Nose: Immersive, rich enfolding peat-reek. Very sweet in character with camp-fire spit-roast pig. There's also a malted note and warm baking spices. With dilution soft honeyed notes emerge to flirt with a floral fragrance. Formidable! Palate: An explosively sweet and leathery arrival that segues into honeyed oak, leather and coconut. Very intense and confrontational. The texture is oddly neutral - not oily, not creamy, not thin, just sort of "right there". A clove and herbal-heathery note arises in the late development and some sea-spray brine and iodine notes show up towards the finish, together with some sweetness. With dilution everything takes a holiday in honey-town. Finish: Long. Peated fruity notes dangle into a slow sweet aftertaste that has hints of spices, licorice and coconut. What a big whisky! Larger than I was expecting. Smoke and caramel candy loom large in this profile, and it's a fun-fair ride! Just when you think you have its measure, something else comes along to command the centre stage. There is a somewhat intrusive vinyl-plastic note that interrupts the palate, but it's fairly ignorable as long as you can cope with what is a particularly ballsy whisky. It's not my favourite Octomore (but then, even my least favourite rates 84/100). Now, MARK MY WORDS - this whisky is as tight as a fish's arse and you can't fully appreciate it neat. Have a neat sip first but then for the love of all that is holy and good in the universe ADD SOME WATER. Take it down to around the mid 40% mark and suddenly it will all come into focus and expand in every dimension. The nose, the palate - everything instantly makes sense and you will fall in love with it and become an Octomore fan. A cracking good whisky, a cracking good Octomore. "Very Good" : 87/100 (4.25 stars)