I'm heading into a Highland/Speyside peated whiskey kick, thanks to the arrival of a recent order from The Whiskey Exchange.  I started with the Ancnoc Flaughter.   This was my first Ancnoc.  I came without any particular expectations, and was pleasantly surprised.   The first and biggest surprise was the level of peatiness throughout - nose, palate and finish.  It's certainly not Laphroaig or Ardbeg, but it's the dominating note, and it's a very pleasant barbeque peat.   Second, there was no youthful harshness. Finally, the sweetness was present, but nicely layered and not overpowering. After I got past the surprises, I did note a couple of downsides.  First, it's quite simple overall, even if the two dominant aspects (peat and sweet) are quite nice.  In addition, the sweetness is rather nondescript - fruity, but hard to place specifically.  I'll soon see how this stacks up against some of the other drams that I have waiting, including the Ancnoc Cutter.  As of now, my take is that it's not compelling enough to throw it on the "buy" list, but I would never be unhappy drinking it.