Nose: Stone fruits, white pepper, brine. There's a rich peat with beautiful threads of smoke. Oak, vanilla, icing. Oregano, basil. Black and green olives. Lemon oil, wintergreen. Charred poblanos. Bell peppers. Complex and cohesive. Unmistakably Ardbeg. Palate: Vanilla, oak, ash, peat. Icing - confectioner's sugar and cream. Tannic, with mild bitterness. Toasted oak. Toasted cereal grains with honey. Herbaceous and vegetal - tarry rope comes to mind. This gets into both Laphroaig and Lagavulin territory for me - some campfire ash and char notes as well as deep, rich, meaty character. The casks are on display, but in the best way possible. Finish begins with a bright, ashy kick alongside plums, figs, and vanilla. Slowly the fruit morphs into bananas, kiwis, and mangoes. Eventually everything settles into a honeyed toasted wheat bread, ash, brine, and light perfume. Other notes: This is my second glass of this and I'm not mad. This is Ardbeg at full tilt - the phenolic, complex, rich beast I've come to expect. A beautiful glass and one I believe everybody should experience.