On the nose charred lemon, ash, candied orange, mostly citrus and smoke for me. Maybe a pinch of salt. Coming back to the nose after a taste, there appears some pastry-like sweetness. Cinnamon and sugar. The palate seems richer, sweeter, and more aggressive than the nose lets on. Confectionery sweetness, vanilla, balanced with smoke/ash. Meaty, bacon maybe. A little of the citrus from the nose. There’s a smidge of brine, but it’s much more smoky compared to Laphroaig’s briny, medicinal, iodine. I prefer the Laphroaig profile, but find this to be great also. I wish Laphroaig didn’t chill filter and would bottle at 46%, so Ardbeg wins on those points. After having tried a number of Ardbeg’s other offerings and special releases, I’m refreshed to find that their core 10-year is nearly as good as about any of their others (in some cases clearly better), and still priced at only $50. Honestly, when the next overpriced marketing gimmick comes out, save your money and just buy the 10.