Nose: Smoke. No surprise here. The peat is different from other Islays though. I read someone describing Ardbeg peat like a campfire and Laphroaig peat as a car fire and I agree - there is an industrial tone to the Laphroaig smoke. (I suppose this is what folks relate to as ”medicinal”? Or is that the brine?) Like it though, gives ton of character. There’s also briney notes and tar ofc. All is covered in a thick sweetness. Palate: Thick and oily, intense, massive peat fighting the sweetness in a balanced battle. Again sea-notes (or ”boat”-notes rather?) like tar, slight saltiness and (burning) seaweed. Hints of black pepper. Finish: Long and thick. Like an ocean oil spil. Nice. Overall: The one drawback with this one is that the key flavours are so strong that they seem to overpower many of the small nuances of the whisky, the result of which is that it comes through as slightly flat. It’s a rough one. I score it a solid 4.0 though, driven by its knock-out qualities.