and exploding. You are immediately confronted with the disturbing smell of your house burning down with you in it, medicine, iodine, fresh cut grass, swamp, burned fish, and charred meat. Your survival instincts kick in and you want to run screaming from the room - but you somehow can't turn away from the carnage, so you pour it into a glass, and put it to your lips. This little slice of hell - attacking all your senses at once temps you to sip it so you do. Holy Jesus, Mary and Joseph - You are greeted with sardines, ash, and iodine, and you are ready to ask what in the name of all that is good and holy you have done - but your perseverance rewards with an observation. Beyond the smoke, is the subtlety of banana, licorice, and oak masked in the oily complexity of the dram. With a drop of water the bouquet opens up and there is so much going on at once you struggle to reconcile the love and hate, the punch to the face and the nuance of a kiss on the cheek, the tart smoke and the sweet fruit, the sea and the land. For those brave enough to stay and learn this dram, it will redefine what you think you know and what you thought you enjoyed. You will hate the fact that you are loving it, and you find yourself in deep contemplation and reflection of each sip of this dram. No my friends, Speyside it ain't. This is a beautiful woman with one hell of a temper. To some she is worth it, to others it is not. For me, after 2 drams, I think I want to know her better, and I am excited to spend some time in this strange and wonderful land that is Islay.